Unfortunately Orange's LineTwo doesn't quite cut it (in particular: roaming and SMS), so what would really benefit me and many others is reducing the number of phones we have to carry, let alone other devices. Being able to run two SIM cards and their associated accounts simultaneously would score more points than many 'essential' features.

originally a

palm zire 72 and a nokia 3650

now a nokia 770 and a nokia n70

it comes down to _all_ the pda phones are too big as phones. even the treo 650 in a protective case i found too big for making calls in a public space as my grip on it was not secure for me to be comfortable that it wouldn't be nicked by somebody making a grab for it. the n70 is perfect for discreet calls/messaging whereas the likes of the imate jasjar are huge bricks that scream expensive hardware to steal.

I use my trusty Nokia phone and an iMate Jamin for remote email (via our Exchange Server).

The Nokia has better battery life and call quality, works properly with my Nokia car kit and I much prefer to carry a smaller device at the weekends when immediate access to email/diary isn’t a priority.

Having tried using a single device (the Jamin), I was put off by its size, despite it being smaller than most similarly featured products. The call quality was noticeably weaker, although acceptable. When connected to a Nokia CK-7W Bluetooth car kit though, the call quality was unacceptably poor.

I’m prepared to try again though and will probably use a Palm 750v when it becomes readily available. I’m sure a competent unified device is around the corner but, for me at least, I haven’t found the right blend of features and usability that suits my needs.

I’ll keep looking.

"Companies reap the benefit of having access to employees out of hours, with many doing email after they leave the office.

Whether formally agreed or not, there is often an implicit assumption that the user will be carrying around the device outside of normal working hours, "

These assumptions will quickly become wrong. People aren't stupid. Sometimes (evenings, weekends, vacations) you need/want do disconnect from your boss, while being reachable by others (friends and family, for those who have a life outside of their office). Mobes are getting cheap, small and lightweight. Comms fares are dwindling (you can even get free and unlimited calls to a select few).

Yes, we will soon carry two devices. One for the boss, and one for rest of the world...

I use my i-mate JASJAR Monday to Friday then I swap my SIM to a QTek 8500 for the weekend when I need something a little more portable. And I've just had my old handsfree in the car replaced with a JASJAR friendly cradle and it all works like a dream; email, phone and GPS all in one.

Simple!

Craig