Big Differences Seen Among Tiny Computers
Personal digital assistants. Hand-held PCs. Palmtop computers. Maybe you’ve heard one of these terms before.
They all refer to essentially the same thing--a miniature personal computer designed to fit in a pocket. Well, I suppose you’d need pretty big pockets, but they’re easily purse- or briefcase-size.
Whereas a notebook computer is portable but ultimately designed to be used while you’re parked in one spot, PDAs are truly designed for computing on the go. You can organize contact information, maintain calendars, send and receive e-mail and a whole lot more--no matter where you are or what you’re doing.
PDAs have been around for a few years now. Apple Computer was the first big-name company to introduce one, called the Newton. By most accounts, the first Newton was a flop. It promised, among other things, that you could take notes with a special “pen” and have them converted to computer text, but the handwriting recognition wasn’t nearly accurate enough to make it a useful tool.
A couple of generations later, the Newton has made many improvements, and it now has a loyal, albeit small, following. The hot PDA of the moment, though, is from U.S. Robotics, a company most famous for its modems. The PalmPilot sports a smaller case than the Newton and, even more importantly, carries a much smaller price. Whereas the Newton starts at about $700, a PalmPilot can be had for as little as $300. You might call it the palmtop for the rest of us.
The Newton and the PalmPilot share a couple of problems, though. Like the Newton, the PalmPilot is only available from one manufacturer. And each uses a unique, proprietary operating system. Buy one or the other and you have to learn a completely new way of computing. Don’t get me wrong. Both offer tools that let you transfer data to and from your regular PC; it’s actually operating them that’s different. Of course, with no standard operating system, the availability of software to run on your palmtop computer becomes an issue. Developers are likely to develop for the most popular brand and leave the other behind. Choose the wrong brand and you could get left behind too.
By developing an operating system that can run on personal computers from a variety of manufacturers, Microsoft cornered the PC market years ago. Seeing the opportunity to lock up the palmtop market in the same way, Microsoft last year introduced an operating system called Windows CE that is designed to run on palmtop computers from whatever manufacturer decides to license the technology from Microsoft.
This translates to numerous advantages for the consumer. First of all, because Windows CE was designed to behave like Windows 95, you probably already know most of what you need to operate a Windows CE palmtop. Also, you can now choose among different manufacturers to get the exact features you want and need.
Because software developers can now develop a single application that will run on the palmtops from several different manufacturers, you’re likely to see a large growth in the number of applications available for Windows CE systems. And because several companies are manufacturing competing systems, prices for those systems are likely to drop.
In the meantime, while you’re waiting for third-party software developers to do their thing, Windows CE already packs a lot of application power. Microsoft has developed “pocket” versions of Word, Excel and Internet Explorer. These portable versions of Word and Excel save files in formats fully compatible with their Windows 95 counterparts. Because these are probably the applications you use most anyway, you can now literally take the power of your desktop computer in the palm of your hand and on the road.
So what happens when you’re out on the road and you make changes to some mission-critical file that normally resides on your desktop PC? No problem. Synchronization--the ability to compare files on your palmtop and desktop systems, then automatically update the older one--is a key component of Windows CE. This way, you never have to worry about pulling up an out-of-date file when a newer one exists on your other system.
Several electronics manufacturers have already jumped on the Windows CE bandwagon, including Casio with the Cassiopeia, Compaq with the PC Companion, Hewlett-Packard with the HP 300 series, Hitachi with the Handheld PC, NEC with the Mobile Pro and Philips with the Velo 1.
As you can see, some big names have already gotten into the game. Although all of these systems run Windows CE and any applications designed for Windows CE, each offers a unique set of features and options. I strongly suggest that you make some comparisons before you decide on a particular model. Now that there’s finally a choice in palmtop computing, it only makes sense to exercise your right to choose.
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Kim Komando is a Fox TV host, syndicated talk radio host and founder of the Komputer Klinic on America Online (keyword KOMANDO). She can be reached via e-mail at komando@komando.com
