Mobile Computing: Safer Pointing Devices

HANDHELDS

Review: Hitachi's New PDA-Phone-Camera

It's hefty, but the Hitachi G1000 Pocket PC-phone-digital camera combo is also versatile, offers good sound quality, and is easy to operate, says PCWorld.com reviewer Yardena Adar, based on an evaluation of a preproduction unit. A big caveat, though, is the device's $650 price. At the moment, Sprint PCS Vision is the only wireless carrier offering service for the Hitachi G1000.

Review: Go To Your PC From a Pocket PC

Expertcity's GoToMyPC 4--a no-cost, automatic upgrade for current GoToMyPC users--includes better security and other enhancements designed to appeal to large organizations and Pocket PC users. The remote-control service, which costs $20 a month, turns any browser-equipped PC into a clone of your office computer. Enterprises can now configure the Corporate Edition to require a password to initiate each user session, and they can employ RSA SecurID technology for robust authentication.

PocketView, an included program for remotely controlling an office PC from a Pocket PC, performed briskly in PCWorld.com tests. Though PocketView provides panning and reduce-to-fit modes, remotely controlling your PC desktop on a typical Pocket PC screen can be a challenge.

News: 4GB CompactFlash Card Too Big for Your PDA?

There's good news and bad news about Lexar's new 4GB CompactFlash Card. The good news: It's the largest-capacity flash memory card of any format currently available. The bad: Because it's a Type II Compact Flash card and therefore slightly thicker than standard Type I cards, the Lexar card may not fit your PDA's CompactFlash card slot. Be sure to check if your device supports Type II cards before you buy one. Also, the card's list price is about $1500; at press time, I found it for $1352 with the PCWorld.com Product Finder.