I'm a bit of a cheap bastard too..........
I bought a Palm V about 2 years ago, just when the Vx was coming and I got the V for a song. I also have a Compaq iPAQ 3630.
If you compare the specs there are some enormous differences:
Palm V
Memory - 2 mb
CPU Speed - 20 Mhz
Screen - mono
iPAQ 3630
Memory - 32 mb
CPU Speed - 200 Mhz
Screen - colour
And if all you do is look at the specs you WILL buy the wrong one.
List the functions you need, and then the functions you would like. Are you trying to replicate the laptop or suppliment it with something that fits in your shirt pocket?
Tick off the functions each possible unit has against your requirements and see what happens.
Battery life is another important issue for me, and the difference in real field performance of the battery is also huge.
As for my preference, the Palm wins hands down for me because it does all the things I need far easier than the iPAQ and the battery will last a couple of weeks normal use, rather than a couple of hours.
Good Luck!!
[ 26 December 2001: Message edited by: Feeton Terrafirma ]</p>