Why does it seem like talking about something jinxes it. I know that you can jinx a no-hitter by talking about it, but kill your favorite gadget? Unheard of.
I did Dan’s Gear-Libs the other day, singing the praises of my HTC Advantage 7501. Last night it passed on to gadget heaven. It had been fine except for the micro-drive which stopped working a few months ago.
I still fondly remember the day we met, it was cold and rainy, but CompUSA was going out of business. It was a mere $300.00 and I couldn’t resist. I signed up for an unlimited data plan and left my laptop at home. I live on the road visiting customers, and the Advantage was perfect for me. It had built-in GPS, a huge screen, tons of memory, and a very usable keyboard. I could open attachments and actually read them, send emails, track customer data and more.
I grew to rely on my Advantage more and more. It’s not that I didn’t occasionally stray, I tried an I-Phone, HTC Shift, Sony Vaio UX-180p, and several Netbooks. The instant-on is a huge plus for me, and the battery life is more than adequate. It became a real work horse for me and allowed me to travel light. I also liked the stares and questions from strangers when I was out and about; it still surprises me that I never saw another one out in the wild.
While my grief is still palpable, I must try to carry on. The only way to move on is to look for a replacement. Gadgets are a source of comfort, just ask any doctor. So where do I turn? I must admit I am not sure and I am asking for help.
I want a bigger screen that a standard Smartphone. My Samsung I-760 is great but I want something bigger. I am trying to wrap my head around paying close to $1000.00 for the new HTC Advantage 7510. It would be the perfect replacement if the price wasn’t so steep, but I could pick up two or three Netbooks for that.
My company will not let me sync an iPhone with the Exchange server, so that is not an option.
So I place my trust in Gear Diary readers to point me down the right path; which device do you think I should get?


