[pcd2k]

Which, indeed do any of the current swab of PDA's have this ability ?
Originally this was the big leap forward in the handheld market, but I never kept up the reading about this technology, now I need a PDA , but it must have this ability. The second consideration although not necessarily a must, it would be a bonus if it had enough memory and battery life to listen to mp3's thru the headphones whilst I scribble my thoughts.

[SupahCoolX]

Well, Palm-based PDAs (made by Palm, Sony, Handspring) use a special alphabet called "Graffiti" for handwriting recognition. It takes a little while to learn, but it's not too bad.
PocketPCs have a more "straight up" form of handwriting recognition, but I don't know too much about them. They also don't sync well with Macs without thrid party hacks and apps.
Some new Handspring models (in the Treo line) have a small built-in keyboard instead of HWR.
Many Sony models have built-in MP3 capabilities, so you may want to look there.

[pcd2k]

I just don't get it .
Wasn't Apple the first to launch the PDA ?
and wasn't handwriting recognition the key reason to have PDA ?

U C its just that an awful lot of writers use the hand/mind dialectic and therefore would benefit a great deal.
Many writers have computers its true but they still use the pen and paper to get their thoughts down.

Most people and students learning to design websites use a pen and paper.

I just don't understand what with touch screen technology / software /and stylus we could all be in the action more efficiently ?

[SupahCoolX]

Yes, Apple made the first PDA, the Newton.
At first, the HWR was pretty bad, but it eventually got REALLY good by the time the Newton died in 1997. As a matter of fact, the "Ink" in Mac OSX 10.2 is actually the same HWR as the Newton!
The problem is that this HWR needs quite a bit of processing power, which isn't always available on smaller Palm-type PDAs striving for long battery life. Newtons were huge, expensive, and drained batteries much faster than Palms do.
So, it's basically a tradeoff between convenience and size. If you don't mind the size of the Newton, check out www.thisoldnewt.com and www.newtontalk.net for info. There are plenty of good Newtons on eBay for under $250 now.