Originally Posted by Comicwoman

Since I respect and value the opinions of many of you on this board, I thought I'd let you fill my shopping basket. I need a Tech Makeover.

Currently:

I have a nearly 4 year old Compaq notebook with fried USB ports. I replaced the hard drive almost 2 years ago. I use a Dynex 2 port Card Bus Adapter for USB functions (expect my iPod Shuffle does not like the adapter, so I cannot sync.) My Internet access is from Comcast and I have a home WiFi setup.

I have a vanilla T-Mobile phone with the tmobile@home service, which gives me unlimited minutes from home and many hotspots. I have 1000 minutes and never hit it. My contract is up, so I am a free agent. I have no landline.

My Shuffle won't talk to my notebook.
And my new Sony Cyber-Shot's memory will not talk to my notebook (that has been confirmed with Sony and Compaq/HP).

My 6 year old Palm is about to quit on me. The battery life is short (been replaced once already.)

So, I am ready for my makeover.

Needs and Wants:

I will probably stay in the PC family. I don't game or edit film. I do email, surf, and some work stuff. I do like to stream movies from Netflix. But other than that, nothing that requires anything above average horsepower.

I like my Palm, or more specifically a PDA. But carrying a PDA and a phone (and even a Shuffle) gets old.

I like the portability of my notebook, both within the house and on my occasional travels. But I would consider an iTouch or Smartphone to give me that connectivity while on the road. I travel about 1x a year for work. My travel is primarily personal.

I am willing to change my phone plan (about $55/month for 1000 minutes, but no texts or data) for more functions. I am also willing to cut Comcast loose too. All my contracts are currently month-to-month.

I live in the Minneapolis/St Paul area. I need a cell phone that provides me with service on the road between ORD and MSP.

Options I have thought about:
Desktop, Netbook, and vanilla cell phone
Notebook and Smartphone
Notebook, iTouch, and vanilla cell phone

I am sure there are countless other possibilities. I am not on a tight budget, but would like the purchases to come in under $3k with a monthly cost of under $150.

Specific brand and model numbers are fine, or general recommendations too.

For all of you that have suggestions, thank you.