New Electronic Gadget
 

Here's the scenario... you have $400 or so to spend on a gadget (PDA/Tivo/Camera, etc.)

What do you buy?

I'm looking for things in that price range and I'm wondering what others would interested in.

I would get a Tivo, one of the greatest inventions ever!

I have both a Palm Tungsten T3 and an iPod and it would be tough for me to give up either one. I really don't know which I like the best. They both are so damn good. Really well crafted and extremely functional.

What do you like about the T3? It seems to me if it had a keyboard and Wi-Fi it would be about the perfect machine... BTW do you ever use the Bluetooth functions? (Bluetooth seems cool, but I haven't seen many practical applications of the technology other than headsets for phones.)

What is the best PDA out right now, the T3? Im interested in buying one myself..

Unique to the T3, of course is the screen. I love being able to place it in landscape mode for use with spreadsheets, etc. And that brings me to Docs To Go, not a T3 only application but IMO much more practical with the larger screen. As far as not having a keyboard, Palm now has virtual graffiti which allows you to write anywhere on the screen and have the OS recognize the characters. In fact, having a keyboard would not work well in landscape mode. The T3 also needs nothing additional to play MPs, other than an expansion card. And it has voice memo capabilities.

I don't use Bluetooth, possibly I'll consider a Bluetooth cell phone the next time I upgrade. There is supposedly an expansion card that will be out this year that will support Wi-Fi, I hope so. My house has Wi-Fi and I would love to be able to check email without firing up a PC.

Here's a good review:
http://www.brighthand.com/article/Ha...n_T3?site=Palm

And while you're at that site, check out its forums:
http://discussion.brighthand.com/palmhandhelds/

I would go for a digital camera, i am a picture freak and love taking pictures, then reflecting upon them in the future, plus for 400 bucks you can get one that can record videos with sound

If you watch T.V. at all and do not have a ReplayTV or TIVO, I woudl definitely recommend picking one up. Completely changes the way you watch television. It is great.

Anybody ever look at the Linux based Zaurus? I played with one the other day (a 5600) and it was very neat. The handwriting recognition was tough, because I was used to Palm Graffiti, but the keyboard more than made up for it. It had a WiFi card in it, and that was pretty neat, but it did run the battery down very quickly (of couse I was running WEP and trying to get high graphics/video to run on it to see what it was like).

I understand the Zaurus 6000 is supposed to be coming out in the first quarter this year with built in Wi-Fi and a bunch of other stuff.

(Thanks for the take on the T3, Craven Morehead. It was very helpful.)

-smarm

Save a couple hundred more and get yourself a nice miniDV camcorder. Or get one of those Blackberry or Handspring Treo phones. I dig that Handspring Treo (you can find for $400).

I have a Tungsten|C, similar to the T3 but doesn't have the large sliding screen but does have builtin WiFi. I use it all the time.

Tivo. Love it.

iPod. Love it.

As far as gadgets... if you don't have a NEED don't buy anything because there will ALWAYS be something else to spend your money on.

iPod plus some Etymotic headphones.

Yeah, other than that, it would really depend on your "thing." If audio and music aint your "thing" go for a pda or Tivo.

So what's your "thing", mon?

I agree with jujueye. Find your 'thing'. I've bought all kinds of electronic gadgets just because I thought they were cool and ended up not using any of them very much. If you have 400 bones and don't know what to buy, I say, save it until you really need something.

Samsung Portable DVD Player
 

Re: Samsung Portable DVD Player
 

battery life on those things are horrible.