Bloody PDA's

Post by **woopesh** » 03 Dec 2016, 20:06

Pathfinder wrote:We had the server down all day today our entire office went out with the little books it's embarrassing....

I like the little forms. With all the fafing around you have to do with the new PDA's (auto log out, can't log in, multiple scan attempts, multiple sign attempts coz people touch the screen, black screens, screen locks, random key presses in the rain etc.) the bits of paper actually save time. These days I just start using them when the PDA goes down. I'll be damned if Im going to stand there wasting time rebooting the bugger, inputting wierd walk numbers etc. Let the guy in the cage deal with it.

wannabeek · Post by **wannabeek** » 03 Dec 2016, 20:22

I'm guessing you must be in one of those high-falootin' posh offices that comes with a guy in a cage. Some of us have a PDA dock, a telephone and a wooden desk - that's the cage!

datasaint · Post by **datasaint** » 03 Dec 2016, 20:39

I think the new PDA's are naff in all honesty.

Yes they scan faster, the screen is brighter, and the battery lasts longer.

But they've massively overcomplicated the interface, there was nothing wrong with replicating the old PDA style menus, tweak it to add features like left with neighbour, other drawbacks include ..

- the screen is too sensitive, should be resistive touch only.
- it's bigger/bulkier than it needs to be
- there's no stylus holder built-in
- it takes too long to boot

For all the millions they spent on it, the software should have been bulletproof and forefront of the project before they rolled out the hardware, you wouldn't buy 100 new PCs and not have an operating system that was adequate to use on it would you. Makes you wonder who's actually running these projects when the frontline staff can visualise solutions better.

Northblue82 · Post by **Northblue82** » 03 Dec 2016, 20:42

Crashed in our office on Thursday, just after midday, and yet again today which is becoming a regular thing for a Saturday morning. Every Saturday without fail we can't log onto the server and download manifest for collections.

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 03 Dec 2016, 20:50

Rommagic wrote:EE seem to be the problem when does the contract run out with them?.

from what I gather although EE have the contract, its RM that cocked up by not getting enough bandwidth or data plan.

Post by **woopesh** » 03 Dec 2016, 21:09

norm wrote:I think the new PDA's are naff in all honesty.

Yes they scan faster, the screen is brighter, and the battery lasts longer.

But they've massively overcomplicated the interface, there was nothing wrong with replicating the old PDA style menus, tweak it to add features like left with neighbour, other drawbacks include ..

- the screen is too sensitive, should be resistive touch only.
- it's bigger/bulkier than it needs to be
- there's no stylus holder built-in
- it takes too long to boot

For all the millions they spent on it, the software should have been bulletproof and forefront of the project before they rolled out the hardware, you wouldn't buy 100 new PCs and not have an operating system that was adequate to use on it would you. Makes you wonder who's actually running these projects when the frontline staff can visualise solutions better.

Im sure the people running these projects can do better... but if you are given a budget of 50p to do something that costs £1 to do right?

Post by **eastie** » 03 Dec 2016, 21:17

wannabeek wrote:
wacko74 wrote: I just look on it as easy overtime, if RM want to pay me for sitting in a warm dry van trying to log back on repeatedly that's their call!
Yeah, that would be easy overtime if I had that luxury. Imagine some of us who have to be done on time to pick up children from school. That isn't a flexible time. The grief from mgmt (can't use the word 'management' as that implies managing) is appalling in this situation. I think I gotta quit. These guys are tossers.

Just grow a pair and cut off and tell them its their problem if the PDA's don't work. Working over your time is not mandatory

ewancurze · Post by **ewancurze** » 03 Dec 2016, 21:27

wannabeek wrote:I'm guessing you must be in one of those high-falootin' posh offices that comes with a guy in a cage. Some of us have a PDA dock, a telephone and a wooden desk - that's the cage!

