The ones that were pre-intel were easy for the general computer user to put memory into. Intel minis are a fucking pain in the ass, and I broke off a couple of casing pieces when I did it, not to mention screwing up the slot for the memory so that it didn't sit completely right. And I repaired minis in my job! They purposefully made it 10x more difficult for non-Apple techs to do something as simple as memory upgrades for the fucking money bump.

If you're getting a pre-Intel, though, you should be fine. If you're not, get the memory pre-installed. It's a headache you'll never have to have. (Er, that wasn't meant as a pun, ita, even though it sounds like I'm an asshole. Sorry.) If you *do* want to try installing memory yourself, you're going to need two pristine putty knives, a set of general screwdrivers, a set of specialized computer repair screwdrivers, a shock bracelet, and a whole Saturday to fart around with it. And the number of Applecare handy with your warranty agreement.

The putty knives should have somewhat sharpened edges to them, rather than completely blunt. On my pre-Intel Mini, anyway, removing the case with the putty knives was much easier than I thought.

they increased the number of tines and the way the tongue-and-groove casing fit, making it slightly more difficult. sharp knives do help.

So, what with moving to the US and all, I'm in the market for a cellphone. I kind of lust after the Razr, design-wise, but then I get tempted towards a smart phone, Treo kind of thing.

What do you guys like in the way of phones?

And what about cellphone plans?

FWIW, I'm very happy with Virgin Mobile's pay-as-you-go plan, which significantly isn't a Contract, so if you decide to jump to something with more bells and whistles like a RAZR or Treo or iPhone (when finally available) you'll be able to move on. VM does have a phone with a keyboard for easy texting and internet stuff, but I haven't gone for it (yet).

They purposefully made it 10x more difficult for non-Apple techs to do something as simple as memory upgrades for the fucking money bump.

I'd love for Apple to license OSX to other hardware makers, but I have to admit that I don't really see the business case for it. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to KDE4. Not that Apple doesn't make good hardware, I just like the lego-like ease of generic hardware.

Raq, I have a RAZR and am plenty happy with it.

I too was tempted by the Treo, but ultimately passed on it because I couldn't really afford it (and justify the expense to S). I kind of think you should get the Treo.q

I've heard that the Treos are rife with hardware problems (and the Razr somewhat less so, but still notably).

There's supposed to be a high average # of Treos that one goes through before getting one that works--of the unfortunate owners, I do know one who's on his fifth.

I like my Razr, but it took me two to find one that worked, and even so Bluetooth needs to be restarted too often, and sometimes (every couple days) the whole thing needs to be turned off then on before it'll GPRS out and behave like a good little modem.

Those Sidekick IDs are pretty cute, but it really depends on what you're going to be using it for.

I lurve my Treo. I have a 700p, but my sister has the 680 (cheaper!) and other than mine having an external antenna, I can't see a difference.

Sean is the only person I know who likes their Razr (freak!) - most of the complaints I've heard have been that while it's very pretty, the flat buttons are a PITA. It's also heavier than a Treo, even though it's about half the size.

Depending on the carrier, a Blackberry Pearl might be a cheaper PDA-phone option than the Treo. I think Kristin has one.

There's supposed to be a high average # of Treos that one goes through before getting one that works--of the unfortunate owners, I do know one who's on his fifth.

Yikes! I guess I've been lucky -- my 650 died after about 11 months, but I attributed that to its bought-on-eBay-used-and-very-very-cheap status. So far I haven't had any problems with my 700p. Knock wood.