PDA2001 Hardware

There are so many great PDAs available these days that it's hard to single out just a few for attention. Additionally, things change very rapidly in the PDA world. Companies start, stop, and merge. Products appear, get re-badged, and disappear. I only plan to update this once a year, and if you look at it in June, you won't find the same models and prices in the stores. Hopefully, you will be able to assess the usefulness of the PDA's available in terms of the feature set that you find described here.

Choosing PDAs is like choosing cars. There are lots of different colors, shapes, and feature sets. Some of these are PocketPC 2002 models. That means that they run the current version of what used to be called Windows CE. Others run the Palm OS.

The perfect PDA hasn't been made, but when it is, it will have the best features of these devices.

The glossary will help with many of the abbreviations here.

The spreadsheet compares these models. People who know me always expect a spreadsheet. Sometimes I don't make one just to be unpredictable. This time, there was no getting around it.

If the images below are clickable, they are linked to online stores for shopping.

	SONY Clie PEG N760c The Multimedia PDA. Has MP3 support, RTFT screen 320x320 pixels. Runs Palm OS. Slim, slick. I want one.
	HP Jornada 565. Runs PocketPC2002. Bright screen. Other than the ambiguous pronunciation of the name, they are great computers. The 568 comes with 64MB of RAM. Even though the ROM is not flashable, you can still patch the OS if needed. Some people think that the display has a blue tint.
	Toshiba e570. These are hard to find. PC Mag says that they are sold through VARs only. The e550 was one of the first devices to use both SD and CF slots. In other countries, this line is called Genio, but the name was already trademarked in the US. This machine runs PocketPC2002.
	SONY Clie S320. I used to recommend the Handspring Visor Deluxe as an entry level model for new Palm owners. No more. This Monochrome display is sharp, it comes with 8MB RAM, It has a jog dial, and takes memory stick expansions. Sony has demonstrated their consumer savvy in the PDA market, and this is part of the proof. Runs Palm OS.
	Visor Prism. One of the least expensive models with a color display. Visor was started by former Palm executives, and they have been innovators from the beginning. Exercise caution with the Treo, though. I've seen reports that the phone performance isn't as good as it might be, and I hate to buy extra frustration. Runs the Palm OS. Expansion slot is Springboard type.
	Palm m505. How can you have a PDA roundup without a Palm? The expansion slot is SD. The form factor is very stylish.
	Handera 330. Don't dismiss this PDA because of the monochrome screen. It has a large display area, and both SD and CF type slots. It includes a jog wheel. If you compare it to the similarly priced Prism, you might find it difficult to choose between them.

Shop for PDAs and accessories at Dell

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