Happy Dance

Brought to you by my very shiny, very groovy new toy.

Today I did something I’ve been wanting to do for about three years: I bought myself a new PDA (personal digital assistant), a Treo 600. Woo technology!! This thing is more than a PalmPilot-like device: it’s that, plus a cell phone, plus a wireless web browser, plus a digital camera, plus an mp3 player. It’s the first new PDA I’ve bought since 1998, before El Pendejo and I bought our first house, to give you some perspective. I’ve wanted this upgrade for a long, long time but haven’t felt like shelling out the dough until now.

As you may guess, I’m terribly excited by this purchase. Not only is it somewhere near the cutting edge of hipness (as far as I know, anyway), it’s also actually useful. I’ll be able to use my Treo to check e-mail and appointments, do my favorite online crossword puzzle, and perhaps even blog on the train or bus. Or make or receive phone calls. Or snap and send digital pictures. Or admire photos of CNE. Or listen to music.

This little gizmo is barely larger than a deck of cards. It has a screen about two inches square and a complete keyboard and number pad — albeit with teeny tiny keys. It’s far more powerful than the first computers I hacked away on back in junior high, yet I can carry it in my shirt pocket. Super cool, right? It’s not quite a Star Trek tricorder, but it’s close. And it’s smaller. And it’s prettier. And it’s mine.

Today around the world: April 11 is National Heroes Day in Costa Rica. The inventor of the Treo is my current hero.