I'm in about the same boat. I mostly use my PDA for the stuff I can't seem to remember. I sync my contacts, notes and calendar through Outlook. I use a couple of basic spreadsheets. I also like Pocket Streets (comes free with the PC version of MS Streets and Trips).
I went the route of a PDA phone for a while, but gave that up. It was nice to not carry two devices, but in my opinion you either get a good phone or a good PDA, I have not seen a PDA phone that is a great phone. (Does that make sense?) Bottom line for me, I want my phone to work as a phone.
My current PDA is an older IPAQ that I picked up used from a guy at work. If you know anyone local who works at a tech place, that's a great place to shop. Where I work, there are plenty of guys who have to have the latest and greatest. I'm happy to pick up their old PDAs when they upgrade.
In my opinion, most PDAs do about the same stuff. The advantage you get with one brand over another, is mainly the number of accessories that are available. I think the Compaq/IPAQ still has the most, but he Dells also seem to have a strong following.
I've never owned a Palm device, so I can't offer a good opinion there. I've also never really gotten into using the internet on my PDAs. I know it's out there and could be useful if there are a bunch of hot spots in your area, but you don't need that to do the stuff you're talking about.
Bottom line, if I were you, I would look for a deal you like on a used name brand, basic PDA, but make sure it's running recent software (something running Windows mobile 2003 at least). Spend as little as you can and see how much you use it. If you like it and feel like you want to do more stuff, then keep an eye out for something newer and sell the old one.
I hope that helps,
Jeff
