In memory of the fallen...

Well it had to eventually happen. My Palm E2 has given up the ghost, and attempts to resuscitate have been unsuccessful. Looks like I'm going to have to see if I can get it fixed, but the data is probably gone now as I've gotten slack about syncing it to the Kubuntu PC. The non-volatile memory was great, but it spoiled me after the Palm 102.

The times I'm missing it the most is in traffic driving between home and work. It's helped stave off the frustration at those times as I read my ebooks. Reading them on the PC screen just isn't the same, or as convenient.

I started looking around for replacements. Palm is now only doing the Smartphones, and they have just one Treo running Palm OS, and I'm really dead against funding the evil empire (Windows Mobile). The Centro looks great, and it seems they finally have it set-up to purchase one that's not locked to Telstra pre-paid. The Treo 680 is also OK but pricey. Shame I've only recently bought a new phone. The screen's been cracked already though, so I may jump to the Centro sooner rather than later.

I also went looking for a replacement ereader. Nothing really stands out and the eReader software doesn't cover all options yet. The really scary part was I've seen iPhone now has ereader. Hopefully the new Android platform will let someone develop the Linux version. It's the only thing I use Wine for. There's also not really any standalone ereader model that does Palm's ereader format, so I'm a bit annoyed at that as well. Having seen the eink screens, it would have been a good time to look.

So, wanted, a handheld device that reads palm ereader format books with eink screen, and at a reasonable price. It's not too much to ask for is it?

It's also a shame to see the Palm Pilot concept die. It was a fantastic idea, and I'm really missing mine. The whole technology convergence thing just isn't doing what I want just yet, at a price I'm willing to pay. Sigh.

Well here's to the Palm E2, I raise my glass to your memory.

Rick