I received a scary call on Thursday afternoon when my sister-in-law called to say my Dad had been hit by a tree while working in the woods. He is a logger here in Washington and is a cutter. It seems a 50' tree broke loose after the tree he was falling hit it and it came down upon his back and head. He is lucky to be alive and suffered a broken shoulder blade, black eye, a gash in his head, some knee problems, and other bumps and bruises. He was wearing his aluminum hard hat when the tree pinned him to the ground. He was able to push it off enough to crawl out from under it and wandered until he found a coworker who rushed him to the hospital. He is now out of work for at least 8 weeks and longer if knee surgery is required. God provided some serious protection around him in this accident.

My family just returned from a weekend of camping up in the Cascade mountains and had a great time. My Nokia 3650 was great fun and I took a few photos and surfed wirelessly as we laid around the pool and sat around the table. The Bluetooth connection between it and the 2215 works great and the 2215 lasted quite a while.

I was up until about 2:30 this morning working on a couple of reviews that I have to finish soon for PDAGeek and boy am I getting tired. Oh yeah, I've lost about 20 pounds on Atkins and am working out of induction into a healthier eating lifestyle. We'll see how it goes now.

I just found a great deal on a new CLIE TG50 for only $220 after rebate at Dell.com so I placed my order. I have been debating on getting one of these because I wanted Bluetooth on my CLIE. I could buy the MemoryStick BT card, but that runs about $130-$150 and for only a bit more I get the TG50 with the lit keyboard, etc. Dell has a great 30-day satisfaction guaranteed policy and this will give me enough time to try it out and see if it is a keeper. I have the CompUSA TAP on my NX and am saving that upgrade for something better in the Palm OS6 world in 2004.

Again, there will be no out-of-pocket cost for the TG50 since I will be selling my Newton 2000 and accessories for about the same cost soon.

I think I am going to sell my Newton 2000 and PC WiFi card because I just never use it and even though I like it I can't keep everything around the house. If you are interested, feel free to email me.

It looks like I finally was able to get a Bluetooth connection with GPRS to my Nokia 3650, but I am in a place that has spotty T-Mobile coverage so I can't test it until after work.

I downloaded some games to my Nokia 3650 and the Opera browser. Wow, this thing rocks!!

It's been pretty quiet here on my blog today because I have been taking in all the Pocket PC 2003 news and tons of new devices being announced. I am loving my iPaq 2215 and can see myself keeping this for quite some time. The only frustrating part so far is that I can't get my Bluetooth connection to my cell phone setup and I have been trying for over 2 days. I can transfer files to my phone, ActiveSync with my desktop and BT dongle, but when it dials up there is some setting that just isn't right and it times out.

We have a Bluetooth discussion at our user group meeting tomorrow so hopefully I can find someone to solve my problem.

I've been playing with my 2215 now for a couple days and all I can say is this baby is FASSSSTTTT! It just screams and that alone is worth the upgrade to me. I love the small form factor and can't get over how much HP packed into such a small device. I have WiFi going with my Sony CF card, but it requires a soft reset with the card in place to get it going. I'm sure it is a driver thing since I read other posts stating it worked easier for them. The connection setup was pretty involved for my card and is not for the faint of heart. Email through WiFi and Inbox is instantaneous and awesome. I can easily see myself keeping this device for at least 6 months and maybe as long as I kept my Jornada 568 (a year and a half). It has everything in it and is so small I will carry it everywhere with me. I can't wait until Bellagio makes a case from it because their cases are very nice and priced low for quality leather. The Dpad is so fluid on this device compared to others I have tried. I am going to now buy a Simpletech 256MB SD card since my SanDisk card kind of bites and I can then devote the SanDisk to the Z and keep the larger one for the iPaq. I also may get G2 screen protectors, but the guy at Fry's told me my plan is great to use when the display gets scratched with the stylus. He said they always do over time and I could bring it in for a new one since it is normal wear and tear. I like the G2s though and they are only $7 a piece.

Go check out these new iPaqs tomorrow and I'm sure you'll fall in love with the 2210/2215. The only cons are the stupid plastic stylus (I am buying a PDAPanache one as soon as they make one) and the screen grid that is visible in the sunlight.

