Applying to med school now so I can't be in your shoes exactly, but I can tell you what my experiences have been with the Palm TX. I've been using Palm since my 2000 Palm V, 2003 Palm C, and my TX when it first came out. I've loved palm, but I've gradually been looking for new solutions after my Palm C had a run-in with a 2x4 =(
The TX is pretty nice (eg, good battery life, plays mp3s (very well, imho), (I don't attempt videos...never bothered to figure out how), wifi is pretty good, office support is great, calendar is nice and colorcoded, it supports SD cards!! =), standard headphone jack, alarm is really good, epocrates supported. I dropped my C and TX multiple times (even using the stnd screen cover) and never had problems. Even concrete from an open schoolbag!
However, I find that:
1) Address book - great, but what computers will you sync it with? I have a computer at home that I sync mine with Wifi. It syncs quickly, but then I don't have my work schedule at home. So I go to work, different computer - I have to sync it there. Google calendar (even using the Google Calendar sync) has not even synced up my calendar for many of my appointments after multiple sync attempts. Therefore unless you REALLY like using the on-screen keyboard, it will be better to sync with a laptop that you carry around with you. If you don't, its a pain, imho
2) (depends if you need it) Bluetooth...kinda. I bought the TX a few years ago with the hopes of moving towards a few devices that have bluetooth. My new cellphone (LG Decoy) does, but guess what? Palm stopped updating the software for phones. The last update allows for bluetooth support with the Razor....
3) High cost with almost no manufacturer support. Seriously. I bought this almost 4 years ago. My wife had to buy this about 2 years ago for nursing school. I had to pay the SAME AMOUNT for her as mine for 2 year old hardware!!! Tack on the fact that Palm does very little with support anymore other than the basics. For example, it works with Office 2007, but the browser is still lousy and Palm stopped doing application and OS updates when the Palm V was reining the PDA market. It took me about 2 minutes on Palm's site to even FIND the TX's main page.
4) I used to be an ace at Graffitti and I thought that the new version would make me even better. Not so. I cringe using it anymore since Graffitti 2 came out. Forget about using the OSKeyboard without a stylist. Using the OSK with numbers+letters is very frustrating - Can't I NOT have a international key on my keyboard!?!?
5) Wifi is pretty good, but occasionally it doesn't work depending on the institution. For instance, at my undergrad institution, I can only connect on the free networks. For ppl using laptops, they can connect using the proper security (can't remember, and I can't find TX specs) with their registered device. For a REGISTERED TX though, it's not possible to connect to the secured network. At all. So unless I am in the library, or at home, I can't connect. Toss in the so-so browser (not anything CLOSE to the modern iphone/pre-like browser), and I hardly use wifi unless I'm syncing. Oh, btw, forget about using wifi to stream mp3s....
6) No vibrate. Its low or its off
So I'm very curious about the Pre, but I've been burned by the Palm and the TX before. Twice
. And I'm an IT major, used Palm for a while, and researched the balls off of anything I buy. Palm has one more shot left with me and Pre is it...
...But the iTouch is looking very attractive (Netter's flash cards) and the iPhone is, too, if I want to drop an arm and a leg on access charges....
