WHAT'S HOT: We admired the silvery-blue HP Jornada's look and its sleek flip-up lid. The lithium ion battery is removable (a spare costs $43), and the unit's extra-light AC adapter can plug directly into the PDA or into a Y connection at the end of the syncing cradle's USB cable. A good range of add-ons are available, including a keyboard that replaces the lid ($60) and a battery that adds a MultiMediaCard slot ($80). A backup battery can preserve your data in case the main one runs out.

WHAT'S NOT: The Cassiopeia E-200 and the Toshiba Pocket PC E570 offer twice as much memory, along with both CompactFlash and Secure Digital slots, for a similar price. (HP's Jornada 568 offers 64MB of memory for a street price of around $570.) It also made the worst voice recordings of this group. Even when we spoke directly into the unit's built-in mike, our voice played back at low volume and sounded scratchy. And although the case feels well made, the buttons don't have much positive feel.

WHAT ELSE: At $529, the Jornada is the least expensive of the Pocket PCs we reviewed. It offers only one built-in expansion slot, but at least it's the more useful CompactFlash slot (the IPaq has only a built-in Secure Digital card slot). The Jornada comes with a plastic, black-tipped stylus and a sensible button arrangement. Side controls launch the unit's voice recorder, and a jog dial lets you scroll through documents with one hand. Below these buttons, a small side tray pops out for inserting the unit's backup battery. The CF slot and a large LED are on the top of the case. The Jornada's 3.5-inch screen is comparable to other Pocket PCs. HP almost matches Compaq in the sheer amount of software that comes with its PDAs: The Jornada bundles Microsoft Pocket Streets, some games, a nice image viewer, and a useful task-switching utility.

UPSHOT: It's hard to beat the Jornada 565 for sheer style. It looks good and feels solid in the hand. Although it is slightly cheaper than the other Pocket PC-based PDAs, its single expansion slot may limit your options.

SUMMARY

HP Jornada 565 Pocket PC 2002 OS, 32 MB internal memory, 2.7-by-2.3-inch active screen area, 240 by 320 resolution, CompactFlash expansion slot, removable lithium ion battery; 6.1 ounces; one-year parts and labor warranty, toll-free daily support. $529 888/999-4747 www.hp.com