So last night about 9pm I came across a Brighthand post where the guy said he picked up an iPaq 2215 at a Fry's in Wilsonville, Oregon. I went to the Fry's site and saw that it was just south of Portland and was about 150 miles or so away from me. I then came up with the craziest idea I could to get down there and get a unit myself. Earlier in the day I called about 20-25 Office Depots, Best Buys, CompUSA, and Circuit City stores looking for the elusive 2215 and was intent on getting one into my hands before next week. I was so excited about the trip to Oregon that I woke up at 1 am and went into work in Seattle for 6 hours. I then called up Frys and the guy, Andrew, said they were very popular and were sold out. My hopes had just been dashed and then I asked him about the 1940 and 5550 series. He started looking around some more in his computer and then came back with a surprised reaction when he found two 2215s listed in the Palm section. I asked him to check the floor and see if there really was one available. He did and found that there indeed were two devices! I jumped in my truck and headed south. Just over 2 hours later I showed up at Fry's. Wow, that store is AMAZING! I was pleasantly surprised to find the price of the 2215 at $379.95 (a $20 reduction) and also picked up an ac inverter (to charge me new baby in the truck) for $10, two microphones for my daughters' karaoke machine, and a Belkin USB Bluetooth dongle to get a connection between my desktop, iPaq, and Nokia phone. And the good thing is I avoided paying the 8%+ sales tax I would have here in Washington.

I also bought their service plan for only $40 for 2 years since there is a Fry's opening up here in Redmond in July and their plan sounded great. They said it covers normal wear and tear and is an instant exchange, no hassle plan.

I jumped in my truck and started taking photos and checking out the new device. It is very solid and surprisingly small for having 2 storage slots and integrated Bluetooth. It is strange to have both the left and right sides completely empty of any rockers, buttons, etc., but I like the rubber side grips and find them comfortable. The display is nice, but seems more washed out (white) than the 1910 and isn't as good as the Tungsten C I am reviewing or the Zire 71 I reviewed last month. I like the buttons much more than those on the 1910 form factor, which is one reason I stayed away from the 1940 series.

I am off to play some more with my new toy, but can see sticking with it for a while like the year and a half I did with my Jornada 568. If you are looking for a PPC 2003 device, this one could be the one to get.

The seller has offered to refund my money, but has not since contacted me after that email. I won't send it back to HP yet and have actually decided to try to find a 2215 like I have wanted since I saw the HP presentation in May. I called every Western Washington store and no one has it in stock, although I did leave my name and number with a few stores to call me as soon as the have one. I just saw that someone bought a 2215 at Frys down in Wilsonville, Oregon (about a 2.5 hour drive south) and am now planning on calling them as soon as they open at 8am. If they have them then I am leaving work to get one. I must be nuts, but I could get down there and back without my wife knowing during the day and by not paying sales tax I could pay for my gas. Isn't it great to be crazy and young?

Oh yeah, I was able to connect my Nokia 3650 to the 3970 for about 20 minutes and it was a nice experience so it looks like I will stick with the T-Mobile unlimited data plan. I still have about 10 days to decide to keep it or cancel.

I received the 3970 from the guy on ebay yesterday and at first things looked good. Then the iPaq kept constantly resetting and wouldn't work unless it was cradled. So, I fully charged it up (it was at 83%) and used it on the way to work. I was able to surf on it connected to my Nokia 3650 via Bluetooth. Setup for Bluetooth is still quite an effort and until it is made simpler then I don't think your average user will buy into it. Anyway, things were going good until the end of my trip when the resets happened again. The battery was about 83-84%, so obviously there is a major battery issue with the iPaq. There is also a dark shadow mark visible on the center of the display. I contacted the seller, who has not yet responded, and have also called HP to get it fixed since it is still under warranty. We'll see what happens, but it looks like I may have to leave negative feedback unless the seller can offer up some good explanation.

I just received my Nokia 3650 Smartphone (FREE after $300 in rebates) yesterday and then called up a contact I met on the PDA discussion boards I visit. If you want to get hooked up with T-Mobile service, email me and I'll pass along my contact who was extremely helpful and very responsive. After I opened and charged the phone I started playing with it and couldn't figure out how to get on the net. The t-zones application kept asking if I wanted to sign an agreement to pay $2.99 1MB service per month. The T-Mobile website wasn't really clear if this t-zones was the same as unlimited data so I called their general number and some clueless rep. almost had me sending back the phone because he said it could only be used as a modem for PDAs and laptops under the unlimited plan and not as a stand alone data device. I called back my contact, Ashley, and he quickly straightened me out and I was off on my way to surfing via GPRS.

My signal is still almost nill at my home, as it was when I had the Sidekick, but with my home WiFi setup I really don't need a connection there anyway. The speed seems decent and much better than cables connected to my cell phone. I haven't received my 3970 in the mail yet so I haven't been able to try out a Bluetooth PDA connection with the phone.

The new iPaq devices are showing up at Frys stores in California and Arizona and I can't wait to see them close up. I am still considering a CompUSA trade for either a 2215 or 5550, but will wait to see how the Bluetooth connection works and if the devices are compelling. 128MB of RAM sure sounds good though.

The new NX80 and NX73 are now available for preordering on the Sony Style site, but neither come with integrated Bluetooth. This is kind of a relief because it makes my future PDA decisions a bit easier. Why upgrade to get a slightly better camera and only 5MB of RAM (maybe less than 1MB if you can't use JackFlash on the new NX models)? I only occasionally even use my camera and it is not the major selling point for me. It would be nice to have a lit keyboard, but I would rather save my CompUSA TAP for OS6 models.

