QWERTY keyboard with proper keys in a decent shape and that aren't much smaller than netbook keys. But it'll fit into a pocket and run for plenty of time on AA batteries. I could and did touch type on it fast enough to take very usable notes in meetings. And for those that want to draw diagrams, it's got a touchscreen too.
Honestly, I've never found anything quite as good and think it's a major shame they're not still available. A smartphone with the keyboard from one of these things would be brilliant; I just can't understand why companies play about with these silly modified calculator keyboards when there was something so much better available in 1997. If I were HTC I'd be making it, if I were a VC I'd be funding whoever could make it.
In my experience, the Psion 5's are starting to break down now. I went through 4 in a year!
My solution was to buy a Psion 5MX, not because it's better built, but because it came out 2-3 years after the 5 and thus will last on average 2 years longer - which means they'll break in 2012. Also stockpiling the 5MX's so when mine breaks in 2012, I'll have 3 or 4 more to last me a few more years.
I've got a 5mx here that's not been used in a while, should have plenty of life left in it..... :-)
(Disclaimer - I stopped using it because I changed jobs and no longer needed its functionality, then eventually went for a netbook as I no longer so needed its portability and valued being able to run Visual Studio! I'd still recommend them to anyone who really wants a portable machine rather than just a toy though; in some ways I genuinely prefer it to my Android phone.)
I ought to add for those looking for a Revo: The inbuilt rechargeable AAA batteries are very hard to replace, and so Revo's (and Revo Plus's) on Ebay, so many years after being initially sold, are likely to have a poor recharge cycle. Stick with a 5MX as you can replace the batteries easily.
QWERTY keyboard with proper keys in a decent shape and that aren't much smaller than netbook keys. But it'll fit into a pocket and run for plenty of time on AA batteries. I could and did touch type on it fast enough to take very usable notes in meetings. And for those that want to draw diagrams, it's got a touchscreen too.
Honestly, I've never found anything quite as good and think it's a major shame they're not still available. A smartphone with the keyboard from one of these things would be brilliant; I just can't understand why companies play about with these silly modified calculator keyboards when there was something so much better available in 1997. If I were HTC I'd be making it, if I were a VC I'd be funding whoever could make it.