milo

im after a small pocket sized (or slightly bigger - we're talking up to paperback book size) device that will allow me to use the internet and email without having to plug into anything or incur large charges.

is this what ipaq and palm pilots do?

all i need is the internet and email, but mobile phone wap isnt good enough.

ideally i would like a really really small laptop with built in internet connection.

can anyone recommend anything?

will i need to pay a charge for internet use on these devices? how does this work?

mart360

treo 600..

and i have one for sale if interested..

mart

pbee

Hi

this is an area I have dabbled in for along time, but due to recent company policy we have been banned using all wireless connectivity for cost & security reasons, and im too tight to pay for gprs myself.

there are few areas of possibilty.

Mobile type handset
PDA
Laptop.

I find using a mobile to limiting. I use a pda and a laptop for different reasons.

first off there are a number of wirless hotspots around the UK, you would be suprised how many. some are subscription based others are free becuase people do not enable security. There is a gps database of all the free ones. It is strange feeling pulling up next to someones house to use their unsecured wirless connection but it does work. Also a number of pubs B&B's seem to offer this service as well.
The next is gprs (general packet radio service) this is data access through your mobile phone / pda. it is subscription based (£20 for 10mb a month for example) and is expensive. speed probably around 28.8 modem speed on a good device.

I subscribe to t-mobiles wirless hotspot service and this works in major airports starbucks mcdonalds ect. I get this for free but expect to pay £30 a month for a similiar service.

equipment.

PDA the best connectivity pda is the 63xx from HP, it alo has a handy pull down keyboard and is very nice to use, it has built in 802.11g wirless bluetooth and a phone/gprs enabled.

this would give you both worlds. £100 on a gps dongle and memory stick would give you in car sat nav as well and be able to locate the free hotspots :-).

laptop

A bit big and clunky to caryy all the time but not as limiting as a pda. personal choice I use both but for differing reasons.

if you are after a full featured laptop fijitsu siemins have brought out a stormer and has won so many awards it isnt even funny anymore and the price is stupid sub £700.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Fujit...amily/prod.asp

if you want a ultra portable look at sony ect they are the masters, Ive had a couple of ultra small laptops and personally wouldnt bother anymore. by the time you add the ac adaptor external dvd/cdr you are carrying a bag and then it doesnt matter anymore you might as well go full featured. ust dont go overboard still look for a good weight heavy laptops are a pain.


http://www.totalgps.co.uk/HP-iPAQ-h6...Pocket-PC.aspx

it is good value for money i feel.

jbryant

Agree with most of what you've said above and the HP 6300 series are cracking kit. Used one for a while. The keyboard is an add-on keyboard that snaps onto the main unit - it is NOT pull-down. The keyboard comes in the box.

Be aware that the brand new HP IPAQ 6510 model actually comes with GPS built-in as well as everything else the 6300 has to offer (with the added benefit of Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition - 6300 has 1st edition which is slightly less feature-rich). The screen on the new model is slightly smaller because of the built in keyboard, but once you bolt the snap-on keyboard to the 6300 it gets pretty bulky so having everything built in is definitely the right thing to do. Of course you'll pay a premium for the new model, though if you were considering a laptop you'll be well within budget. The 6300 is still a class piece of kit, but not the latest.

Here's a link to the HP specs on the new 6510
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/sm/WF05a/21675-21679-21679-21679-297609-12158042.html

Enjoy!
Joolz

pbee

ahh didnt realise about the keyboard, from the pics it looks like it slides down, and having built in gps is a bonus, so the 65xx is probably your best bet pda wise.