« Return to: Top 10 PDAs
| Rank | Advanced PDAs | Street price (4/1/02) | Overall rating | Features/ Ease of use | Comments |
| 1 | Best Buy Casio Cassiopeia E-200 | $545 | 98 | Outstanding/Outstanding | Features: Pocket PC 2002 operating system, 64MB internal memory, 2.7-by-2.2-inch active screen area,1 240-by-320-pixel resolution, Secure Digital card and CompactFlash expansion slots, removable lithium ion battery, 6.7 ounces. SUMMARY: Reigning Best Buy boasts a backup battery; bright, clear screen; and plenty of memory. (  Apr 02) |
| 2 | New Palm M515 | $340 | 95 | Limited/Good | Features: Palm OS 4.1, 16MB internal memory, 2.3-by-2.3-inch active screen area,1 160-by-160-pixel resolution, Secure Digital card expansion slot, lithium ion battery, 4.9 ounces. SUMMARY: Has a top-flight color screen that's easy to read in all lighting conditions, including direct sunlight. It also has an SD card slot for adding more memory or other devices. |
| 3 | Compaq IPaq Pocket PC H3850 | $555 | 94 | Good/Very good | Features: Pocket PC 2002 OS, 64MB internal memory, 3-by-2.3-inch active screen area,1 240-by-320-pixel resolution, Secure Digital card expansion slot, lithium polymer battery, 6.7 ounces. SUMMARY: The biggest screen we've seen; but unlike on many other Pocket PC PDAs, there is no CompactFlash expansion slot. ( Apr 02) |
| 4 | New Sony Clie PEG-T615C | $370 | 93 | Limited/Average | Features: Palm OS 4.1, 16MB internal memory, 2.2-by-2.2-inch active screen area,1 320-by-320-pixel resolution, Memory Stick expansion slot, lithium ion battery, 4.9 ounces. SUMMARY: Very thin and light and with a good screen, but relatively few Memory Stick expansion devices are available. Can be used as a digital audio player with the $130 audio adapter kit. |
| 5 | HP Jornada 565 | $529 | 92 | Good/Average | Features: Pocket PC 2002 OS, 32MB internal memory, 2.7-by-2.3-inch active screen area,1 240-by-320-pixel resolution, CompactFlash expansion slot, removable lithium ion battery, 6.1 ounces. SUMMARY: Good battery life and stylish design, plus a built-in cover and backup battery, but not as much memory as the Compaq or the Casio. (  Apr 02) |
| Rank | Basic PDAs | Street price (4/1/02) | Overall rating | Features/ Ease of use | Comments |
| 1 | Best Buy HandEra 330 | $275 | 96 | Outstanding/Very good | Features: Palm OS 3.5.2, 8MB internal memory, 2.9-by-2.2-inch active screen area,1 240-by-320-pixel resolution, Secure Digital card and CompactFlash expansion slots, four AAA batteries, 5.9 ounces. SUMMARY: Larger than most PDAs, but includes plenty of expansion options and an easy-to-read, high-resolution screen. ( Apr 02) |
| 2 | Handspring Visor Neo | $160 | 95 | Average/Average | Features: Palm OS 3.5.2, 8MB internal memory, 2.2-by-2.2-inch active screen area, 1 160-by-160-pixel resolution, Springboard expansion slot, two AAA batteries, 5.4 ounces. SUMMARY: Very reasonable cost, but expansion options for the Springboard expansion slot are more expensive than comparable CompactFlash cards. Price drops by $39 this month.  (Apr 02) |
| 3 | New Sony Clie PEG-S360 | $185 | 93 | Average/Limited | Features: Palm OS 4.0, 16MB internal memory, 2-by-2-inch active screen area,1 160-by-160-pixel resolution, Memory Stick expansion slot, lithium ion battery, 4.3 ounces. SUMMARY: A very small and thin PDA with a simple, elegant design, but it comes with a syncing cable; the cradle costs an extra $60. A limited range of Memory Stick devices are available.  |
| 4 | Handspring Visor Pro | $220 | 90 | Average/Average | Features: Palm OS 3.5.2, 16MB internal memory, 2.2-by-2.2-inch active screen area,1 160-by-160-pixel resolution, Springboard expansion slot, lithium ion battery, 5.7 ounces. SUMMARY: An enhanced version of the number two Neo with double the memory and a rechargeable battery. Includes a snap-on cover and a USB syncing cradle. ( Apr 02) |
| 5 | New Palm M130 | $275 | 88 | Average/Good | Features: Palm OS 4.1, 8MB internal memory, 1.7-by-1.7-inch active screen area,1 160-by-160-pixel resolution, Secure Digital card expansion slot, lithium ion battery, 5.4 ounces. SUMMARY: Reasonably priced and comes with a bright color screen, but the screen is not easy to read in daylight. Also includes rechargeable batteries. |
How We Test: Overall ratings for PDAs are based on price (40 percent for advanced PDAs; 45 percent for basic PDAs), ease of use and documentation (20 percent), features (35 percent for advanced; 30 percent for basic), and warranty and support (5 percent). For more details, see "A Guide to PC World's Star Ratings."
1The area where information can be displayed, excluding any fixed area for inputting.