Hello, I'm a newbie here. Please forgive me if I'm beating a dead horse here, but I've never owned a PDA before and actually was kind of against them until I realized that I need something more than just pen and paper to get organized. I've done a little bit of shopping and have set my eyes on the Sony Clie UX50 and the HP iPAQ 4355. The main difference between the the two that may cause me to go one way and not the other is that Sony operates on the Palm OS, whereas the HP uses the Windows Pocket PC software. I've heard and read that Pocket PC is generally a more robust system than Palm. Overall I like the Sony UX50 better from a hardware standpoint, but what good is the hardware if I can't get much functionality out of it because of the OS. I guess I should also list some features that I'm looking for in a PDA. I would appreciate any thoughts you folks may have. * Keypad is very important. I don't like using a Stylus (or at least don't think I would =) ). * Wireless internet capable (I'm already paying for wireless internet with my cell phone, so it would be nice to take full advantage of it) - Web surfing - Email - Secure web would be nice but not necessary * Alarm/reminder function with an audible alert. Preferably one that would work even if the unit is turned off or on standby (I used to have an old e-organizer that would alert me even when it was off) * Multi-media not important, but if I'm spending $500 or so, I think I should get the total package :) Again, I apologize as I think this question is probably asked all to often, but sometimes I can get a much better answer from folks who actually have first hand knowledge of the products than just reading generic specifications and reviews online. I appreciate any help you may have to offer. Thanks!

Read my reply to the other newbie, I use a sony Clie NR70U I bought it refurbished and it does everything you are looking for. If you don't want to use a stylus don't sweat it, I use both the keyboard and the stylus. This onre I have has it built in andmost others are available with one as an accessory, but they are much larger and a little more difficult to lug around. Whatever you do 2 words "case it" spend the couple of bucks and get a case for it. I did and I have been glad I did several times. Don't let the batteries go dead and have fun. Tools

The main reason I know of for choosing HP over other PDAs is transfer of files from your computer to your PDA and vice versa. With an HP, you can for instance take notes on your PDA, transfer to Word when you get home, polish it and print. Or with Excel move a spreadsheet from PC to PDA for easy reference, and minor updating. Rivka D