Psion Revo Enters Handheld Fray

Link and Synch, Too

The Revo offers numerous connectivity options. For starters, you can connect to your desktop PC using the included serial-port docking station and PsiWin 2.31 software. This method lets you synchronize applications such as e-mail and calendar so both machines have the same information.

You can also connect several ways using Revo's infrared port. With Psion's new battery-powered 56 kilobits-per-second infrared modem--scheduled to ship in November priced at less than $300--you can plug in a phone line and link to Revo using infrared.

Mobile professionals who carry specific infrared-capable cellular phones from Psion partners Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola, and Siemens will be able to simply set the Revo next to the phone and connect, Edwards says.

Revo runs its own EPOC operating systems, which Edwards says works much better than Microsoft Windows CE because it was designed for handhelds.

"CE hasn't done well in the United States or Europe because Microsoft tried to push a big OS into a little box," Edwards says. Because CE is built "from Windows down," it's "slow and clunky," he notes.

The Palm OS is well designed for portable devices, but it is aging, Edwards says.

"Palm runs a 16-bit OS which limits where you take functionality," he says. Psion contends that, despite Palm's popularity, many people want a handheld with a keyboard so they can more easily take notes and respond to e-mail.

Psion also offers a free portal, Psion.net, with news and other information especially designed for viewing on the unit's display.