I am going to give the Bluetooth GPRS connection a try with my iPaq 3970 and if I find it to be fast and fun, then I may consider trading in my NX70 for a TG-50 and a new iPaq or something like that. I may also trade for the new iPaq 5555 and sell the 3970 to buy a TG-50. We'll see later this week when I give the BT connection a try.

I had to call T-Mobile to finalize my credit application and get approved for the new service. Now Amazon should ship out my new phone in a couple days. My 3970 should also arrive in a couple days and I should be good to go.

I plan to go check out the new PPC2003 devices on my way to the PSHUG meeting next Tuesday night. You never know, I may trade my NX70 in for a 5550/2215/1945, etc. and get another model then sell the 3970. Isn't this PDA addiction crazy? :)

In the continuing saga of the fickle PDA owner I ran across a deal for an iPaq 3970 for only $325 so I bought it. I also sold my 3955 so the deal was a straight trade. I balanced it out with the 2215 and decided I wanted the bigger screen, bigger battery and known stability of the 3900 series. I can upgrade to the PPC2003 OS and hopefully get the processor optimized for XScale use. I will not get WiFi on my iPaq without a CF sleeve, but the Z is much better for WiFi surfing at home (which is really the only place I use it). And now with GPRS and Bluetooth I can surf anywhere I get cell service.

By the way, Amazon is taking forever to ship out my Nokia 3650. I can't believe there is no phone number for customer service, arghhhh!

I also decided to stay with my NX70 for now because I just can't give up the large display and go with the TG50. I will wait until the new NX devices come out to see if Bluetooth is integrated. If not, I may get a BT memory stick card if I am happy with the GPRS performance on my 3970 and Nokia 3650. I can now stop dwelling on my decision and wait until the 2003 upgrade is available for the 3970.

OK, T-Mobile just announced a new GPRS data plan where you get UNLIMITED data for only $19.99 per month with a voice plan. So I just ordered a Nokia 3650 from Amazon (FREE after $300 in rebates) with the $19.99 voice and $19.99 data plan. Now I am in a dilemna as I don't have a Bluetooth device. So, I am selling my 3955 to get about $300 cash. I then plan on getting the iPaq 2215 as I originally planned for some time. I would go with the 1945, but the 2200 gives me the ability to use my Sony WiFi card so I can get WiFi and Bluetooth in the same device. I also like the consumer infrared and Nevo software. Now with my CLIE NX70V I am going to see if the NX80 is released in the US in July as Amazon slipped out last week. If so I can make a straight trade at CompUSA using my TAP. At least the guy at CompUSA yesterday said I could bring it in and do so and I think the CompUSA plan is the best and covers screen damage.

I was also thinking of keeping the 3955 cash and trading the NX70 in for a TG50 and iPaq 2215 at CompUSA. I would lose the camera, but the Nokia 3650 has one and it is ok. I would also lose that big beautiful screen so I am not sure about going this route yet. We'll see what happens in the next week or so.

Jeff Kirvin posted an article this week that is generating quite a bit of discussion. It is titled Little Orphan Pocket PC and talks about his take on the future of the Pocket PC and the apparent lack of Microsoft support and enthusiasm for the platform. Now that the excitable evangelist Beth Goza has been transferred to another department there just doesn't seem to be that fire for Pocket PCs. Is the Pocket PC platform stagnating? The new OS doesn't look much different, but may be more stable and appears to follow the MS trend of releasing software with bugs the first time and then just refining it rather than revolutionizing it.

As you may know from reading my blog I was considering the 22xx series, but after making a pros and cons list I think I'll stick with the 3955 for a bit. The 900mAh battery on the 22xx versus the 1500mAh on the 3955 and the larger display on the 3955 are the deciding factors at this point. I can always get PPC2003 for the 3955 so I am just evaluating if I need a CF slot. At this time the only reason I need the CF slot is for my WiFi card.

Man, my Zaurus roller coaster just gets more exciting. I played with the Z some more yesterday and now have it running pretty well, although I still can't get Hancom Sheet to install. I have Opera 6 running smooth and it is AWESOME! I am reviewing tkcMail and OZ seems to be working very well for me and much better than the 3.10 ROM.

I received my 3955 yesterday and have started loading it up with my PocketBible and some games. The large display is very nice and may push me towards a 5555 if I upgrade, but I don't need the thumb scan security and wish there was a model just below it.

The CLIE continues to be my primary PDA and tomorrow they are supposed to release the Hi-Res version of GTS Racing, but I will be camping near Mt. Rainier and will not have internet access. It is beautiful here in Seattle and will be a perfect weekend for camping in the woods.