We don't just have a cage,we have a whole Zoo.....or is it just the way Posties are in the morning......."Not a bad ol' job"

Zicomurphy · Post by **Zicomurphy** » 03 Dec 2016, 21:43

wannabeek wrote:I'm guessing you must be in one of those high-falootin' posh offices that comes with a guy in a cage. Some of us have a PDA dock, a telephone and a wooden desk - that's the cage!

We have 2 guys in the cage they've just always gone home by time most people get back from delivery. If I have to use an EPOD card I just leave it in there. No idea if anything gets done with it.

Post by **Trolleyed** » 03 Dec 2016, 23:45

We were told today that our scan % was too low and each duty is being monitored closely. We all explained about smudged codes and pda crashes etc. DOM just shrugs shoulders and says "must do better". Goes away but returns a few minutes later. Use an old one he says. That would be an option if we had enough of them left to go round. It's like the lunatics are running the asylum lol.

Post by **wacko74** » 04 Dec 2016, 07:40

norm wrote:I think the new PDA's are naff in all honesty.

Yes they scan faster, the screen is brighter, and the battery lasts longer.

But they've massively overcomplicated the interface, there was nothing wrong with replicating the old PDA style menus, tweak it to add features like left with neighbour, other drawbacks include ..

- the screen is too sensitive, should be resistive touch only.
- it's bigger/bulkier than it needs to be
- there's no stylus holder built-in
- it takes too long to boot

For all the millions they spent on it, the software should have been bulletproof and forefront of the project before they rolled out the hardware, you wouldn't buy 100 new PCs and not have an operating system that was adequate to use on it would you. Makes you wonder who's actually running these projects when the frontline staff can visualise solutions better.

See a reply I gave elsewhere on here...

True story...
A while back I was watching an episode of a certain property programme, one of the guests was a girl in her early 20's who was quite clearly (sorry I can't put it any more diplomatically) a bit of an air head, she'd bought a very expensive flat in a hip n trendy area of London and was planning on spending a huge amount refurbishing it, I was only thinking to myself how does this very young and rather dim girl afford to do this?...when the presenter asked her what she did for a living?...

Her reply... "I work in procurement for Royal Mail"

Newbie001 · Post by **Newbie001** » 04 Dec 2016, 10:08

It's probably some thing very simple overloading the system. Like all that extra info on 2D barcodes they insist we scan. Bet if they had nationwide pause on 2d scanning up till Christmas, especially where tracked is through the roof, the pdas would work perfectly.

Post by **SpacePhoenix** » 04 Dec 2016, 11:11

Newbie001 wrote:It's probably some thing very simple overloading the system. Like all that extra info on 2D barcodes they insist we scan. Bet if they had nationwide pause on 2d scanning up till Christmas, especially where tracked is through the roof, the pdas would work perfectly.

Why do PDAs on delivery mode even send half the data from the 2D barcodes, all they really need to send is the normal tracking number, timestamp, GPS location and status (delivered, no answer - whatever options it has) and the signature if it's something that's been delivered that needed signing for.

Surreypostie · Post by **Surreypostie** » 04 Dec 2016, 13:37

I thought these new PDA's could nip off and knock a few neighbours for you while you write a 739 out at the door to save a bit of time to lapse?

toomuchcoke · Post by **toomuchcoke** » 04 Dec 2016, 14:31

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:
Rommagic wrote:EE seem to be the problem when does the contract run out with them?.
from what I gather although EE have the contract, its RM that cocked up by not getting enough bandwidth or data plan.

Ah, so EE are providing exactly what the RM asked for ... And the fault lies with the RM for not asking for what they needed?

In theory the bandwidth problem should be solvable (to some extend) by a software fix on the PDA (basically buffer up scans and send them to the server in batches, similar to what the old PDAs did when you where scanning Tracked items in the mornings), except I'm definitely getting the impression that the PDAs go out to the network much more than you'd expect? You'd think they'd only need an external connection to (a) authenticate a log-in, (b) down a collection manifest and (c) to upload a data, but it seems that they connect when you actually scan the item? (To see if it needs a signature?)