PDAs

The war between the two main competing handheld operating systems -- Palm and Windows Mobile -- has almost become a nonissue, and reviews say that PDAs equipped with the latest Palm OS are just as adept at multimedia tasks as Windows models. And even Palm now offers smartphones that use Windows Mobile instead of its own operating system. Although reviewers have in the past generally preferred the Palm OS, of late many are saying that it has been too long since the Palm OS has been last updated and that the operating system is really beginning to show its age.

Microsoft, on the other hand, continues to update its mobile operating system. Current Windows PDAs use either Windows Mobile 5.0 or the latest version, Windows Mobile 6.0.

Although reviews say that neither Palm nor Windows Mobile has a huge advantage in functionality, one factor might still tip the scales. Windows Mobile is not compatible with Macintosh computers, so you won't be able to use iSync to synchronize your PDA with your Mac computer. You can, however, purchase third-party software for around $40 that will let you sync a Windows-based PDA with a Mac. Right now, only Palm OS PDAs will work with a Mac without supplemental software.

Best PDAs

Palm is the only game in town when it comes to budget PDAs, since Windows PDAs are more expensive. The Palm Z22 (*est. $95) is currently the least expensive handheld on the market. Reviewers note that while the PDA has limitations and is unlikely to fill the needs of power users, they are impressed nonetheless. The Palm Z22 won't do anything fancy like connect to a wireless network or play MP3s, but at PC Magazine, editors say it performs basic functions perfectly. Reviewer Sascha Segan writes that the Palm Z22 is "a PDA pared down to its essence."

The Palm Z22 is small and light (3.4 ounces), with a 2.8-inch LCD screen (measured diagonally). The color screen has 160 x 160 pixels, less than other PDAs, but because the screen isn't that big, text and images are crisp. The Palm Z22 comes with a 200MHz processor -- plenty of punch for reading Word and Excel documents, managing appointments and contacts and viewing photos. You get 32MB of storage (20MB available) -- and that storage is non-volatile flash memory, which means your data is safe even if your battery runs down. Pricier handhelds let you expand memory with a memory card, but the Palm Z22 doesn't have this option. Reviews say the Palm Z22 is easily the best entry-level PDA. PC Magazine's Sascha Segan concludes, "The Z22 is a simple, easy-to-use device for non-techies who want to stay organized, play a few games, and read a few e-books." The Palm Z22 can interface with a PC or Mac computer.

If you can afford a little more oomph and want to be able to expand your PDA's memory, Palm offers the Tungsten E2 (*est. $185) . The E2 has a larger 3.2-inch, 320 x 320-pixel color display, compared to the Palm Z22's 160 x 160 pixels. Again, you only get 32MB of memory, but the Tungsten E2 has an SD card slot for adding more storage. The slot also accommodates a Wi-Fi expansion card offered by Palm as an accessory. You can sync the Tungsten E2 PDA with either a PC or a Mac using the included USB cradle, and you can also use its wireless Bluetooth antenna to send data. The Tungsten E2 and Palm Z22 both use Graffiti handwriting recognition for data entry.

The Palm Tungsten E2 PDA's software bundle includes a video viewer (Kinoma), and reviews say video and MP3 playback are good, but if you really want to watch videos on your handheld, you'll want something faster than the Tungsten E2's 200MHz processor.

As you go up in price, PDAs become more capable, with faster processors, more memory, better multimedia performance (including playing MP3s and full-motion video) and built-in Wi-Fi, which lets you connect to the Internet via a wireless network or hot spot for web surfing and e-mail. The Palm TX (*est. $270) has received excellent reviews. At PC Magazine, where the Palm TX receives an Editors' Choice award as the best mid-range PDA, Sascha Segan writes that the TX is the "paragon of the Palm PDA." One hallmark of the Palm operating system is that it supports the excellent Dataviz Documents To Go, an application that lets you read and edit Word and Excel documents. There's also support for charts in Excel and an Acrobat and PowerPoint reader. You can't edit PowerPoint presentations, but you can watch them.

