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Top 10 PDAs

Hybrid devices that combine phone and PDA functions are improving.

Sean Captain

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PalmOne Treo 600 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated:

1. PalmOne Treo 600

Palm 5.2.1H OS, Stylus, thumb keyboard input, 160 by 160 resolution, approximately 3000 colors, 24MB RAM, SD slot, Price when ranked: $600,

Bottom Line: High price is offset by benefits such as a brilliant screen and handy features, including a speakerphone. The device also offers fine phone sound quality.

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T-Mobile Sidekick PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated:

2. T-Mobile Sidekick

Danger OS, Thumb keyboard input, 240 by 460 resolution, approximately 65,000 colors, 32MB RAM, No expansion card slot, Price when ranked: $250,

Bottom Line: A great screen, a large thumb keyboard, and optimized software make this the best device for carrying the Internet in your pocket. It can't sync with common desktop information managers, though.

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BlackBerry 7210/7230 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated:

3. BlackBerry 7210/7230

BlackBerry OS, Thumb keyboard input, 240 by 160 resolution, approximately 65,000 colors, 16MB RAM, No expansion card slot, Price when ranked: $400,

Bottom Line: Telephone sound quality is fine and thumb keyboard is well designed. Has a sharp color screen, but feeble backlight. The 7230 also supports European and Asian GSM services.

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Sony Ericsson P800 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated:

4. Sony Ericsson P800

Symbian OS 7.0, Stylus, numeric keypad input, 208 by 320 resolution, approximately 4000 colors, 16MB RAM, Memory Stick Duo slot, Price when ranked: $550,

Bottom Line: An excellent mobile phone and a workable PDA. The P800's successor, the P900, will be out soon.

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Samsung SPH-i700 PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5

Last Rated:

5. Samsung SPH-i700

Pocket PC Phone Edition OS, Stylus input, 240 by 320 resolution, approximately 65,000 colors, 64MB RAM, SD slot, Price when ranked: $600,

Bottom Line: Though a bit large, this hybrid unit has well-integrated phone and PDA functions. It provides great headset sound quality, and the swiveling camera lets you snap self-portraits.

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Dell Axim X3i PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5

Last Rated:

6. Dell Axim X3i

Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 OS, Stylus input, 320 by 240 resolution, approximately 65,000 colors, 64MB RAM, SD/SDIO slot, Price when ranked: $379,

Bottom Line: Dell's bargain-priced handheld has a basic but very intuitive design. We especially liked the bright, sharp screen and the handy added utility for managing Wi-Fi connections.

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HP IPaq Pocket PC H4350 PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0PCW Rating: 4.0

Last Rated:

7. HP IPaq Pocket PC H4350

Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 OS, Stylus, thumb keyboard input, 240 by 320 resolution, approximately 65,000 colors, 64MB RAM, SD/SDIO slot, Price when ranked: $449,

Bottom Line: The H4350 nearly matches the Dell in screen quality. The thumb keyboard, a first for the IPaq line, works well but adds some bulk.

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Sony Clie PEG-UX50 PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5

Last Rated:

8. Sony Clie PEG-UX50

Palm 5.2.1 OS, Stylus, thumb keyboard input, 480 by 320 resolution, approximately 65,000 colors, 45MB RAM, Memory Stick Pro slot, Price when ranked: $650,

Bottom Line: This model slips nearly every feature you'd expect in a PDA into a surprisingly tiny package. The swiveling screen looks great; but at 1.8 by 2.7 inches, it's a bit small for such high resolution.

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PalmOne Tungsten T3 PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5PCW Rating: 4.5

Last Rated:

9. PalmOne Tungsten T3

Palm 5.2.1 OS, Stylus input, 320 by 480 resolution, approximately 65,000 colors, 64MB RAM, SD slot, Price when ranked: $399,

Bottom Line: Slide-open design stretches the beautiful screen to over 2 by 3 inches. A programmable quick-launch button on the side and a toolbar icon let you toggle between portrait and landscape views.

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ViewSonic Pocket PC V36 PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5PCW Rating: 3.5

Last Rated: December 24, 2003

10. ViewSonic Pocket PC V36

Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 OS, Stylus input, 320 by 240 resolution, approximately 65,000 colors, 64MB RAM, SD/SDIO slot, Price when ranked: $299,

Bottom Line: This basic Pocket PC comes at a very appealing price. Though the device lacks built-in wireless, ViewSonic offers a Wi-Fi SD card for an additional $129.

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For phone/PDA hybrids, listed price is the typical purchase cost with a new mobile phone service plan, excluding limited-term special offers. All screens are color, unless noted. For each category, ratings are based on price (30 percent), features (40 percent), ease of use (20 percent), and support policies (10 percent).

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