Casio SF-6700 Handheld

I was on the verge of buying one of these in 1999 early 2000.  But then I moved to Europe.

I've been a big fan of electronic organizers and their bigger cousins, the WinCE palmtops.  I've also been a big user of both of them.  But as my time on the road dwindled, I found myself not needing the bigger (and heavier) palmtops with color screens and the heavy Windows CE operating system.  But I needed something more then those 20 dollar Sharp organizers you could find at Wal-Mart.  I needed something inbetween the two.

But what?

For a while, I just stuck with my WinCE palmtop and slowly made the transistion over to my iPhone.  But this wasn't getting the job done for me.  I'm the kind of guy who likes keeping his work and play seperate.  So I hit up eBay and did a search for "Casio Organizers".  That's when I saw a pristine 1999 model Casio BOSS for sale.  I hit the "Buy Now" button and waited for it in the mail.

It was second hand, but when I got it the device looked new and came with everything.  The sync cable and the diskettes.  I installed the two AA batteries and away I went.

I haven't had the need to sync it with my desktop yet so I can't review that process.

However, I can tell you about the device.

For starters, it was a little bigger then I remembered it back in '99.  It's almost as big as my powerful WinCE palmtop, but it does feel slightly lighter.  It's also much thinner.  Hardware wise, it looks like the typical organizer/palmtop you'd find ten years ago.  It's subtle with what feels like quality plastic all around.  The hinge is nice and tight and the screen is easy to read.  The backlight also does a great job.

It's got a decent size keyboard.  It can't compare with the Psion 5 series, but it holds it's own for the data entry you'll be doing on this device.

The only annoyance I had was the color choice for the text above the shortcut keys.  It could have been a little lighter to make it a little easier to read.  But it's definitely not a deal breaker.

It uses two AA batteries, which can be found in any store you visit.  Unlike the simpler machines, which uses those button batteries which are a little more expensive and isn't always as easy to find.  But this also adds to the bulk and weight.  But not by much.

Software wise, it's simple.  exactly what I was wanting.  It's easy to input notes, names and numbers as well as making sure all your appointments in the calendar are up to speed with your agenda.  Over all, the simplicity is it's strongest point.

With keeping on the theme of simplicity, unlike some of the Sharp organizers or the big WinCE devices, you can't install any extra applications on the device.  You have what's there and can't add anything more.  Not that it's needed for what this device is.

There are some things which could be improved upon, like the changing of times in appointments on the calendar.  But that's about it.

I find that the batteries last me about two to three weeks.  I use this thing a lot, with the backlight on.  So I feel it uses battery juice pretty nicely.

I've invested in a set of four rechargable batteries for it.  This way I don't have to pocket out for new AA batteries each time.  I'm also not contributing to the waste disposable batteries cause.

Overall, if you need a simple note taking machine that'll help you stay organized, look no further.  The Casio BOSS is the right choice.  Even if it's ten years old!

I love my iPhone, but the simple BOSS organizer could easily replace it if it take and make calls. ;)