The Palm TX PDA has a 3.8-inch, 320 x 480-pixel color screen, which reviews say is gorgeous and excellent for web surfing. Despite the large screen, the PDA weighs a light 5.2 ounces. The screen also supports landscape orientation for easier viewing of documents or web pages. The Palm TX has a 312MHz processor and 128MB of non-volatile memory, along with an SD card slot for adding memory. Its integrated Wi-Fi lets you connect to networks and hot spots, and reviews say the Wi-Fi setup is fast and simple. Like all Palm PDAs, it can be synced with a PC or a Mac computer.

The Palm TX gets the highest rating of any PDA at CNet.com, where Bonnie Cha also comments on the Palm TX's ease of use and "gorgeous" screen. Battery life is good (between 4 and 9 hours, depending on usage), but because of the higher-resolution screen not as good as a simpler PDA, like the Palm Z22 or Tungsten E2. The Palm TX's excellent Versamail 3.1 e-mail application can download mail from up to eight e-mail accounts.

Once you top the $300 mark, you can count on still more memory, higher screen resolution and still better multimedia performance in a PDA. Windows Mobile devices rule the roost when it comes to high-end PDAs, and with Dell exiting the market earlier this year, HP is the only game in town. The good news is that a couple of HP iPAQ PDAs have received good reviews.

The HP iPAQ hx2495 (*est. $360) gets a nice writeup at MobileTechReview.com. (The review is actually of the iPAQ hx2490, but the two are identical. The only difference is in their marketing -- the hx2495 is sold through consumer retail channels and on HP's website, while the hx2490 is sold through the corporate sales channel.) Editors say the HP hx2495 has a "gorgeous" display (but at just 240 x 320 pixels, the resolution is much lower than that of the Palm TX) and excellent graphics performance. The HP iPAQ hx2495 has a 520MHz processor, offers both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and has 256MB of total memory (up to 192MB user-available). It weighs about 5.8 ounces. In addition, it comes with a removable, rechargeable battery and a sync cradle.

The most expensive HP iPAQ PDA is the iPAQ hx2795 (*est. $445) , which is also sold to business buyers as the HP iPAQ hx2790. The iPAQ hx2790/hx2795 has a powerful 624MHz processor and 384MB of total memory (256MB user-available). It offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, slots for SD and CompactFlash removable memory cards, and a user-replaceable battery. The screen resolution, however, is still a disappointment at 240 x 320 pixels.

The HP iPAQ hx2790/hx2795 has a unique security feature that could be a hit with your company's IT department: the PDA is protected with a biometric fingerprint reader. Though it is expensive, Lisa Gade at MobileTechReview.com says that there is a lot to like about the PDA. "It's stable and reliable and built like a tank," she adds.

GPS PDAs

You can turn any Bluetooth-enabled PDA into a portable GPS (Global Positioning System) unit with a GPS adapter (starting at about $200), but some PDAs have an integrated GPS receiver. With accompanying mapping software, you can pinpoint your location, get directions or map a route.

Dave Johnson at Laptop magazine says that while the Pharos Traveler GPS 525 (*est. $435) has some minor annoyances, overall it is a joy to use. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both present, and the PDA is bundled with Skype software for easy VoIP telephony. Johnson notes that the 300MHz processor is on the low end of what typically comes with Windows-based PDAs, but that "the device was fast enough most of the time." Similarly, the 2.8-inch screen isn't the biggest you'll find, but Johnson says that "it's amazingly bright and easy to read (even outdoors)." Bundled Windows applications include pocket versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer. There's also a voice recorder.

The Pharos Traveler GPS 525 also has Ostia GPS software, which Johnson says is among the better choices available. However, some glitches occurred during testing. Perhaps the worst was that changing maps required resetting the PDA.

