Now that Miller Park offers wifi access, I’m interested in taking advantage of it. We attend a lot of games, and usually are keeping track of other stuff all the time on our cell phones. Now that they have the wifi, I think that may be a more economical alternative, but I’d prefer to not have to lug my computer to Brewer games. Any suggestions as far as a different device I can use to check other scores, fantasy teams, other internet stuff, etc.? I was thinking Nintendo DS or Sony PSP, would those work? Do they actually browse the full internet like a computer, or are they somewhat restricted? Any better suggestions, or is the laptop the best way to go?
I think they’re going to be limited in the amount of modern internet content they can show - particularly flash. Also, because of the way the browser identifies itself, some sites might serve up stripped-down content anyway.
How about a tablet PC? Something like the Fujitsu Stylistic?
(second hand examples of earlier models can be had quite reasonably on ebay)
I seem to be the only one in the world that actually likes the Nintendo DS Browser.
It’s not exactly fast, and it doesn’t work for Flash. But I like it a lot. I find it useful for weather and things of that nature, when I’m not at home and I don’t have my tablet with me.
The only time it doesn’t work is for things with sound or video. Everything else works great.
In the end, a laptop/tablet is the best option. There are other things like the iPod Touch, UMPCs and several Smartphone-style devices.
What price range and capabilities (music? video?) do you want?
Oh my god, my Sony PSP that I just bought is the best money I’ve ever spent. The web interface (IMHO) is excellent, although the data entry is a bitch. The browser even has tabs so it’s easy to load up a few pages and flip back and forth.
My Palm T|X has built-in wifi, and I happily used it at RFK during the entire baseball season (my season-ticket seat is just close enough to the pressbox that I can piggyback off their open connection). The Blazer browser is limited in the same ways that other “portable” browsers are, but it’s awesome for being able to check my e-mail, look up the team roster, check the weather forecast, etc. I use its wifi whenever I want basic internet access but don’t want to lug my laptop around, including at my boyfriend’s house and in my own living room.
I have a Nokia 770 Internet Tablet that I absolutely adore. It is about the size of a ninetendo DS but is designed to do what you seem to want it to do, and much more.
I am amazed at its range for picking up hot spots. It has great battery life. Has a huge beautiful screen, plays music, does ebooks great, plays video, heck, it does a ton of stuff. The Nokia 800 just came out that has more storage options but for what I use it for, the 2 gig card is plenty.
I got mine at Tigerdirect.com for about $140. IMHO, it’s the best $140 I’ve spent in ages.
I’ve actually been thinking of getting one of these for when I travel – I don’t really need a laptop, but wouldn’t mind convenient email access and access to the Dope (especially when I’m stuck in an airport for four or five hours). What are these like for writing, as opposed to just reading?
I just got my husband a Nokia N880, and so far he is thrilled with it.
This machine, the OQO personal computer, is amazing. I don’t own one, but heaven knows I would if I could.
It is a full on computer, running regular windows or Vista. You don’t even have to be in a hotspot at all to access the internet. And you can wear this thing on your belt with the belt clip…it is that small.
You mean N800… It’s $240 on buy.com, by the way. Looks hard to beat. But be warned, the new version, N810 will be available in November. It has a keyboard and more memory. Then again, it’ll probably be a while till its price comes down.
If you want a miniature Windows system, there are several other options. The Raon Everun is almost as small as the OQO, less expensive, and has a better battery life. The Fujitsu U810 is a bit larger but has a better keyboard. These have ~5 inch displays. If you want to go up to a 7" device there are several choices there as well, like the Samsung Q1 Ultra and the recently anounced HTC Shift. But even the cheapest of these drives are close to $1000.
(That said, I actually have an OQO 02 on order - TigerDirect has it for $1350, and last week they were offering a double capacity battery for +$20. Sorry, that deal’s ended…)
I think Palm PDAs have the best handwriting recognition of any PC or PDA, but that’s not saying much. It’s still bad enough that I use the “software keyboard” on my Palm instead (i.e. the Palm displays a tiny keyboard, and you peck at it with the pen). It’s OK for entering contact info and appointments, but I wouldn’t want to write e-mail longer than a couple of sentences. But there are portable keyboards you can buy that work with the Palm.
Sorry – by writing I meant “typing.” Or maybe “keyboarding.” (Off to the anachronisms thread!) But you answered that question pretty well despite my not asking it – thanks.
I know - I mentioned handwriting because that’s the standard input method for Palm PDAs. And come to think of it, I think it’s the only built-in input method on the less expensive Palm models. (High-end models have larger screens.)
I used to have a Targus portable keyboard for my Palm, but I didn’t use it much. It can’t be used on a lap, you need a flat surface to set down the keyboard and Palm. Also the small screen is annoying for writing - I find that screen size matters more for writing than reading. Maybe it’s just my writing style - I tend to do a lot of corrections/editing when I write, but reading is a linear process.
I skimmed the thread and did not see any mention of the iPod Touch. Some friends showed us theirs, and now I want one. $300 or $400 (depending on HD size, 8 GB or 16 GB), about the size of a thin cell phone. I know it’s been discussed here.
Sorry for the delay in getting back to this thread! Fortunately, scr4 did a good job of answering for me. 
I never use the Graffiti handwriting system, I use the keyboard input with the stylus: it takes some getting used to, but even though I’m pretty adept it’s still a pain in the butt for anything longer than a sentence or two.
The Dope doesn’t render very well. It’s sort of viewable, but I’d never do any serious surfing – and replying to a post is kind of out of the question (for me, anyway). I love the T|X as a PDA, though, and the wifi comes in very handy for checking my e-mail, checking the weather, looking stuff up, etc.
Need answer urgently!
Is there any kind of attachable keyboard (Targus or whatever) that works with the Nokia N800 (or other Nokia devices)? I really need a portable Internet-wireless-Web thingy but don’t want to wait for the Nokia N810 in November, and it will probably be huge money anyway.
Someone please answer! 
It’s supposed to work with any Bluetooth wireless keyboard. (example)
Thanks, that is very helpful!
Well I bought the N800. I hope it works out okay for me.
I didn’t get any additional memory cards at this time; any recommendations on that, let me know. I had to put the order in quick in order to get it by tomorrow and didn’t have time to figure out the cards. Or if there are any other accessories, software, programs, etc., that people think are especially, let me know that too. Thanks!
Regarding PDAs, I have a HTC Dash (running Windows Mobile, for the record), and I lurves me the qwerty keyboard. I went in pretty skeptical since I used to have an ipaq and played all sorts of games on it. But I’ve found that I don’t miss having to futz with a stylus very much at all.
I can bang out a shortish email but I’m not writing the Great American Novel on that thing.
Web surfing can be a less than ideal experience tho, depending on where you’re going and what the destination’s using to display the visual information. I can’t get to Meebo, for example, due to what they use. And I want to say that PHP doesn’t work too well, either.
missbunny, good luck with the N800!
Okay: so far I’ve only had it for a couple of hours but I think I am developing a deep and pure love for an inanimate object.
Everyone in the office is oohing and aahing over it. Next up: show it to the one guy with an iPhone.