I was looking at the U3, and decided it was a no-go because of the keyboard. I'm a touch-typist and programmer, and its layout is too different (it would get me really confused, especially since I would be using a lot of keyboards with normal layouts).

Difference include [{{] in different location, Enter key one row higher (this is a huge problem), etc.

It looks like 10" wide is about the minimum size for a normal keyboard layout (e.g. PictureBook, SRX). I'm going with the SRX instead of the PictureBook because I like the bigger screen (10.4 vs 8.9), longer battery life, and got a much better deal on it -- and the slightly larger size (10"x7.7" vs 10"x6") isn't significant for me.

What would be really slick would be a portable with rollup keyboard (these already exist) and display (these are in the works), especially if it could roll up into a PDA-sized package.

For browsing the internet & doing programming, word processing, etc I decided that any screen < 800x600 is too small; even 640x480 painfull, and I know 128x96 (or whatever my cell phone has) is good only for a few items (checking NFL scores, weather & that kind of stuff).

Tony

One of my friends is looking at getting a laptop for desktop replacement, so he wants the works, and isn't so concerned about size.

I've decided that I have enough desktop systems, and for stuff that takes a lot of MHz (Mech CAD, photo/video) even the most expensive laptop can't beat a reasonably priced desktop. So, I went looking for a small, but usable notebook.

And ended up with a SRX-87. It's substantially bigger than your U3, but a lot smaller than almost everything else. And, I don't have to drag a USB keyboard around, although I'll probably carry a mouse around (the built-in trackpad ain't bad, but it's not as good as a mouse).

It's definitely worth the extra money over a NV-70; I just can't imagine web browsing on the NV-70 or other PDA. And, it can run all the software I need to do my job (when I add a USB to serial converter so I can talk to PLC's and such).

I still like having my T-615 PDA, since it is so much smaller than the SRX, but it's a PDA, NOT a "Pocket PC". It serves a different role (for one, it's great to bring into a cleanroom to take notes).

I was never a big Sony fan, and in general still am not, but I have to admit that Sony has done a very nice job with their Vaio laptops and Clie PDA's.

Tony