New PDAs Are Quicker, More Capable

By MARK A. KELLNER

May 10, 2001 12 AM PT

mark@kellner2000.com

The e-mail, from a friend in Glendale, wasn’t unusual: “I got my feet wet with a Palm product but need something newer and more powerful. What should I buy?”

For my friend Betty, and for the rest of us, the good news is that there are many choices. The new lineup of digital assistants is out and, in general, they are faster, prettier and more capable than the previous generation.

At the top of the heap, the $649 Compaq iPaq H3670, featuring a full-color display and 64 megabytes of RAM, is likely to be this season’s new status symbol, as tough to get as tickets to “The Producers” on Broadway or a spot on Jennifer Lopez’s calendar.

Hot on its heels, however, is Palm Inc.’s $449 m505, the first color-screen Palm in an ultra-thin case. It arrives with a meager 8 MB of RAM, but users can add a memory card to make the device rival the iPaq’s capacity.

At the low end of the scale is the Palm m105, which at $199 is a great, kicky introduction to hand-held computing. It’s curvy and stylish, the J.Lo of personal digital assistants, perhaps.

Somewhere in the middle is Handspring Inc.’s $399 Visor Edge, which can go out either thin, like the Palm m500 series, or a tad bulkier with its own “sled” for Handspring’s Springboard modules, including a phone or wireless antenna.

Along with Compaq, Handspring and Palm, Hewlett-Packard has introduced a new Jornada Pocket PC. Each device--no surprise--has its strengths and weaknesses. And each has some compelling features that make these new machines important and worthy of your consideration.

Compaq iPaq H3670 and H3135

Compaq has extended the iPaq line of hand-helds (which use Microsoft’s Pocket PC operating system) to include a new color model with 64 MB of RAM and a monochrome bundle that includes the somewhat elusive “sled” for compact flash memory and expansion cards. At 64 MB and $649, the H3670 is one of the most expensive Pocket PCs on the market. But it is also one of the more capable.

Having that much memory allows this unit to handle many tasks, including wireless data communications and playing an hour or two of digital music. Many desktop computers come with 64 MB of RAM, and having that much power tucked into one’s shirt pocket or purse is rather impressive.

The monochrome H3135 will probably appeal not only to the cost-conscious who like its $399 price but also to those who recognize that even the best color displays have their drawbacks. Specifically, they can be difficult to read in bright sunlight, and a color display can be a tremendous drain on battery life. For the true “road warrior,” maximizing battery life can be an essential.

Both devices display the advantages and disadvantages of the iPaq line. They are elegant units, with easy controls and all the capabilities of a Pocket PC. This means miniature versions of Microsoft’s Word, Excel and Money, a personal finance tracking program. They also include Outlook, which handles your address book, calendar and e-mail.

Unfortunately, neither model features Microsoft PowerPoint, the presentation program that has become the de facto standard. Although no Pocket PC has a version of PowerPoint, it seems particularly sad that the high-end H3670 is lacking such a feature. After all, Margi Systems Inc. has been able to do this for the Handspring line. (Perhaps such improvements will come with the next generation of Pocket PCs.)

Otherwise, I can find no flaw with these two new Compaq devices. Hopefully, Compaq has solved its problems in keeping a good supply of these devices available, so that those wanting a new iPaq will be able to find one before the Salvation Army sets up its annual Christmas kettles.

Handspring Visor Edge

Handspring, which recently renewed its license for the Palm operating system despite rumors that it is looking for an alternative, launched the Visor Edge as its spring model. The 33-megahertz Motorola DragonBall VZ processor is fast; tasks seem to run pretty quickly.

The Edge has a nice software add-on to the address book that enables you to look up names using one hand--a feature no other model has and one that I miss sorely when not carrying the device. Also, the Edge’s monochrome display is brighter and has better contrast than earlier models, not to mention some of its competitors.

Available in metallic silver and blue in stores, plus red online (https://www.handspring.com), the Visor Edge is kicky, chic and powerful--a sure bet to be this year’s hip tech/fashion accessory.

Hewlett-Packard Jornada 525

The Jornada 525 is a solid performer despite having a “mere” 16 MB of RAM, which is still twice that of most Palm OS-based devices.

The Jornada 525 can be equipped with a snap-on camera, a wireless modem or a full-featured keyboard for touch-typing, though not all three at once. There’s a built-in compact flash memory slot that can hold either more memory, a modem or an Ethernet connector.

For those who want a solid performer in a nice package, the Jornada 525 offers that and, as with other Pocket PCs, the best possible compatibility with Microsoft’s Outlook, Word and Excel. It’s a device worth considering, particularly if you want a color screen.

Palm m105, m500 and m505

Palm, the company credited with launching today’s hand-held computer market, has had its ups and downs lately. The firm’s stock is trading well below $10 per share, down from a 52-week high of more than $67, and in March, Palm said it would lay off between 10% and 15% of its work force.

But amid its woes, Palm has two bright spots with its recently introduced models. The m105 is a wonder that will get loads of people into the habit of using a PDA. It’s also sleek enough so it doesn’t look like a clunky business tool.

Beyond style, the m105 has 8 MB of RAM, all the usual Palm applications and even special software for using the device with a mobile phone. It all adds up to terrific value, in my estimation, while not sacrificing much performance.

More promising is the $399 Palm m500, which comes with 8 MB of RAM, and a postage-stamp-size “multimedia card” slot that can take tiny memory modules of 16 MB, 32 MB or 64 MB. You can add on a 56-kilobit-per-second modem that snaps onto the back of the unit for Internet access.

The m500--soon to be joined by the color-screen m505--is the new “power tool” for the ultra stylish. It’s slim, sleek and comes with a leather cover to protect the display screen. New operating software is said to offer more security features. Those who are not captivated by the Visor Edge will probably find a lot to appreciate in the m500.

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The Skinny

Compaq iPaq H3640

Price: $649

Display: Color

Operating system: Pocket PC

Memory: 64 MB of RAM

Processor: 206-MHz Intel StrongArm

Handspring Visor Edge

Price: $399

Display: Monochrome

Operating system: Palm OS