I bought a Scott eVest 2.0 Sport edition jacket over a year ago and used it for about the first couple weeks and then forgot about it. I pulled it out a couple of months ago and started wearing it regularly because it looked great, was comfortable, and could hold all my gear. At Mobius Redmond 2003 I actually only wore the eVest and had all my gear in the pockets so both my hands were free. Dale Coffing of Pocket PC Passion fame took a trip with us down to Fry's Electronics and had on this great leather jacket. Joel and I asked about it and he said it was the new Limited Edition (only 400 made) Scott eVest Leather jacket. He called up the president of Scott eVest, Scott Jordan, and eventually I received a review unit in the mail.

So I opened up this review unit being careful not to remove any tags so I could send it back when I was done. I put it on and my wife said that I had to contact Scott so she could buy it for me for a Christmas gift. I mean I didn't even get to look through 3 pockets before she was sold. You see, during our 10 year marriage my wife has always wanted to get me a nice leather jacket, but we just haven't found anything that we were both happy with at a good price. The jacket is $400, but if you look at high quality leather jackets you could easily go over this amount and not get all the functionality that this one has. This Scott eVest appeals to me for its looks, construction and geekiness yet appeals to my wife for its looks and feel. I called Scott today and bought it so now I can take the tags off and really give it a thorough evaluation, especially now that the temperature has dropped here in Washington. Scott is even going to chat with me in the morning to go over the 28, yes 28, pockets and features of the jacket to help with my review.

Check out this short story from my experiences last night. Just less than 2 weeks after I bought the UX50 CompUSA had a 10% off on all PDA sale. I took my receipt in and received $76 in store credit. I have been saving this for some future item or PDA.

Then last week when Office 2003 was released CompUSA had a great sale where you received a ton of stuff for free after rebate. We were able to get the Student and Teacher full version for $149 because of us homeschooling our 3 daughters. So with my store credit I was down to about $74 out of pocket. I listed a few of the free items on ebay and have already recovered over $30 of that back and should actually come out ahead.

One of the free items was a portable DVD player that we wanted so we could homeschool on our upstairs TV (my daughters use a DVD program for part of their curriculum). It had an instant rebate and a mail-in for $170. The clerk told us it was a problematic unit and recommended that my wife buy the $9 warranty, which she did. The backlight on the player died after 4 days and my wife took it back yesterday. They did not have anymore and gave her a store credit for $185. I then went back last night and bought the XBox holiday bundle for a difference of $10.

So we ended up with a high quality DVD player and a gaming station with 2 games for only $10 out of pocket. I hope to make some contacts and post some Xbox game reviews on the Geek.com GameGeek section in the future.

I also returned both the Treo 600 and Samsung Nexio S160 so my reviews should be posted in the next couple weeks.

Well now that both iTunes for Windows and Napster are out I am trying to decide what one will work best for me. I would like to play songs I buy on both my UX50 and my iPAQ 2215. I understand Napster downloads in WMA format thus I could use the Windows Media Player on my iPAQ. iTunes is some propietary Apple format, but I read that I could burn to a CD and then rip back to MP3. What do you recommend for good ripping software?

After using both for a bit, I like the iTunes user interface better and like the way I navigate through their titles. I understand I could use both to burn to a CD, but then I will probably lose some quality in ripping them off the CD. I preregistered for Napster to get 5 free songs, but see they just charged my PayPal account a $1 so I need to go see what that's about. What do you prefer and recommend is the better solution?

I had to send the Treo 600 back to Sprint this morning, but enjoyed the couple days I was able to use it. A mini-review will be posted shortly on PDAGeek with my thoughts. Joel may add his thoughts as well.

I found several threads online today that said Calligrapher 6.5 may be the cause of many 2215 issues so I removed it and have already noticed an improvement. As a result, I kept my 2215 and will save my performance plan for when something very serious may happen with my device. I now can't wait for my thumb keyboard to get here!

I charged the Treo 600 yesterday when it arrived and have used it for several hours. I cannot believe that the battery indicator still shows 100%! WOW!!!!

