Denys Beauchemin <[log in to unmask]> wrote in message news:<[log in to unmask]>... > Symbol Technologies is another PocketPC device maker, which I missed in the > last post. I work for a company that does a lot of business with Symbol, and I'd like to point out that *most* of what they sell as far as their palmtop-turned-barcode scanner devices are actually PalmOS, not PocketPC. They only recently started using PocketPC devices, in addition to PalmOS that they've used for a while now. It remains to be seen which will be the more successful product line, but I suspect that the PalmOS ones will meet the needs of the users better than PocketPC devices - those needs being reliability, long battery life, and simplicity. They even make a barcode scanner for visors : http://www.symbol.com/products/consumer_systems/consumer_csm150_flyer.html The PalmOS scanners : http://www.symbol.com/products/mobile_computers/mobile_palm.html Most of what they actually sell, however, are *not* handheld conversions of consumer products. They are Spectrum designed units that run DRDOS and use 'Spectrum 24' 802.11 wireless 11Mb networks. That said, they do seem to be pushing PocketPC more now, dealing a minor blow to PalmOS. I've been looking to buy a handheld device and will likely opt for a PalmOS device of some kind. Most of my work is in programming and the openness of the PalmOS environment appeals to me, as I want to do some tinkering with programming the palmotop. Only 2 factors really bug me about PalmOS devices right now : Most have no built-in MP3 playback, and are very limited in RAM. To fix that it seems I have to buy some fairly pricy add-ons, which negates the price advantage of PalmOS. It also means I may be in some kind of plug-in swap hell, since I plan to use it with a GPS device while attached to my motorcycle. Sure would be nice to be able to use it as a stereo at the same time. I'm still trying to figure out what the best deal is in a palm device that can do GPS+MP3+internet/cellular access without having to swap cards constantly. Cheers, Dan * To join/leave the list, search archives, change list settings, * * etc., please visit http://raven.utc.edu/archives/hp3000-l.html *