I bought a Sharp Zaurus PDA about a year ago and it hasn’t really worked out for me. The chief problems have been:
– size: it doesn’t quite fit in a trouser pocket, which makes it too big
– ease of integration with other apps on my actual PC
– like most Linux systems, doing anything new is non-trivial and therefore too much effort for someone as lazy as me.
So, taking the same route as I did with my iPod (i.e. find out what I *actually* want, and then buy it, even if its more expensive), I’ve just bought the new Palm Tungsten T3. What attracted me was the following:
– size: its small enough to fit in my pocket
– UI: Pocket PC just doesn’t cut it still for usability and Palm’s longevity in the market shows through.
– integrated bluetooth: Primarily so that when I’m arguing about a movie with friends in the pub I can connect to the internet using a bluetooth mobile phone and consult IMDB. 🙂
– good screen definition – the T3 has a 320 x 480 screen, viewable in landscape as well as portrait, which makes it one of the best displays on the PDA market.
So far I’m impressed, and it’s already helping me organise myself a little better. If in 6 months time I’m as happy with it as I continue to be with my iPod, it will be money well spent.
Mike Roberts