How about a Nokia n810?<br><br><a href="http://www.nseries.com/index.html#l=products,n810">http://www.nseries.com/index.html#l=products,n810</a><br><br>It runs linux, fits in your pocket, has a qwerty keyboard, wifi (seems there's a wimax version too.) Should be able to find for about $400. I don't think you'll easilly beat that.<br>
<br>Mik<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jun 19, 2008 at 5:10 PM, David Tessitor <<a href="mailto:davetessitor@pghfree.net">davetessitor@pghfree.net</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Hi All,<br>
<br>
I've not been on the list for several years and nice to be back. I<br>
figure there is some good expertise on technologies on the list so I<br>
need some suggestions. I'm currently in the midst of a petition drive<br>
and don't have time to research every possible technology to use in<br>
verifying voter registrations of people as they sign a petition or just<br>
before. In the past:<br>
<br>
1) Five years ago and again 3 years ago, I used a laptop with the voter<br>
database on it, having it on a tray that I wore around my neck. It's<br>
not feasible now -- the laptop broke a few months ago; I had to take<br>
along several batteries of which only one is good now; and it really was<br>
to cumbersome, heavy, and bulky.<br>
<br>
2) Last year I used a cell phone to call someone at a computer who would<br>
enter the name and street and let me know if the person was registered.<br>
-- His computer is now acting up; it is tenuous whether he will be able<br>
to help as much as before, and, even though his computer is faster than<br>
the broken laptop was, it still usually wasn't as fast for verifying as<br>
when done directly on site.<br>
<br>
Ideally, I would like something that I can put in a cargo pants pocket,<br>
that would be very easy to enter the first few letters of a name, that<br>
would be able to easily search through a database of a couple hundred<br>
thousand records (it's < 50MB), and, if there's more than one match,<br>
that would display a list of the matches in a list. I also need to be<br>
able to hold it in one hand easily and use the other hand to enter the<br>
data or hold it in one hand and enter with the thumb on that hand. BTW,<br>
the database could be local or on a secure webserver, which ever would<br>
be easiest and fastest to set up.<br>
<br>
I have Cricket phone service now. I would rather not get something that<br>
needs a long term contract. I have considered a Blackberry which<br>
doesn't need a contract, but I haven't heard back from the guy on<br>
Craigslist who advertised it. I've thought of getting a smart phone and<br>
not getting any phone service at all for it, just using it as a pda.<br>
I've thought of getting just a PDA but haven't the foggiest which would<br>
be good and I wouldn't want to pay for something that I can't use well<br>
(I wonder about using a stylus rather than a mini qwerty keypad). Of<br>
course for price, cheaper is better as long as it does the trick.<br>
<br>
Any suggestions? Please.<br>
<font color="#888888"><br>
David Tessitor<br>
OpenPittsburgh.Org<br>
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</font></blockquote></div><br>