I've an HP Jornada; the benefit in it is that it can "sync" and dock to either a laptop or desktop and make use of the sync or dock system's add-ons (printer, scanner, etc.).

I can - and I have - received attachments, and other files. The moment I "dock" or "sync," the files can be read, etc.

Most likely, I spent way too much for my handheld HP, but I do like the keyboard (QWERTY, mirroring keyboards for PCs).

The biggest drawback? For me, it was the cost at the time; I had to put out a huge chunk of change, but... never regretted it; the handheld I purchased also has a modem, so dial-up is also do-able.

Battery-life (for the internal cell) is not great; the battery cannot be "parked" and with an expectation that it will sustain or last long.

If you purchase a handheld, remove the battery when the handheld will be idle for a stretch of time, and always make sure to sync the files.

I think I paid close to $1,000 for my handheld. It is a beautiful "supplement." Never lost a doc. or piece of mail using it.

My first PDA pref., though, was Compaq IPAQ. I don't even know if those are still available.

I was looking for something that also met my use-needs, as you are. The HP handheld had what I needed, but no virus protection installed. That's a drawback, too. (Maybe no longer, but at the time of my purchase.)

If you can, before you buy, I'd do a side-by-side comparison and cost and warranty comparisons.