In the day-to-day use of a Palm device to organize the minutia of our lives, I would have to say no, there's no gender difference in Palm device use. The differences are subjective from user to user, with no distinction with regard to the gender of the user.

The care and feeding of our Palm devices
The biggest difference, the final yes to my answer of yes, no, and yes, is this. Yes, there's a difference in the treatment of Palm computers by the sexes. I've observed that Palm devices owned by women seem to experience far less physical trauma than those owned by men. Men, on the other hand, enjoy an unparalleled level of bonding with their Palm organizers we women don't experience.

A visit to the Palm device graveyard at http://www.palminfocenter.com and listening to anecdotes show that men experience all sorts of mishaps with their Palm devices. Their PDAs drop out of their shirt pockets or off of their belts. They tumble onto the floor or into toilets They get dropped or left behind in bars and cabs. Clips fall off cases. They get smashed in pants pockets or left in cars in sub-zero temperatures. The stories abound. Apparently, for women, carrying a purse is a good thing. It gives us a handy place to carry our Palm devices. Short of being comatose, there are few circumstances where a woman is likely to forget her purse. Yes, you do detect smugness, I'll admit it. I believe it goes back to prehistoric times. As gatherers, we never left the cave without carrying a container, not to mention the kid strapped to our backs. Men, as the hunters, found it in their best interest to travel light and unencumbered. So thousands of years of conditioning come into play.

Men, as you drop and forget those Palm devices, you're not klutzes or absent-minded. It's just that you're fighting nature. My husband has referred to his Palm organizer as his "Palmie." On visits to Palm computing sites, I've seen men refer to their Palm devices as "Precious Palmie," "my brain," and "my right hand," to name a few. The best name I've heard a guy give his Palm device is "The Big Head." I must confess, I've never understood the penchant some guys have for naming cars or body parts, etc. However, if it works for you, go for it.

Differences and similarities aside, Palm, Inc.'s continued growth and success will depend on expanding their products to appeal to lifestyles regardless of gender. There are niche applications for students, physicians, and other interests and professions. Women and men may reside on different planets, but the Palm device appears to have landed with different measures of success on Mars and Venus.

Denise Watkins can be reached at watkinsjenkins@msn.com, and she is the alpha Palm device user or, as she prefers, the Palm Diva in a family of Palm device users.