NEC's Pocket PC for Corporate Users
Sturdy and stylish Pocket PC has expansion options, corporate software bundle, disappointing screen.
Tracey Capen
NEC's first personal digital assistant, the MobilePro P300 Pocket PC, has a distinctly corporate slant.
Based on Microsoft's powerful Pocket PC 2002 operating system, our preproduction MobilePro 300 came with a custom utility that lets users synchronize e-mail, swap data, and back up files to corporate servers. Using a wireless card and service (which you must obtain on your own), you can update your P300 almost anywhere. NEC offers a one-day rapid exchange service, in case your P300 has an untimely accident. You also get Westek's robust Clear Vue file viewer and ArcSoft's PhotoBase, a handy, simple application for viewing and managing digital images.
A conservatively stylish silver metal case complements the corporate theme. Unfortunately, I often accidentally pressed the small, dedicated dictation button, generating a series of short audio files.
The P300 includes both CompactFlash and Secure Digital sockets; in fact, half of its 64MB of RAM resides on an included Secure Digital media card. Meanwhile, at center stage, surrounded by the four standard task buttons under the display, a simple four-way cursor ring frames a tiny speaker. You can also scroll by rolling a dial located on the PDA's edge, firmly pressing it to make selections. The P300's sync cradle has both USB and serial ports (the unit comes with a USB cable); a serial converter is optional.
Though the P300's color screen can display up to 65,000 colors, sample images looked disappointingly dull. The unit's combination of active-screen lighting and a reflective backing makes its display easy to see either indoors or in bright sunlight, but it fades quite a bit in daylight shadows. Music played through the speaker sounded weak and tinny.
Overall, the $599 P300 will serve most needs of a corporate user, but you might also want to check out competitors such as HP's Jornada 565, Compaq's H3850 IPaq, and Toshiba's E570.
|
Go Wireless on Printing
The Best of PC World
- Great year-end deals

for small business! -
Get 24/7 live remote AT&T Tech Support 360* service along with select Lenovo* PCs (with Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processors) and save up to 200!
-
HP EliteBook* 6930p Notebook with Intel® vPro™ technology and a free HP Basic Docking Station - $641 instant savings!
- *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. ©2009 Intel Corporation. Intel, the Intel logo, vPro and Core trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. All rights reserved.
Dell Laptop Deals
-
Save Hundreds on Dell's Most Popular Laptop Models
Inspiron, Studio and Studio XPS Models all at Steep Discounts!
People who read this also read:
Best Prices on PDAs
iPAQ 211 PDAPrice: $345.00
iPAQ 111 PDAPrice: $249.00
iPAQ 210 Enterprise PDAPrice: $345.00
PocketPC E570Price: $99.00
iPAQ 110 PDAPrice: $245.00
iPAQ HX2750 PDAPrice: $179.99
- 15 Minutes to a Secure Business Get the Secure in 15 toolkit starting with the "15 Minutes Month-at-a-Glance" calendar. McAfee will send you additional tools and tricks to stay protected around the clock.
- A Buyer's Guide to Data Protection Implementing data protection products and processes can be daunting. Make the right decisions by exploring what is available and what makes sense for your organization. Use this simple guide to evaluate different vendor offerings.
Cameras
Camcorders
Cell Phones
Components
Desktops
HDTV
Home Theater
GPS
Laptops
Monitors
MP3 Players
Networking &
Printers
Storage