It's been a week since I updated my blog, primarily because I have been busy playing with the Samsung Nexio S160, the Pentax 33WR, and now the Treo 600. I am finally catching up on my reviews and can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

My 2215 has been behaving very poorly lately and is requiring a soft reset almost every time just to turn it on. I was thinking of going to the 4150 or 4350, but as of this morning I plan on going to Fry's and getting a new 2215 using my performance plan. I think I'll check out the 4150 first and see if they have the 4350 yet, but I doubt they will. I like having the CF slot and transferring things back and forth between the CF and SD, but I also really like integrated WiFi and love that small 4150 form factor. I kept my Amazon order for the thumb keyboard since it fits the 4150 and 2215 so even if I do decide to switch I am covered. I was thinking of the 4350, but it is very long and I don't know if I want the thumb keyboard on all the time.

I love the Pentax 33WR and am 90% sure I am going to purchase one for myself soon. The macro mode really is 0.39 inches and is quite amazing. Macro photos for reviews are important and was the area I was really lacking in with my old digital camera (that I just sold on ebay!).

There has been some pretty exciting news released in the last couple days regarding the smartphone market. The US finally has their first official Windows Mobile Smartphone, the Motorola MPx200, and you can even get it at Amazon for only $149.99 after rebates and new activation on the AT&T Wireless network. I am unfamiliar with AT&T's data plans but know that last month I used 45MB of data on my T-Mobile unlimited data plan. If I wasn't getting a SPV E200 soon then I would probably try the Motorola, although it runs the older OS and doesn't have a camera or Bluetooth. It does have a cool flip design and SDIO so should be adequate for most users.

I am also a bit excited about the new Sendo X Series 60 smartphone that was just announced. I use the Nokia 3650 Series 60 device and am very happy with it, but the display, form factor, and added RAM on this new Sendo model interests me. I think Smartphones are definitely the wave of the future and may help get people interested in more powerful phones thus introducing them to the Palm, Pocket PC, and Symbian platforms.

Joel is extremely busy and is going to send me the Treo 600 to review so I will have the Treo 600 and the Samsung Nexio S160 to show off at the PSHUG meeting next week. If you want to play with either of these devices, come to the meeting at Microsoft next Tuesday at 1830 (6:30 pm).

I received a review unit of the Samsung Nexio S160 from Dynamism on Friday and was checking it out this weekend. The large display is very nice, although the fonts are small in all applications and on the desktop view. It has integrated WiFi and I was able to connect to my home network in about 30 seconds after charging up the device. There is an optional keyboard that snaps on, but my first impressions are that it is not that great. It is too big for thumbs and too small for typing and it doesn't stay in place if you are standing so you have to be at a table to use it.

I also am in the hunt for a new digital camera under $300 and Pentax sent me an Optio 33WR. I have used it for about an hour so far and am very impressed with the size, photo quality, and huge feature set. It is a 3.2 megapixel camera with 2.8 optical zoom and digital zoom (I don't have the manual with me so can't remember how much). It captures images to a SD card and also allows you to record video. You can add voice notes to photos or just use it to capture voice recordings. The preview display is very clear. The camera is also water resistant and can even be dunked under water, although they say you are not supposed to use it for underwater digital photos. I like the fact that the zoom lens does not protrude out of the camera like most other lens. I think I have found the model I was looking for already. I have a Pentax 35mm camera that I am very happy with and trust the Pentax brand name.

Do any of you have a recommendation for a sub-$300 digital camera?

In anticipation of possibly upgrading to a new iPAQ 4350 or 4150 with the keyboard I have several PDA items to sell. I am a registered ebay user, username “yosemsam”, and accept PayPal, cashier’s checks, money orders, and personal checks. I will ship anywhere in the world and will work with you for reasonable prices. Here is my current list:

(1) SOLD (to a coworker, I have now convinced 5 people here to get Pocket PCs) HP iPAQ 1945, BRAND NEW in box

(2) HP Model 612xi 2.1 Megapixel digital camera with 16MB CF card, Refurb with 6 months left on warranty, $85

(3) Belkin USB Bluetooth dongle, BRAND NEW in box, $28

(4) PQI 5-in-1 Flash card reader, CF/Microdrive/SD/MMC/Smart Media, $12

(5) Proporta Aluminum CLIE NX70 case, $18

(5) CLIE T/NX ac adapter, $6

(6) CLIE T/NX game controller, only used a couple times, $20

(7) BRAND NEW in retail packaging Handmark titles:
-Laridian PocketBible Life Application Collection for Pocket PC, $45 (over $100 sold separately)
-StreetFinder for Palm and Pocket PC, $25

I take extremely good care of all my stuff and include original boxes, manuals, and CDs where applicable. I also have photos of everything so email me if you want any.

