anyone see the DIAD V yet?

DiadDude

Well-Known Member
In todays day in age I would think we would have something more simple and high -tech. I would like to see something bluetooth like in the HUB. Something the size of a BlackBerry that would clip to our belt with a bluetooth ring scanner tethered to it. And if a signature was required then you could pull the "BlackBerry" out and have them sign the screen. And if it was a real "communication device", then maybe we could use is as a phone to contact other service providers or members of our management team thru either text or talk. Only numbers programmed by your management team would be able to be used. And to satisfy said management messages between drivers would be duplicated to the center so they knew we weren't using it for personal use.

just some thoughts.

A device like that would certainly satisfy some portion of the users, but it would just as surely upset another portion. Unfortunately there is no way to build a DIAD which fits everyone's idea of what it should be. The DIAD user population is too diverse for everyone to absolutely love any device which is rolled out.

Some folks want a pocket sized DIAD, while others want one they can use to knock a dog out for 5 minutes. Some want keys that they can press with gloves on, while others want a keypad like their cell phone.

DIADs are used worldwide within the UPS operation. They must be usable by drivers from 18 to 80, from under 5' to over 7' tall. They have to withstand heat, cold, wind, rain, falls and dirt. They must be able to be used in over 100 different countries and "speak" 8 different languages. All while lasting for 10 years and not costing the company a fortune to purchase and maintain.

It's not easy to find devices that can do all of those things, let alone try to find one that is universally loved by the drivers. Hopefully the device that is ultimately selected can be said to do those things better than the previous DIADs have, but no amount of research, engineering, or money can guarantee that the next DIAD will seem better to any one particular driver.
 

HEFFERNAN

Huge Member
I had a rotweiller run down the backsteps of a 3 family house and crack the diad with his teeth. So I am gonna hope the new diads are not the small handheld devices.

or I'm gonna have to wear milkbone underwear.:cool_dog:
 

Lou Dog OG

#1 Utility
I love the DIAD IV. I can use it with gloves (takes a couple days to get used to), I cannot however, text all day on my blackberry with gloves. I'm a heavy texter and when its glove wearing season, I try not to text.

Not to mention the millions of times I've dropped my board. My blackberry too has fallen and my side camera button no longer works. The only thing thats ever gone out on a board after a fall is the speaker (which can be fixed with a little TAP :)), no buttons have ever ceased to function.

The alpha button is the sweetest button ever and the numbers are in perfect position... I don't even mind the signature button that everyone loves to accidentally press (I'm guessing thats what was meant by everyone's favorite button.)
 

DiadDude

Well-Known Member
My assumption would be that everyone's favorite key is the "Alpha Toggle" key. This is the key which changes the DIAD's keyboard between it's 2 different modes. In the first mode, all the DIAD keys produce letters, and in the second mode, some make letters, some make numbers, some make symbols, and some make everything you just typed go away :surprised:
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
Yeap DiadDude, I call it the "Shift Key", and that one is my favorite that I would like to see disappear. I understand that its purpose is to cut down on the number of keys on the keypad, but it stinks to shift back and forth when texting a message.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Yeap DiadDude, I call it the "Shift Key", and that one is my favorite that I would like to see disappear. I understand that its purpose is to cut down on the number of keys on the keypad, but it stinks to shift back and forth when texting a message.

I happened to be in the office one day and the OMS clerk was trying to decipher a message from a driver who had forgotten to use the shift key.
It looked something like this: "89cv6 123b3 34rr8 ..." We were able to translate it.
 

skid mark

In Rememberance of Jimi
Here's an idea...have the next piece of crap made in Mexico like Diad 4 is...Diad 3 was made in Israel. Much better device.
 

Eclipz

Active Member
I would like it if you could text from one diad straight to another diad so you could contact nearby drivers if you're having a big PU or need anything else. Sure, you can contact through dispatch but more than often they're not that quick to relay messages.

Oh, and if you type too fast our diads don't register all letters. No big problem, but annoying after typing a long streetname which isn't already in the diad's database.
 

Tiny Panda

Well-Known Member
It would be nice for them to have rubber around the Diad again like Diad 3, at least when you dropped that it bounced. Also some way of doing a card payment for a COD would be great, lost count of the times i've sat there while a customer has to go thru the call centre to pay for an import.
 

Eclipz

Active Member
It would be nice for them to have rubber around the Diad again like Diad 3, at least when you dropped that it bounced. Also some way of doing a card payment for a COD would be great, lost count of the times i've sat there while a customer has to go thru the call centre to pay for an import.
I'm sorry if I didn't understand you correctly but you can enter a card payment in your diad. Over here we fill in a check and UPS takes the money from the receivers bank account. €450 max. though.
 

tworavens

JuniorMember for 24 Years
I'm sorry if I didn't understand you correctly but you can enter a card payment in your diad. Over here we fill in a check and UPS takes the money from the receivers bank account. €450 max. though.

We don't have that capability here. Direct account transfers are much more common in Europe, over here it's all still checks, gives the bankers something to do I guess.
 

UPSBOI

You don't want to know!
Here's an idea...have the next piece of crap made in Mexico like Diad 4 is...Diad 3 was made in Israel. Much better device.
Diad V will be made in China! You didn't know that? Probably by the same manufacturer that makes our uniforms!
 

Tiny Panda

Well-Known Member
I'm sorry if I didn't understand you correctly but you can enter a card payment in your diad. Over here we fill in a check and UPS takes the money from the receivers bank account. €450 max. though.


We can do that too but here in the UK we have all but done away with cheques, banks no longer issue cheque books unless you actually ask for one so everything is paid for with debit cards which means having to phone customer services with the card number, all the customers details, where the card is registered etc etc. If answered straight away its takes about 3 mins but can take 10 mins or more if you have to wait for an answer. Also, idiots at customer service have a tendency to type the card number wrong which means the payment is rejected so you have to go thru it all again.
Even worse when someone drops off a package or collects one at the ctr and wants to pay by card, you have to do the same then. Why they card have a card machine on the front desk is beyond me.
 

Eclipz

Active Member
We can do that too but here in the UK we have all but done away with cheques, banks no longer issue cheque books unless you actually ask for one so everything is paid for with debit cards which means having to phone customer services with the card number, all the customers details, where the card is registered etc etc. If answered straight away its takes about 3 mins but can take 10 mins or more if you have to wait for an answer. Also, idiots at customer service have a tendency to type the card number wrong which means the payment is rejected so you have to go thru it all again.
Even worse when someone drops off a package or collects one at the ctr and wants to pay by card, you have to do the same then. Why they card have a card machine on the front desk is beyond me.

I can't see any driver here having the patience to go through all of that. And we want to avoid contact with customer service as much as possible too cause of the long waiting. But it seems like things are a little bit better organized over here. Just a very little bit...

So it will be a size too small and wear out in 3 months?

My thoughts exactly :happy2: But to be honest: making the Diad a bit smaller would be welcome. Customers always ask why UPS's gadget so much heavier than other couriers (and I always have to reply that our job is much heavier than others too). :wink2:
 
Last edited:
Top