Newbie thinking about buying a PDA .. The internal RAM memory that the PDA comes with - does that memory "survive" a dead-battery situation? In other words,if you've entered a lot of data into the PDA but have not "backed up" by synching it to another computer yet, and the battery goes dead - do you lose all the data you entered? If so, I'm sure a PDA that allows a CompactFlash chip would allow "permanent" storage to that, but are there performance or other negative issues to storing to a removeable chip vs. the PDA's internal memory? Thanks.

About the Battery Thing - The RAM IS lost when the battery goes dead, but if it is a Palm Model with replaceable batteries (AA,AAA, etc.) then it will hold the data for about a week. If it uses rechargeables, well, I've experienced upto 5 days on my Palm Zire m150. Now, there IS a performance hit with accessing your data off a CF card, but that is only because of the limitations of the built-in Palm Launcher, and the way it works. Also, you neglected to tell me what model/make of PDA you had, and whether it was a Palm Handheld, a PocketPC, or a Psion/Epoc handheld. I hate signatures. I am also a hypocrite.