Please contact me at ppcsoloATyahooDOTcom if you are interested.

I just saw a post on Pocket PC Thoughts that states HP will be releasing a Micro keyboard for the 2215 and 4150 devices. If this form factor is similar to the one I had on my Jornada 568 then I may not be upgrading to a 4350 device. I do like integrated WiFi, but for only $40 this keyboard may be a more attractive option, especially since I will still have my CF slot.

By the way, I thought I lost my Viking 512MB CF card at Mobius or the hotel, but then yesterday my wife asked, "What is this small card I found here in the dryer?" Doh, I left it in my pants pocket and it went through the washer and dryer. I have read of numerous stories of CF cards surviving this without incident, but so far my card is not coming up in my Pocket PC, laptop, or card reader. I am going to let it sit out and dry to see if it will eventually clear up, but I may have just lost $90. Does anyone have any advice or am I just hosed?

We also asked Microsoft about display resolutions and landscape support and they stated that there are plans for the future. However, here is some good news for Peter. A 2.7" display Pocket PC Phone Edition should be announced sometime in November. If you have seen the Legend Phone Edition from China I imagine it will be similar, although with an even smaller display. This model should satisfy those looking for a device that is not quite a full Smartphone with the small, non-touch screen display and also not as large as the Pocket PC Phone Edition. I'll let you know if I hear anymore about this device.

Mobius 2003 was the most fun I have ever had since I have been involved in the PDA community and I hope I am invited to future events. Joel and I have put together a complete article that can be read here.

I wanted to add a few other comments to my personal blog and won't go through the entire agenda again, but will add some commentary to what we posted.

I left work and went over to the W hotel in Seattle where we were staying. The hotel was interesting and not really my style, but the staff was great. It is dark inside and in the hallways with a lot of modern art decor. They had feather pillows and the bed was very comfortable, although I didn't sleep in it much because we were busy all day and having fun and geeking out at night.

There was an opening reception and I was able to meet many people who I have contacted in the past or read their websites. I also met Jason Gordon again as well as Jeff McKean, from PSHUG, and Derek Brown. I met the infamous Dale Coffing, Pocket PC Passion, and Jason Dunn, Pocket PC Thoughts. I met Greg from Sierra Wireless and was able to play with the just announced, that day actually, Voq Smartphone. I like the thumb keyboard and large size, but it doesn't have Bluetooth or a camera and feels a bit light. This is the first in a planned line so the later versions will offer improvements based on feedback.

Joel Evans, my boss at Geek.com, arrived about 10 pm after a long day flying in from Boston. We met face-to-face for the first time and chatted for a while.

We all woke up early and took a shuttle bus over to Microsoft. The first day we met at the Consumer Experience Center and had an awesome time. I used my UX50 to connect to the WiFi network and take all my notes using Documents To Go 6. I even took some photos with the UX50 camera. I had my iPAQ 2215, but never used it during the event. We heard a lot of great speakers and received a bag full of goodies. I bought a new wireless keyboard and mouse for my home computer at the MS company store with my $60 allowance. The kart racing at Champs Karting was a blast, but I don't think my 235 pounds helped me in getting a fast time. pt showed up with all his toys and I even rode around on his Segway. We played a few video games, played pool, ate and just hung out.

Joel and I then met in his room and worked a bit on a Mobius blurb and geeked out. We were very tired and Joel accidentally erased all the photos from his camera’s flash card. We searched on Google and found an amazing free program that actually recovered all the missing photos and every other photo he had stored on the card previously. I am putting this program on my desktop ASAP.

