Well-Connected Handhelds

We marveled at the very first Palm handhelds because they stored so much information, made data entry easy with a touch screen and stylus, and, best of all, synchronized with our desktop contact managers. Since then, screens have gotten nicer, cases have gotten skinnier, and Microsoft has gotten into the act--but in many respects personal digital assistants haven't changed a lot over the years. For many users, they're still primarily electronic organizers, enhanced by software that lets one edit a spreadsheet or play a game. But in the last year or so, advances in processors and other electronics have given rise to a whole new breed of connected handhelds--powerful devices that send and receive data over wireless networks, and others that double as cell phones.

For this review, we looked at ten shipping PDAs with some sort of connectivity--either a phone/PDA hybrid such as Sony Ericsson's P800, or a Wi-Fi-enabled device such as Palm's Tungsten C handheld. Each model was entrusted to a different PC World editor to live with for a few weeks. We used these handhelds to access our contacts and calendars, to browse the Web, to manage e-mail, to send instant messages, and--on the phone/PDA hybrids--to make and receive voice calls.

Why Wireless?

Wireless connectivity isn't the only major hardware innovation in the current crop of handhelds--several test units had built-in cameras and MP3 players--but it has the greatest potential to change how we choose and use handhelds. Travelers who rely on phones to stay in touch and on PDAs to store and process information can now exchange the two devices for one phone/PDA hybrid. For those who want to keep track of e-mail, log on to a corporate network, or get vital information from the Internet without having to lug a notebook, any wireless-enabled handheld can potentially pay for itself in productivity gains.

Can today's technology realize this potential? Our field tests show that these products aren't quite ready for widespread adoption. Obstacles include software that doesn't always make connecting to the Internet as easy as it should be--or as productive (we've yet to come across a handheld e-mail client with a good spam filter)--and services that aren't as fast (in the case of cellular networks), as ubiquitous (in the case of Wi-Fi hot spots), or as inexpensive (all of the above) as we would like.

Though some worked better than others, we generally found that perfection in a handheld remains elusive. That's at least in part because some of the qualities prized in one are real liabilities for the other: PC World editors like small phones but large PDA screens. We're used to holding phones up to our ears, but we don't want the inevitable smudges our faces leave on those large screens. Battery life, of course, remains an issue, especially with power-hungry Wi-Fi handhelds. We also found that listening to MP3s was not ideal: The devices use phone-standard 2.5mm jacks that cannot accommodate stereo headphones, so we had to make do with small speakers or use phone headsets. However, our Best Buys--Palm's Tungsten C wireless handheld and Sony Ericsson's P800 phone hybrid--encompass many of the features we're looking for in each type of device.

Your first decision is whether to go for a phone/PDA hybrid or a PDA with Wi-Fi capability. Generally speaking, the phone hybrids will work wherever your carrier has service, while Wi-Fi outside of a home or office network is limited to hot spots in airports, cafés, and other public spaces. (Click here for information on hot spots.) We expect devices will soon support both: Texas Instruments this year demonstrated a Pocket PC prototype with built-in Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth.

OS Options

The selection of an operating system is also key. If you've been happily using an older Palm or Pocket PC, there's probably no reason to stray from your current OS. (The newest version of the Pocket PC operating system is called Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC.) If you're not committed to one of the two major OSs, however, there are alternatives, such as Symbian, used in the Sony Ericsson P800, or Danger Research's Hiptop OS and applications, used in T-Mobile's Sidekick. Choosing the Sidekick means forgoing the thousands of applications for Palms and Pocket PCs, but you may find that the Sidekick's built-in programs meet your needs. Another option is the Sharp Zaurus SL-5600, which runs Linux. (A Wi-Fi card is sold separately.)

Still Waiting for the Perfect PDA

We loved testing the full-featured devices but found that many of the units loaded with large screens, cameras, and MP3 players were too bulky to carry easily in a pocket. But for all the expense and compromises we noted in these devices, they do enable communications that would have been unthinkable a year or two ago.

As corporations expand their use of wireless, and as service providers ramp up their mobile offerings, we expect that wireless connectivity will become as essential in business handhelds as ethernet is in notebooks. Today's products--shortcomings and all--point the way to a truly unwired future.