Well, I finally broke down and bought a new gadget: the Treo 700p. I needed it, and it was the right decision given the prevailing options, but it's too imperfect to be too pleased with the purchase.
I needed a device that was 1) PalmOS compatible so I could keep my organizational rhythm, 2) Internet-capable and Word capable so I could start leaving my laptop home more often (yes, I have a nice, new shiny 2-year warranty for it, but the thing will probably be better off if it gets shlepped around less - as will my poor back…), and 3) a phone that actually answers phone calls (the last one was not so good at that).
It is PalmOS capable, although there are some things about this version that make it worse than the old Vx version I was using. For one, it doesn't appear you can search within Tasks, which I've found an obstacle. For another, it is button-driven, not stylus-driven, and I find the stylus much more efficient. I was able to put GrafittiAnywhere on it, which helped, but unfortunately it supports Grafitti 2, whereas my previously-wired brain supports Grafitti 1, so I keep getting slowed down by stupid typos. Also, the stylus can't seem to switch applications. For that you seem to need the Home button, inconveniently located on the right-hand side of the phone, the hand which is busy holding the stylus. In theory you are supposed to be able to do everything on this phone using this 5-way joystick thing, but the learning curve on it is pretty severe (I keep accidentally deleting stuff, for which there is no "undo.").
The phone *is* Internet capable, and I'm finding that really cool. For instance, I was at a football game last weekend and saw a billboard for a firm name. Thinking it might be a law firm I could apply to, I was immediately able to look it up. It wasn't - it was a construction supply firm, but it was nice to be able to sate my curiosity immediately. However, there's still no WiFi on the phone, which is kind of weird since the WindowsCE-based Treo 700w apparently takes the Palm WiFi card. A third-party vendor may eventually make an attachment, since one makes one for the PalmOS-based Treo 650, but there doesn't appear to be one now.
The absence of WiFi is particularly onerous given that the Verizon data plan seems disproportionately expensive. I ended up with a plan that gives me unlimited data and 1350 anytime minutes for $110. There is a cheaper data plan that gives 10MB in data transfers for $20 less, but I don't know how much I'll use, and it's easier to budget a fixed amount every month for the ability not to worry about it. Also, I needed vastly more minutes than I had since I no longer have a landline, and this package hit a sweetspot in Verizon's current pricing model. The problem is that it starts to become particularly cost-ineffective given the redundancy. I already pay for home broadband. Not a lot, because it's shared, but it's covered. In theory I could save the cost (if I were living alone) and simply tether my Treo to my laptop, but I have to pay $15 a month more to do that, which makes it really expensive. I suppose I could have saved money if I'd not felt like such a slave to Verizon, and I briefly considered going with Cingular, but then I remembered the horror that was having AT&T Wireless in Boston and realized I couldn't in good conscience make that jump.
I also find it expensively aggravating that I can't figure out how to put a library of files (pdfs, docs, etc.) on the device without getting an expansion card (more money! whee!), although I did figure out a work-around (email them to my gmail account, for which there is a great mobile-readable version). I need to generally do more research on applications available for the Treo that will support my computing habits. For instance, I'm currently trying out Bloglines as an RSS reader because it has a mobile version, and then I can be in sync wherever I am. Unfortunately, I don't really like the Treo's Blazer web browser (though it seems to be the best one out there), and I'm not sure I really like Bloglines either…
But, on the upside, the Treo does make phone calls! Answers them, too, I think… (Few have called, so it's hard to tell…) It's also nice that it integrates with my general contacts information, so I don't have to maintain two data sources.
So it's not perfect, and it's expensive, but it will support my current needs and better than anything else I was able to find. And it nicely complements my general geeky image.