Let me start off by saying that the P800 is here to stay. I still look longingly at my Newton from time to time, but I’ve remained strong in my resolve to move forward. On that note, let me tell you what works well.

Synchronization with my work PC and Lotus Notes is absolutely fantastic. I’m using Notes version 6 which required a registry hack in order to make it work with Sony’s synchronization software. However it’s been rock solid ever since. I don’t synchronize everything; just my address book, calendar and to-do list. It has the ability to synchronize my email, but I have no desire to do email on a screen as small as the P800.

In this respect it’s been better than my Newton (although with the Newton’s large screen I had no problems using it for email). Support for synchronization with the Newton pretty much died when Apple killed the product, so I was manually entering in contacts twice; once into my PC and once into the Newton. I no longer have to do this and it’s a wonderful thing.

The Bluetooth support is also a dream come true. I was amazed at the sound quality of the wireless headset. It’s been a godsend on long conference calls where I need to listen, but can still keep both hands free to get other work done.

The other feature I’m mostly pleased with is the Ambicom USB bluetooth adapter I purchased for my work PC and my home Macs. Initially I was very pleased with it till I downloaded a software update from Ambicom’s web site and now it no longer works on the PC. I can’t uninstall it and I can’t reinstall it. Ambicom’s support was unable to offer any help to resolve the problem. So for the moment the only way I can think of to get it to work again is to completely reload Windows. (For those detail oriented folks, I’ve manually removed all of the Ambicom software from the computer, removed the hardware from the device manager, scoured the registry for Ambicom keys and still I can’t install the software. There is obviously a file located somewhere in the system that Ambicom’s installer is looking for. I had hoped Ambicom could provide me with a list of files/registry keys to look for. My hopes were misplaced as Ambicom’s support personnel could not offer any suggestions beyond what I’ve already done.)

My Macs, on the other hand, work flawlessly although that’s what I expected. No additional software to load, the bluetooth adapter just works. I’ve successfully used the GPRS service from T-Mobile to connect my iBook to the net on my travels. It’s very nice to have when you’re stuck in an airport with a three hour layover.

The other feature of the P800 which I love is the battery life. It doesn’t have the life of my Newton, but it can still go a couple days between recharges. I can live with plugging it in every other night.

So what don’t I like? I really miss my Newton for note taking. Believe it or not, it was really good for that. I could take notes with the P800 and Jot is actually decent for text entry, but the screen is too small and there is no ability to store my scribbling to convert to text at a later date.

The other thing I’m now lacking is the archive of notes I used to keep on my Newton. I had a nice, searchable, collection of technical procedures. I had thought they were lost to me in a useable form, however I’ve since found a solution: Hog Bay Notebook. This little utility keeps all my notes bundled together and has a full text search engine that is fast. It required me to munge the notes data file I exported from my Newton but thanks to the power of OS X, all the unix tools I needed to take care of the job were built in.

So in the end the P800 is great for most of my work. I still miss the Newton though, even just for the note taking ability. It was really nice to have around, instantly ready to take notes. My paperless office has taken a step backwards but I’m still hopeful that somewhere out there a company is working on a product that will get me back on track.