In this day and age, a pocket tinkertoy that only plays chess is nearly obsolete.
You can run a plethora of softwares on a netbook ... or if you want something even smaller, buy a smartphone and run Master/IM strength level engines on that.
Could you clarify what your needs are, exactly?
Something I can play chess on @ the bus or in school on breaks that doesn't get to easy after a while.
Chessmaster for the PsP
I hereby second the notion for a PsP or Nintendo DS game... or even more portable: a good cell-phone or iPhone chess game.
They still make the digital chess only gadgets, a company called Excalibur most noteably... but the icons for the pieces are usually hideous to look at.
WinMobile devices (not phones, even the venerable PDAs) are ideal, given that there are a ton of competitive software titles that are quite powerful.
For example => On my WinMobile phone, I've got
- Pocket CT Art 3.0 (for tactics)
- Pocket Grandmaster
- Pocket Shredder
There's even a PocketFritz out for WinMo.
i have a unit made by mephisto that is pretty darn good! it comes with the pen and everything to move the pieces on the lcd screen.
it's like that one. :)
ipod touch with shredder and the chess.com app woul seem to fit your bill. I hear it plays music, too.
WinMobile devices (not phones, even the venerable PDAs) are ideal, given that there are a ton of competitive software titles that are quite powerful.
For example => On my WinMobile phone, I've got
- Pocket CT Art 3.0 (for tactics)
- Pocket Grandmaster
- Pocket Shredder
There's even a PocketFritz out for WinMo.
just out of curiousity, how much did all of this cost (for phone and software combined)?
Look up a hand-held Excalibur computer chess. It costs about 20-30 dollars, and you can find one that plays between 1600-1800 strength. You can carry it all about, and try all kinds of ideas on it. If you're poor like me, that is convenience
WinMobile devices (not phones, even the venerable PDAs) are ideal, given that there are a ton of competitive software titles that are quite powerful.
For example => On my WinMobile phone, I've got
- Pocket CT Art 3.0 (for tactics)
- Pocket Grandmaster
- Pocket Shredder
There's even a PocketFritz out for WinMo.
just out of curiousity, how much did all of this cost (for phone and software combined)?
Well on ebay, you can pick up a near-obsolete PDA like the HP IPAQ (that runs Windows Mobile) for 10-20 dollars. Each of these software titles (except for Pocket Fritz) is 10-15 dollars, so the net investment shouldn't run you more than 40 bucks total.
Of course, if you can afford it, the smartphone makes more practical sense given that you'll just have one device at all times. The OP appears to be a young student, so I think the PDA route makes more sense from a cost perspective.
Look up a hand-held Excalibur computer chess. It costs about 20-30 dollars, and you can find one that plays between 1600-1800 strength. You can carry it all about, and try all kinds of ideas on it. If you're poor like me, that is convenience
I will take a look if the price is similar here :)
Thanks for all advices everybody :p keep em comming if you know another good chess computer / application for handheld devices
I have Chess Tiger on an old Palm OS PDA. The current version costs about $30 to download.
I don't know how good it is in ratings terms but it tramples all over me 
.
the Palm OS PDAs are even cheaper ... and Chess Genius runs like a monster on even an older model!
I only found 1 thread and that didn't fit what I was looking for.
I am going to invest in a chess computer. What I am looking for is a digital one without physical pieces. I want one that last a long while even if I improve too National Championship level (not likely but anyway :P) anyone that can recommend one?
Best regards