Go for the Blackberry if you want to be mobile and get emails on the run.  It is also a phone but very expensive.  Blackberry lets you send email reply using the mini keyboard.  If you want to communicate like this it is the ONLY choice.  Palm is very ordinary.  I liked my old Dell handheld far better than my current Palm.  Just don't drop it into a bathtub full of water.  It fell out of my shirt pocket and fried immediately!

Depends on your goals and budget. If email is your only concern a blackberry hands down is fantastic. The emails will flow in and out just like you were on a desk top. There is a calendar feature and the blackberry will sync with your outlook or email client to download all your contacts and calendar. Browsing the internet with a blackberry sucks - This is a major downfall and as a phone I could stand it. You need to use a head set all the time, no voice activiation and it was way too difficult to use it efficiently. Do youself a favor if you get a blackberry use it for it's real purpose EMAIL - Just be careful because they are addiciting, they are that good for email.

The palms or Pocket PC [Dell Axim is very good] are a different animal. When it comes to email now where near as good as blackberry in my opinion. However, the graphics, the operating system software are much better which allows for word processing, excel spreadsheets...etc almost like you are using your home computer. Also almost all of them have either built in memory or slots to expand memory which you can fit music on - Works totally fine and is nice for traveling. These also sync with outlook to download just about everything - Calendar, emails, contact...etc - The wireless campabilities are fantastic with these and browsing the internet is rather easy. They also have bluetooth now which allows for easier exchange of info between people. Typing emails is pretty hard since it lacks the key pad a blackberry has.

To get even more wild, they have a phone called a Treo now which is suppose to act as a blackberry/phone/MP3 player. A blackberry blows it away for email - I wasn't very impressed with treo

Go to this websites below and you can read alot of reviews about this

www.blackberry.com - Reviews all the different blackberries
www.cnet.com - Reviews posted by people everywhere on all sort of products
www.aximsite.com - For the Dell Pocket PC
http://web.palmone.com/ - For a treo

Good luck

I have a blackberry and a palm... surely cannot get in aol with my palm... and unless i am doing something wrong with my blackberry... forget it... I received it as a Christmas gift so I'm still learning it.. Again.  I May be wrong. If you are patient with aol tech support.. maybe they could answer your questions.

-- Modified on 2/3/2005 9:32:12 AM

go T Moble sidekick...the most user friedly....run my entire business off of ...Aol, Yahoo, complete qwerty keyboard..

started a thread about blackberries or penis's. Now, that would have been an interesting thread....lol!

-- Modified on 2/3/2005 4:29:24 PM

personally i prefer the blackberry....for some consumer reviews and good, but not super-technical editorial comments check out www.cnet.com, b rgds jk

Re:? , Blackberry or Palms

Hey Kim,

Budget and need. If you have nextel, their blackberry is great - Works very well and is priced nicely. See the blackberry will sync with your computer to download your calendar and contacts from your email client like outlook. Blackberry is hands down the way to go purely for email. As a phone it's a pain in the ass - Clumsy, no voice activiation and you have to use a head set all the time. Also browsing the internet is not very good with these either - They primary function is email and it shows.

No pocket pc's and palm are different animal. For email they are certainly notas good as blackberry. These units are based on an overall package. First the graphics are better and it uses an operating system sort of like you home computer. You can use word, excell, write notes or letters, store music to play when you travel and even utlitize bluetooth to exchange info with other people and browing the internet with wifi card is very good. They sync with you computer and will download all your contacts, emails and calendar as well. Downfalls here is as an MP3 player it's decent - Not great - They are also not too pratical for writing mesage with as there is no key pad like a blackberry has. The stylus is helpful but it's akward and trying to learn the script language does take time.

Treo's are the lastest thing but I am not very impressed. First, the key pad is tiny and to me not very functional. Second since it acts a phone and email client and a mp3 player if it breaks you lose everything.  I think the idea is good but the treo tries to pack too much into one. A blackberry blows it out of water for email. I don't recommend these yet - Maybe in a few years

So bottom line - Keep your phone separate and if your only concern is email get a blackberry - If you want a something that has flexibility - Get a Palm or Pocket PC

My first though would be blackberry because I carry one and live by it.  It is also the easiest to set up.  With the Treo 6xx you are going to have to know a bit about configuring the device and such.  Blackberry can be easily configured via a web site.  

The sidekickII is also a good solution.  While I haven't used it, I hear good things about the device.  Get it as a data only device and keep your nextel as your phone.  I'm assuming your on the free incoming plan, which would be smart for all providers, but who knows.