The HP iPAQ rx5915 Travel Companion (*est. $440) gets even more positive reaction from reviewers. For example, Laptop magazine's James Stevenson says the rx5915 (also sold to business users as the iPAQ rx5900) is the best PDA/GPS hybrid yet.

GPS features are clearly part of the initial design and not an afterthought. Even the design, with its landscape orientation, looks more like a GPS unit than a PDA. But reviewers say the HP rx5915 is a powerful Windows Mobile Pocket PC.

At 400MHz, the processor is in the middle speed-wise, but reviewers say it holds its own against other Windows Mobile PDAs. However, video files playback performance is only so-so, according to tests. What is unusual is the copious memory. According to Lisa Gade at MobileTechReview.com, the HP rx5900/rx5915 has 64MB of RAM and 2GB of flash ROM "for persistent storage that will survive a complete battery drain." While most of that is used to store maps and associated content, Gade says that over 437MB is left over for other use -- "far more than any other Windows Mobile device on the US market."

Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity is supported. The 3.5-inch touchscreen is bright and attractive, but resolution is a disappointing 240 x 320 pixels. Mobile users will appreciate the included car charger, car holder and windshield mount. Unfortunately, the built-in 1700 mAh battery runs down quickly between charges -- around 90 minutes with the backlight on, according to Laptop magazine. Support for removable SD memory cards is provided.

As far as PDA software goes, the rx5900/rx5915 comes complete with all of the usual and expected applications: mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint (view only), Internet Explorer and Outlook. Desktop syncing software is Windows only. For GPS, the rx5900/rx5915 comes with Tom Tom navigation software. Tele Atlas maps and points-of-interest information is preloaded, so there's no need to spend tons of time downloading maps.

You can read more about GPS PDAs -- and other handheld GPS options -- in our report on handheld GPS , where we also discuss Bluetooth GPS adapters you can use with many PDAs. Our other report on auto GPS covers models for use mainly in your car.

Important features: PDAs

Here's what experts say to consider when shopping for a PDA:

• Get the most memory you can afford. A PDA's available internal memory (usually anywhere from 32MB to 450MB) dictates how many names, numbers and memos it can store, as well as its ability to handle other applications. The average is 64MB to 128MB these days, and unless you're the registrar for a small town or the CEO of a major corporation, this should be enough to handle all your contact information. Except for the most basic models, you can also add memory with SD cards or other removable media. Keep in mind that MP3 and multimedia files take up much more storage space than contact information.

• Decide if dual functionality is important. The main selling point of some models is their ability to double as a video player, MP3 player, GPS navigator and/or voice recorder. If you have ambitious plans for your PDA, it may be worth investing in one of these multifunction models, with the understanding that every additional feature will cost extra money.

• Decide how often you need Internet access. Most PDAs let you read offline e-mail on the road, after you've downloaded your messages from your home or office PC. Models with Wi-Fi can connect to your home wireless network or at wireless hot spots. PDAs with Bluetooth can connect short-range to other Bluetooth devices, and if you have a Bluetooth-enabled phone, you can use it to connect to the Internet.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of Picks	Model (with Retailer Links)	Platform	Details from Amazon.com
9	Palm TX (*est. $270)	Palm	details
6	Palm Tungsten E2 (*est. $185)	Palm	details
3	Palm Z22 (*est. $95)	Palm	details
3	HP iPAQ rx5900/rx5915 (*est. $440)	Windows Mobile 5.0	details
2	HP iPAQ hx2790/hx2795 (*est. $445)	Windows Mobile 5.0	details
1 each	HP iPAQ hx2490/hx2495 , Pharos Traveler GPS 525

Overall, we saw the best reviews for Palm OS-based PDAs. The PalmTX has a beautiful display, plenty of power and will sync with both PCs and Macs. The Palm Z22 and Palm Tungsten E2 are also both called excellent for their price. The Windows Mobile-based HP iPAQ hx2790/hx2795 is powerful and well built, but expensive. Reviewers say the HP iPAQ rx5915 is the best GPS/PDA combo.

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