The second day was held in downtown Seattle. After a morning of speakers we headed out on the town for a scavenger hunt. Our team placed 3rd out of 4 teams and I was the local Seattle rep. I blew it and if I was thinking I would have taken the team to my work and could have answered probably every question with the knowledge of Seattle at Glosten. The winning team members, Joel was on it, each get a XDA II and boy am I jealous as that device looks awesome. The conference ended after the hunt and then Jason offered to take everyone out to dinner. I had earlier told Joel about Fry's Electronics and Joel, Dale Coffing, Wes Salmon and I decided to go there instead of dinner. It was a lot of fun hanging out with people interested in this stuff and we spent a couple hours there.

It was quite an event and the toys are great. With today's announcement of the iPAQ 4355 I am probably going to ebay a few of the items so I can upgrade to this new device from my 2215. We are also getting a SPV E200 soon so I will have a slimmed down gear pack soon.

Stay tuned to my blog for some exciting stuff, hopefully, the next couple of days. I was invited and will be participating in Mobius Redmond 2003 the next couple of days here in Seattle and Redmond. I was quite surprised by the invitation from Jason Gordon and I guess we hit it off when we met back in August. It looks like there are about 20 people from all over the world coming in today and I am extremely excited to meet many of the people I have emailed or read about in the PDA community. I also can't wait to chat with Microsoft about the future of mobile devices and improvements I would like to see.

If there is anything you can think of that you would like me to ask about or discuss with Microsoft, please post as a comment and I'll see what I can do. Thanks.

My Zaurus sold via the Zaurus DevNet forums and I am shipping it out to the buyer in a couple of minutes. I recovered most of my costs, but was willing to take a bit of a loss to avoid the ebay fees. It was a great mini-computer, but I just don't have the time to spend with it and would rather let someone else get some use out of it.

According to several posts in this PDABuzz thread there seems to be a serious issue with the new Palm Tungsten T3 frying SD cards. I haven't yet had a chance to play with a T3 and am not as eager right now since I just bought a brand new 256MB Lexar SD card for my iPAQ that I am not willing to trash.

My UX50 review is now up on the PDAGeek site here. Enjoy.

Isn't it funny how a few years ago Palm said that consumers just wanted a PDA that offered fast PIM access, long battery life, and at a reasonable low cost? When comparing the latest round of Palm Powered devices (Sony, Palm, Garmin) to the latest Microsoft Windows Mobile devices (HP, Toshiba, Dell) we see that price is a wash, battery life is about the same and is actually a better choice on the Windows Mobile devices because most have removable batteries, and Palm's features are approaching what Microsoft had back in 2000. When Palm OS6 comes out with true multi-tasking, at least that is what we believe we'll see, I wonder where the new line will be drawn between the platforms? Palm has changed their approach and is now closely matching the features of Microsoft and Microsoft just hasn't changed much since the first Pocket PC came out in the fall of 2000.

I do keep buying CLIE devices because Sony simply knows how to create innovative, high quality designs. If a Pocket PC manufacturer would incorporate something like a flip-and-twist display then I may not even consider the Palm platform. Another strength of Palm devices that I just cannot figure out why Microsoft and the manufacturers will not improve on is screen resolution. Sony has had 320x320 for some time and the latest devices even have 320x480, twice the resolution of the Windows Mobile and Pocket PC devices that are stuck at 240x320.

I am considering the new 4300 series with WiFi, Bluetooth, and a thumb keyboard to replace my 2215, but it looks to be quite long. My UX50 is great because it has all this in such a small package that I take it everywhere.

Microsoft may be counting on the future of Smartphones where there actually does look to be some innovative designs with the Motorola flip phone model, but we still haven't seen any of these in the U.S. They are supposed to be released before the end of the year and it will be interesting to see how the market responds.

Well, I have decided again to sell my Sharp Zaurus SL-5500. I just do not have any time to spend with it and it is just collecting dust on my shelf. With 3 young daughters I am way too busy to tinker with it even though I would love to. Opera simply rocks on the Z, but I can't keep all my toys. If you are interested, email me to discuss and get some photos.

I also have an Ambicom CF Bluetooth card, an extra battery, and a Piel Frama leather case to go with the Z.

I almost sold it before, but held onto it and think I am now ready to part with the device.