A regular reader of PPCW.NET, Dr. Wolfgang Irber, has posted a piece about how the original PocketPC 2002 based XDA changed his life. Overall, a very positive piece, and I have to say I very much agree with his sentiments.

A PPCW.NET user looks back on how the XDA changed his life, prompting Matt M at MTekk to do the same ...

In spite of all the issues I had with the XDA, it really did make a massive change to the way I work. Reminders - when they worked - and email were for me the most useful, followed closely by contacts. Not that far different from what a normal PDA would offer - but for me, it was aggravating to use a separate phone and PDA, which meant that any device I purchased would tend to have only a (relatively) short life before I'd give up and go back to just a phone. The XDA definitely changed that, and I have persevered with it the longest out of any PDA I've ever owned.

Instead of being effectively helpless while away from a PC, I suddenly had recourse to something - even if only email. Instead of carrying a day planner - which was my fallback when I got fed up with my current PDA - I started to rely on the device for all my appointments and timekeeping... although sometimes, given some of the bugs, I certainly felt that was a mistake.

Nonetheless, for me a converged device is the only way to go - and the Windows Mobile 2003 based XDA II simply builds on that. Indeed, I've been more inspired with the XDA II to find new ways to use the device than ever before.

So has it changed my life? You bet it has. I'm far more efficient, in touch, and on time than ever before. Adding additional applications like Vehicle Manager have helped to cement the XDA and XDA II as firm favorites. Although I can remember what I did before I had them, I never want to go back!