Can you believe I have lost 13 pounds in one week on this crazy Atkins diet. I am pretty excited to see my love handles disappearing and hope to trim up the gut a bit more. If I can get down to 220 or 225 I will weigh what I weighed in high school 16 years ago.

Wow, I wasn't expecting the announcement that Palm aquired Handspring to occur so fast. I knew Handspring had major problems and probably didn't have long to live by itself and think this is the best solution for both companies. Now there is really only Palm/Handspring and Sony making Palm OS PDAs. Yes, there is Symbol for enterprise and a new Garmin GPS model coming soon, but they aren't really players in the U.S. consumer market. It will be interesting to see how the new company does and if Sony doesn't get off their rear and develop a T-series form factor device with a HiRes+ display people are going to tire of Sony's constant minor product improvements.

My 3955 should be arriving today and I just ordered the cables to connect my new Garmin eTrex to both my CLIE and iPaq. I also sold my Pretec CF GPS for a decent price to cover this new GPS solution. I thought about the cool Delorme matchbox-sized receiver, but now I will have a handheld unit I can use for camping and biking without worrying about my PDA. It looks like I will be up late tonight getting the iPaq setup. I am still hesitating on buying a CF sled because I may move on to the 2200 or 5555.

After looking harder at the possibility of buying the iPaq 2200 and the trend away from CF accessories, not to mention the fact that I would have to buy a CF sleeve, I decided to see if I could drop CF from my PDA arsenal. I currently have a CF GPS, CF WiFi, CF digital phone card, CF memory card, and CF Margi Presenter to Go solution. I just put my CF GPS up for sale and bought a Garmin etrex standalone unit and cables to connect to both my CLIE and iPaq. I will now have the ability to use my Mapopolis maps on both PDAs and also have a separate GPS to take camping when I don't want to haul a PDA through the woods. All at a cheaper cost.

I have serial cable and an adapter for my cell phone so the CF digital phone card is no longer needed, although this may be tough to sell since it is not that popular of a cell phone model. SD memory isn't much more expensive than CF and I need to get a 256MB or larger card. I am trying to find out if the SD Margi solution works with Pocket PC devices as well as the advertised Palm devices since the 3955 is SDIO. Margi also just announced a WiFi solution.

Oh dang, I just remembered I use a Sony WiFi CF card with my CLIE and Zaurus and wanted to use it with my iPaq. I guess I am going to have to buckle down and buy a CF sleeve. I think the dual CF at CompUSA for $50 may be the best deal, but will have to see what fits in my Bellagio 3955 case that should be arriving soon. I love the Bellagio leather cases and think they are a great buy for $40 or less compared with the expensive Vaja cases.

I just canceled my Zaurus ad because I was able to get Opera working with OpenZaurus and my Sony card and found this to be the only browser that allows me to check my PDAGeek email account. I also started playing with it some more and decided I just can't give up the power of Linux and will try to make time to learn some more since I love learning and school.

Well, my Zaurus is up for sale for $225 and my CF and MS Presenter to Go kits ($125 each) are also up for sale. I decided to stick with my CF GPS and digital phone card because I really don't use GPS that much so I can't justify getting a new unit. I will now have to find a CF sleeve for the 3955, but see I can get them online for $40 to $50. If you are interested in any of these items send me an email.

After a weekend playing with my Zaurus and trying to get the 3.10 ROM running with all the apps I want and supporting my Sony WiFi card, I went back to OpenZaurus since I know my WiFi card works with it. It does work well, but now I can't have Opera 6. I find I am spending way too much time tinkering with this device and really haven't used it much. The battery life is atrocious and I can only use my WiFi card for about 30-40 minutes before it dies. I am strongly considering jumping back off the Linux PDA bandwagon since I really don't have any Linux experience and am finding myself getting frustrated. There is so much more I want to explore with the Palm and Pocket PC OS that I think it may be time to leave the Z to those who can use it better. It is very powerful since there is so much customization that can be done, but life is too short for me to spin my wheels with it.

I am also having second thoughts on the Newton 2000. I really haven't had much time with to spend with it and it really is very large and heavy. The battery life is excellent and I love Macintosh equipment. I think I'll keep it for a while and try to play with it some more. It is kind of neat to hook it up directly to my old StyleWriter 1200 in the garage and print anything from it.

I also started thinking about all the CF accessories I have and the trend away from CF slots in Pocket PCs and the lack of CF in Palms. I could replace my CF GPS with a Bluetooth or serial model. The new matchbox size DeLorme looks excellent and is reasonably priced. I could get a serial cable and hook it to my cell phone instead of using the Socket Digital Phone Card. I currently use a standard serial cable to connect my CLIE for wireless access. I could sell my MemoryStick and CF Margi Presenter To Go cards and go with the SD model instead. I figure I could do all this for zero out of pocket cost just by selling the old gear and buying the new gear with the cash. I have to think about this a bit more.