The most obvious difficulty we face comparing the two is the fact that there is so much we just don't know about the Nokia. Taking everything on face value from specs, the number one issue from my perspective is the lack of a touchscreen on the Sony PSP. As the somewhat happy owner of the PSP, I am quite pleased with the games, the gameplay and the screen. But I tried browsing the web with it and I was ready to go hockey dad in about three minutes. The PSP is really only good for games, watching movies on the go and listening to tunes. The photo viewer is fair, but not great. Yes, there are other things it does, but they require a large investment in time (not to mention a LARGE investment in capital... priced a duo sized memory stick lately?).

One pleasant surprise has been the fast movement in the homebrew community for the PSP. I can't say that I expect the Nokia to sell the same number of units as the PSP, but I do think that the homebrew community is just as dedicated, so I think we'll see lots of good software in a relatively short period of time. Combine that with the fact that the entire device has, in essence, been opened up by Nokia for software modification and third-party apps and we should be up to our armpits in hacks and apps before long.

Right out of the box, the Nokia seems more geared toward your needs since it is being marketed (what little marketing I've seen) as an Internet Appliance. If you want to surf the web, send an email and maybe listen to some streaming content, this sounds like your device. Of course my Pocket PC does this, as well as Palm devices, but I don't think they will do it for the same price. And, I keep coming back to this, the open-source nature of the OS is cause for some excitement. We don't know how it will work out, but the potential is there. Everything from word processors to databases should be available for the Nokia in a short time. The Sony can't say that.

If someone wants a gaming device, they should get a PSP or a Nintendo device. They shine there because that is their raison d'etre. It sounds like you want a multipurpose device... so keep an eye on the Nokia. I hope it lives up to its potential. It will cost you a bit more, or close to the same once you factor in a large memory stick duo, but it sounds like it will fit the bill for you.