My XP laptop and Acer netbook don't have a DB9 serial connection, so I roamed the aisles of Frys Electronics over the holidays, bought a Belkin "USB-to Serial Portable Adapter F5U409" for $20, installed the s/w from the CD, and works great...sync'ed the first time. Now all I need to sync the Jornada 69x or 72x is this adapter and my HP DB9 serial cable. Of course I could still use a USB connection with the 72x cradle.
After I got home I found the same in bulk for less at:
http://cgi.ebay.com/BELKIN-USB-to-SERIAL-ADAPTER-Cable-for-PC-F5U109-F5U409_W0QQitemZ400071303835QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item5d261ba29b#ht_2397wt_1136
....but you have to download the manual and CD.
I am sure there are other brands that work, but this is my data point to share.
Edited by Hal 2010-01-01 11:53 AM