i need an advise, please

[pro01]

hi there, i am a new to the pda world, but i am in the situation to badly want one. all i want from a handheld is to have a convenient qwerty keyboard, color screen and possibly a stereo out audio jack but that's not crucial.

what i want is to be able to type documents, listen mp3's, send/receive email, eventually browse the web, use it as a scheduler and so on - nothing so special really. of course i'd prefer to have at least 8 hours of battery life too.

at first i was after jornada 680, but then i found there are quite few more interesting models out there. could you please advise me what handheld i should go after having in mind my budget is quite limited and i won't be able to go for a 400mhz one and i'll probably have to stick around 100-166mhz machines.

what i saw about the nec 780 and 790 seems interesting but i am still unable to make the difference except for the OS. can't the 780 be upgraded?

are there any other good handhelds that can serve my needs as well? can you please tell me where can i get a brief comparison between the most suitable handhelds for my case along with recommendation?

thanks in advance

[AnswerDude]

Here's a site with more information on HPC;
http://www.pdabuyersguide.com/hpc.htm

[pro01]

thanks,

i have another question more based more like on the hands-on experience of the hpc users - what about the microdrives? are they supported, do they cause problems and what's most imporatant - is it wise to invest in such a drive at all, as they seem to keep their prices?

[AnswerDude]

As long as the particular hpc has type II cf slot, microdive should work. You can probably use it with a proper adapter in pcmcia slot as well. Keep in mind that these drives use a lot more battery than solid state memory cards.