I'd love to find one of these in roughly this price point which (a) doesn't shut down as soon as it goes inside and (b) lets me set the time zone. Ideas for other similar items? I tried using an add-on program for my TomTom One and it kind of worked but seemed to give me more problems than it solved. I may try it again soon, though.

My wife uses a Palm T|X and loves it, but it has major screen calibration issues which didn't pop up until she had her T|X for almost a year - the biggest problem being that she can't even use the built in app to calibrate her screen because the built in app doesn't calibrate the bottom of there screen, where her T|X has it's calibration issues (ie, the calibration is non-linear). We came across PowerDigi

http://www.palmpowerups.com/readarticle.php?article_id=5

and it solved her problems. It has a 30 day trial. See if it solves your problem. While it is terrible that we HAD to resort to buying software to make her T|X usable, it DID make her T|X usable again.

We had to get this for my wife's Palm T|X and I, for one, think it is a TRAVESTY that Palm's T|X is such a universally faulty device that we NEED to buy software like PowerDigi. Palm should be using good enough screens and providing good enough calibration such that software like PowerDigi shouldn't have to exist. If I was a lawyer I would certainly start a class action suit against palm for selling defect hardware and software such as this. At the very least when these problems started cropping up, Palm should have provided working calibration software, what they provide is completely ineffective for the T|X. I am just happy my Troe650 doesn't have these same kind of problems.

I have a friend who is a fanatical Neal Stephenson fan. When he learned I hadn't read Snow Crash he teased me constantly until I finally agreed to read it. I bought the book and tried reading it several times but couldn't quite get into it. I finally purchased the unabridged audio-book and was hooked almost instantly. I have listened to the Snow Crash audiobook at least three times and have bought the book for several friends who had previously never read it - it became a favorite book for each of them, they now also push Snow Crash on those they meet. I firmly believe anyone with an interest in Sci-Fi or technology must read Snow Crash.

I'll stick with my Shure SE210's (not cheap, although there are deals to be found if you are resourceful and patient) or my Etymotics ER-6i's (somewhat more reasonably priced). Yeah, neither of them are in the mentioned $50 price range, but the difference in sound quality is astonishing, in my opinion, especially in high noise situations. I work in Manhattan - I walk the streets, take the subway, and ride the train and for me a good pair of sound isolating headphones is a must. Plus, I imagine playing my music at a lower volume extends my battery.