I never thought it would be possible to carry to many gadgets around. But I have certainly hit the limit. My pockets are filled with a cellphone, a Palm, and occasionally, a Blackberry two-way pager. When I get out of a cab, I do what my wife calls "the gadget dance." I touch each of my pockets to make sure each of the gadgets are still there. Sometimes it appears that I am about to start the Macerana.

To help people like me, manufacturers are combining gadgets that serve multiple functions. The best example to date has been the Samsung I300 powered by Sprint, which combines a color Palm and a cellphone. It's a terrific device and one that I recommend all the time. Of course, it isn't cheap at $499, but it's clearly aimed at the business market.

That brings us to the latest convergent gadget that's making a buzz: the Handspring Treo. It combines not just two devices, but three. A cell, a Palm and an e-mail machine. And it works well, without sacrificing the quality of any individual part. It's light, it's easy to use and very useful. This is one of the best designed and most practical gadgets I have ever used.

The only problem I have with it is its black and white screen. As someone who has had a color Palm for three years, I found going colorless again is tough. Handspring, which works on the Palm operating system, promises to have a color version later this year.

The cost of the Treo: $399 with service activation (ie, a cellphone plan; in NY, that means Voicestream). If you don't activate when you buy, it's $599.

Resources:
Handspring Treo
Samsung I300

To join the LOW-volume "Sree Tips" e-mail mailing list, send your name and e-mail address to sreetips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. No more than once a month, you will receive an e-mail message with tips and tricks about new, useful and fun Web sites.