Gadget warning

If you don't want to be tempted, don't read any further.

The drought is officially over - a new phone has entered the local domain.  After over a year fighting with the XDA Exec (and losing usually), then another year in the wilds with a Jet - which makes an admirable phone, but doesn't cut it in terms of extra functionality - I bit the bullet and plumped for the latest addition to the O2 stable, the Orbit2.  Although this is just a HTC Touch Cruise under another name, the terms of my contract with O2 made this irresistible, especially as they give me 'unlimited' web access as part of the deal.  I don't want to tempt fate by testing what they mean by 'unlimited', but I'm fairly sure it doesn't match either my definition, or the OED's.  However, if I ever do reach the limit, I'm quite sure O2 will tell me.  Probably in quite definite and terminal terms.

It's a very nice piece of kit, and having spent a few minutes of my time (plus a lot of everyone else's around me - we still don't have a formal procedure for setting up Exchange synchronisation on these PDAs), it's now not only easy to use, but pleasant to look at - if you like black.  Strange how we insist on colour screens and yet the clearest, most desired colour scheme is almost monochrome.

Lots of nice additions over the old WM5 interface on the Exec, but really that wouldn't matter - the Exec was an interesting diversion, but really too much packed into too early a chassis, and I had nothing but problems with the models I owned.  The Jet was just a phone - nothing else was worth even trying, though the almost enforced lack of email made me take up texting to a slightly greater degree than before.  Now I have the full functionality of the network again, complete with the ability to select between 3G, wifi and Bluetooth.  Not everything works transparently - one day, I'll understand why they don't allow syncing of contacts etc over wifi, and why I can't sync my Exchange email when the phone is plugged in to a USB cable attached to my home PC, but take it back out (after charging) and lo and behold, everything just picks up via the 3G link.