Canadians are getting hosed by hosers (eh). Just a short look at google pops up newspaper articles showing how high cellphone rates affect business around here and if it affects business, it's not too hard to see how it affects the spending habits of individuals; ( http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/te...s/economy.html) and an associated comparison of Rogers' Canadian plan with AT&T's US plan (http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/2087/125/)

I don't know if I'd qualify as an 'average' N800 user in Canada (the fact I'm female alone probably drops me out of that segment), but I never did and highly doubt I will ever use the N800 with a cellphone.

So the cellphone+N8xx = SmartPhone line of reasoning is dead to me, personally.

After owning PlayThing now for three weeks, I can see its strengths and weaknesses from a totally non-geeky (in the best way) perspective.

Pros:

1. It works well (once you get the hang of it).

2. The programs are free and do the basics.

3. The public forum support is friendly (here, at least).

4. It's cheap for on-the-go internet cruising and great for internet radio.

5. It's got that neato video camera (that I don't use) and a camera (that is fun to play with) and I can record (good for using in court, if I ever feel the need ).


Cons:

1. I. Can't. Read. The. Fonts. The screen's just too damned small for comfortable reading and increasing the fonts just means I'm scrolling back and forth a lot.

2. Keyboard issues. The Ultra-Slim bluetooth one I got is fine. But it does mean an extra bag to carry around. Pecking at the onscreen keyboard is slow and I tried the N810 keyboard and found that to be too cramped.

3. PIM issues. There's nothing out there (yet?) that'll allow me to easily sync with my mac's Address Book. My mac. Not a windows or linux set-up. A mac - without running bootcamp. I want to sync directly with my Address Book (or at least find something that will accept an exported multiple-card file instead of individual cards and sync *all* the info, not just one name, the first phone number detected and an email address).

You know, in another year or so, I'm seriously going to check out the EEE PC and see what's improved on it and compare and contrast it with the N800.

In the end, I realize that if I really *am* looking for on-the-go travel internet access, the N800 doesn't really fit my needs totally - at least while I'm in Canada and while I'm dealing with eyesight strain.

If the EEE PC keeps down in the $300 level and has most of the qualities of the N800, has an integrated keyboard that doesn't make my fingers squashed, has a screen large enough for me to read without straining or excessive scrolling and no big ol' warning signs, I would consider getting it. In a year - I figure a year's worth of use is worth the price of the N800.

The EEE PC is appealing to me 'cause it's small and light enough not to take up too much room in a bag, it seems to do the basic stuff I'd want and what the N800 does (i.e. everything everyone else is doing in coffee shops with their laptops - cruising the 'net, writing off emails and maybe writing more substantial), ... .

Of course, *I* have a bag (a leather courrier bag but a bag, none the less). Which, when you look at the pretty colours the EEE PC comes in, makes it pretty obvious that the company is aiming for a lot of women like me.

The N800 certainly has a place in my heart now. In the future, I see it spending most of its time as an alarm/internet radio/bedside internet tablet. Which is a good vision since this means it'll be used for years and I will always think of it as money well-spent.

But I'm not slavish enough to a brand (or I would have just marched into an Apple store and bought an iTouch without thinking) and the N800 will have competition with the EEE PC - next year.