As I posted earlier – I’ve kind of been looking around at some of the latest MP3 players out there and that got me looking at GPS units, PDA, and Pocket-PC’s as well.  At first I was leaning towards an “all-in-one” unit, but I think now I’m leaning towards seperate units that do their jobs really well.  The two gadgets that really seem to grab my attention the most are Cowon’s D2 MP3 player (I refuse to use Apple and their craptastically proprietary iTunes garbage), and the ASUS eee PC – either the 901 or the forthcoming 1000, with an attached GPS dongle (via USB), mapping software, and auto-power adapter.   GPS is probably the low one on the totem pole anyways – I’ve never really had a use for it and I’d be getting it merely for “fun” and some “cool-factor.” 

I like the Cowon D2 because it gets great reviews on its sound quality, it will play audio books, has SDHC capability (16Gig cards for $65 on Amazon), it can play videos (but I don’t think I’d ever use this), has very long battery life, and I can transfer files via “drag-N-drop” without having to use some proprietary (crApple) tranfer software. So I’ll probably be grabbing one of these in the next few days.

The reason I like the eee PC is it looks like it’s going to be an awesome “homebrew” type of device (kind of why I initially got my PSP). I think I’m leaning more toward the 901 than the 1000 for its more compact size, but I haven’t really made up my mind here.  I think the 901 is small enough that I could set in on the dash of my car while using a GPS dongle.  The 1000 may be just a tad big for that.  I’d also use it for ultra-mobile blogging – my existing laptop is  a pretty heavy-duty gaming/desk-top replacement style, so I only take it with me when I’m going to be gone for a week or more.  I think the eee would be perfect for the several day-trips and over-nighters I’m planning over the summer.  I still need to think on this purchase a little more and I’d like to see one of the 1000 models before I really make up my mind, so this is in “wait and s’eee” mode.  

I’m probably going to be updating my cell phone soon as well, since I’ve recently moved and really ought to get a phone number with the local area code.  I’ve got two providers here to choose from; Verizon and Alltel.  Most of the people I call are on Alltel, but with Verizon talking about acquiring Alltel in the near future, this may not be a big issue.  What I really want in a phone is similar to what I had with my Treo – unlimited data access, web-browsing & e-mail in a pinch.  I used it a lot as a broadband-modem with my laptop when I visit my folks’ since they don’t have a land-line broadband internet connection in their rural home. So that’s another toy I need to start looking into – I’d like something near the size of the treo, but with a larger screen and maybe a flip-out keyboard from below or something…

So the quest continues – maybe something as yet undiscovered will come my way – enjoy!