If I was going to bother with a cyber companion, I'd give up and just take a micro-laptop, so I'd
have somthing usable. My big problem with any of these is that for any kind of backpacking trip
more than a couple of days, they aren't really much use without some kind of battery supplement,
and they're all heavy. and it's still just an electronic toy. While I suppose maybe because my job
is a bit to close to that, it's just the last thing on earth I want in the bush <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> as it is, I don't even take
my ipod shuffle with me.

For longer trips where I require something for occasional net access (that stays in the car) I
take my Zaurus C-3000, or my IBM X40 laptop - but for books, - heck I can buy lots of good
paperbacks for 3 bucks at the recycled book store, and either bring 'em back, or burn the
pages as I read.