In this month's edition of Letters to the Editor, we receive kind words from South Africa, dissatisfaction with the Treo 90, and a question about repairs.

A hidden treasure trove
I live in Cape Town, Republic of South Africa. At present I co-own a small business that works within the soccer sector. That's soccer, as in the English football, although I do watch American football. My team was the 49ers, but I lost interest when Joe "The Greatest" Montana left.

"You seem to have a knack for turning the overlooked mundane into business gold."

South Africa, as well as the rest of Africa, has failed to realize the importance of general IT introduction. Financially, most countries invest only in arms and political paychecks. They fail to realize that "Education is the Key." Thankfully, South Africa is moving forward, albeit slowly.

Back to the point, a friend directed me to your site and, needless to say, he moved up my best friend list as your site is a hidden trove of treasure. I haven't been able to stop reading your articles. You seem to have a knack for turning the overlooked mundane into business gold. I am also involved in a project focusing on tourism. I think our project is financially viable due to the dollar/rand exchange. Basically, we want to rent mobile devices with the most up-to-date information to tourists. As well as being able to communicate with their families back home by mail, they will be able to access South African sites and sounds on the fly. South Africa is one of the few countries one can tour by foot and car. We possess an entire world in one country, including climatic extremes and variation in population.

I have been to England, Scotland, and Wales on a study promotion. I studied law (please no jokes). Frankly, I didn't enjoy the trip as the English and their culture were one dimensional. Being fortunate to experience "First World" conditions, I am now interested in implementing business change with regard to quantifying workflow and success. I don't want to take up to much of your time, so thanks again for your interesting articles. I'm looking forward to reading more.

Warmest regards,
Marcellinho van Driel

Can't see the keys
I am very disappointed in regard to the great reviews that the Treo 90 has received. None of the articles make mention of a flaw that limits the device's functionality in low light. This is the fact that the Treo lacks a backlit keyboard. Who cares how bright the screen is if you can't use the keyboard?!

Arin Kats

Editor Steve Niles responds
Interesting point. In fact, some Treo 90 and Treo 270 screens don't even have a functioning backlight as evidenced by a recent post at Handspring's support Web site at http://support.handspring.com/esupport/forms/hsresolutionview.jsp?resolutionid=8427.