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By Newsweek Editors
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Is that a PC in your pocket, or are you just glad to see your contact list? Take out your PDA. Is it the right one? There are two systems. First came the Palm: a device that keeps contacts, calendars and notes in a lightweight package. It does a few things and does them well. Then Microsoft introduced Pocket PC software for handhelds, a slimmed-down Windows. Reviews were mixed. Critics said that compared with the simpler Palm devices, it tried to do too much. Now comes Pocket PC 2002. It's hitting the streets in consumer versions from Compaq, HP, Casio, Toshiba and Audiovox. For some it will be just what the help desk wants. Others will find it overkill.
For nothing fancier than contacts and scheduling, the Pocket PC is indeed too much. But for computer power, this may be the system for you. It has mobile versions of such desktop applications as Microsoft Word and Excel. You can manage e-mail and launch a Web browser. Downloadable applications from many sources let you run interactive maps, play a flight simulator, view a video, and much more. Unfortunately, third-party applications that ran on the previous Pocket PC are incompatible with the 2002 version; users who upgrade should make time for downloading.
There are enhancements. For example, when entering information into the system, users can pick from Palm's script, the Pocket PC's own superior character recognition, a tap-screen keyboard or Transcriber. The latter is a handwriting-recognition program that lets you mix cursive and block letters. Although still available as a free download for the previous Pocket PC version, the integrated approach seems faster now. The new version of ActiveSync, which coordinates information between the Pocket PC and a desktop, is much improved, eliminating some bugs and providing more flexibility in synchronizing data. There are also new capabilities, such as an included copy of MSN Messenger for the chatting crowd.
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Vendors offer an abundance of add-on hardware. You can connect to the Internet with a dial-up modem, or use an Ethernet adapter or wireless electronics to make a Pocket PC part of a network. Dial through a mobile phone or even establish a direct cellular connection without mechanical middlemen. A plug-in, folding keyboard adds touch-typing ease. But choosing helpful hardware is harder than perking up a desktop PC or a laptop. With a recent computer, you can always find a USB (universal serial bus) version of almost anything. Pocket PCs have different options, depending on the hardware vendor. You should know your needs.
As happens with each new operating-system release, the vendor scuttles the old one. Anyone using a first-generation Pocket PC could find the transition painful. Many earlier devices have the OS in non-upgradable memory. Time for new hardware. Still, anyone concerned with weight and size should be happy to make the switch, as the new handhelds are light and thin, while providing a speaker and color screen.
Now for the real downside: at prices that run from $500 to more than $600, that device in your pocket could easily be an entry-level desktop system. Are you sure you're glad to see that PC in your pocket?
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