need_portable_browsing_solution

I travel around UK and need a durable portable device with 2hrs+
battery life, a keyboard, HTML browsing capabilities and a service
which will provide internet access through the said device.

My main purpose for this device is information managment on a website
for which i am a member. I would like to be able to broswe the WWW as
if i was on a 56k modem connection connected to an old desktop
machine, or better if possible.

I have heard of GPRS and googled around but found only a multitude of
users connecting through a GPRS enabled phone, whereas I do not wish
to use a mobile phone in the connection, I am hoping there is some
kind of GPRS modem or IC.

I require little data storage.
My budget for hardware is GBP1500.
My budget for service is whatever it takes.
I would prefer a machine which is attractive like the Sharp Zaurus
SL-C760 PDA.

ANY INFO OR DIRECTION IS GREATLY APPRECCIATED
--
the previous meal is history, it is the next one which matters...

Well, at least here in the USA, here's a few solutions that come to mind:

1) Handspring.com Treo 600 (believe it's out in UK already).
$500-600 USD

100% mobile <6oz mobile phone + internet web browser + email +
speakerphone + camera + keyboard in-one. Very nice! Extremely portable
and will do it in the smallest avaiable package.

2) Sharp SL-C760 + GPRS phone. 8-10oz total.
$700+ USD.

See message boards here to do it:
[url]http://externe.net/zaurus/forum/[/url]

You'll need the phone + Sharp to do it.

You can probably do it with a PCMCIA GPRS card as well, but I
haven't looked into it yet.

3) Toshiba Libretto L110 mini-notebook. 2lbs.
$350-500 USD.

[url]http://www.silverace.com/libretto/[/url]
Toshiba Libretto mini-notebooks are among the world's smallest
notebooks available, and dirt-cheap used on [url]www.ebay.com[/url]. You can
easily buy a Merlin G100 GPRS PCMCIA card here off ebay for ~$80, sign
up for the 24/7 unlimited T-Mobile service at $29.99/month, and go
anywhere in the USA and go online. You'll probably have similar service
over where you are and expect to go.

Similar notebooks in this size are:
Sony Picturebook (used, [url]www.ebay.com[/url])
Fujitsu P5000
Sony TR2
Sony U101 (smallest available PC)

[url]www.conics.net[/url] or [url]www.dynamism.com[/url] or [url]www.japan-direct.com[/url] for these.

-----

All I can say is that with the Sprint PCS Wireless web card + service
on my Libretto L110, it was no problem at all going online to check web
& email from anywhere I had cell coverage - car, beach, bathroom - you
name where, and I could go online. Of course, TMobile is the better &
cheaper service now that you can find anywhere at $29.99/month unlimited.