Hm I guess I misstated my intent. I don't want to buy a data plan at all and I think implying that one is required to get the most use out of it is missing the vast majority of its potential as a very portable computing platform.

The problem is that the Internet is getting to be so important that when it is offline, every computer seems to be missing the vast majority of its potential.

Ok, I agree with qole. When the Internet is gone, computers seem a LOT less fun.

But, what I would like is the default IM client to be worked on. I want AIM and Yahoo! and GTalk and "everything" else built in (or as plugins). It should integrate well (like it currently does). And, Most Importantly, it should use all of the hardware. Video support, audio support, etc are a must!

Currently, aside from taking self portraits, the camera is useless. I can't even get it to work with Gizmo. (It used to work with Flash before Diablo, FlashCam where are you???)

The mic is ok, because some apps use it well.

rtcom beta?

You can safely extract the discussion about PIM functionality and enablers from this thread and move it to: http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...d.php?p=237847

Hm, all that calendar/appointments/contact info stuff I can do today, on my Palm PDA.. I don't need to synch with anything though, instead I use the Palm all the time.
It can even do the email thingy too (interacting with the other info), but I stopped using the email there when I got the N800.

no worries about data loss?

I think people "trust" their devices not to lose that much data.
Just like on my phone I have a big long contact list that is not internet backup protected and even further back I had a dead tree based contact book and information storage/jott pad.

Backup is important, but direct internet syncing less so.

I used to do that with a Palm PDA. GPE-Calendar allows me to carry only one device, and make all the changes offline. The problem is that unless you are a Google user (and most of my connections use Yahoo) there is no way to backup the appointment book.

As big a problem: no electronic check register comparable to Pocket Quicken. All HomeBank does is take a snapshot of what my bank's website provides me online.

No, because
a) I back up to an SD card regularly
b) My Palm completely stopped crashing (which vipes the memory) when I stopped trying to use it as an Internet Tablet.
c) The way I handle my gadgets there's not much chance my Palm will be stolen.. the only way is by a genuine mugging of the violent type.

I always found synching data a hassle, it was only viable as a kind of backup mechanism and then I could just do a regular backup instead. The synch method's main purpose (as opposed to just backup) is to mix and match input/maintenance from different devices (e.g. PC, PDA..) and that just doesn't fit my way of doing things. I prefer to use a single device for that.