I have never used a handheld before. What's it like? Are they cool?

Lacrosse Boy -- do you use a scheduler or organizer for school? I don't really mean like a big binder with lots of pockets, but those notbook type things where you can jot down all your homework assignments, your friends' phone numbers, things like that? It's kind of like that in that you can keep all of your important information in an electronic format, housed in a little case that looks a lot size-wise like a Game Boy (the vertical one, not the new Game Boy Advance). The benefits with a handheld are that you keep everything in something you can fit in your pocket, and you can back it up by synchronizing it with your PC. That way if you somehow manage to lose your data (you forget to replace your batteries or something), you can reinstall all of your data easily.

In addition to the standard organizer information (that is, your addresses, schedules, a little notepad), you can also download a lot of little third-party applications and games. They are obviously not quite as spiffy as what you find for your PC, but there are a lot of little programs and utilities out there. For example, there are a few folks who have put together little electronic guides for the Disney parks, for example, that you can download (free or fee) to help you plan your vacation. :)