I had read an article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) a few months back that really caught my attention when it described Microsoft’s third try at Windows CE, their operating system based on the Windows platform and aimed at the palmtop and handheld market. This newly released operating system is now called PocketPC, and the new devices pictured above are coincidentally called PocketPCs also. Heretofore most palmtops were just PDAs (personal digital assistants) or PIMs (personal information managers) but not anymore, and that’s what caught my attention in the WSJ article. I travel for a living, and although my notebook isn’t all that heavy, by the end of a long travel day it feels like it weighs a ton. Most of the time I just carry my notebook for the ability to check email and access the web, but not anymore. Now I can carry something much lighter and be able to check my mail and browse the Internet anywhere I go.

After reading in the WSJ article about what was to come in the future, I started doing my research on these new PocketPCs and decided that I wanted an HP Jornada 540 series color pocket PC (HP PPC). It’s the one on the right in the first picture. Symbol, Casio, and Compaq units are also pictured with it. Why the HP PPC? Name recognition, features included, highly rated bright color screen and the fact that it is one of the first to be released.

The HP545 was already available when I decided I needed one, but the 548 was due out May 1^st. Well, I called HP on May 1^st , and I had a 548 in my hand by May 3^rd. I never have been one to wait too long for new technology. Two days was a lifetime.

This new line of handhelds is actually a PocketPC, not just a PDA. I have been a 3Com Palm user for about three years now, and although I had never used a PDA, or even any type of PIM before my Palm III, I could not live without one now. The Palm has been my right hand for quite a while, and I get a sinking feeling in my stomach when I realize it’s not close by.

When I first got the HP548, and realized it could do everything my Palm III could do and so much more, I immediately decided the "Palm was dead." Then I read an article about the new PocketPC operating system in a recent PC World magazine that made me stop and re-think about the entire situation. I don’t agree with the author’s conclusion that most Palm users aren’t willing to "sacrifice the simplicity of the Palm for the fripperies of Windows CE" (PC world, June 2000, Alexandra Krasne). First of all, what the heck is a frippery? And second, it is no longer Windows CE. It is a revamped operating system that has obviously been retooled for speed. My new HP548 has a 133Mhz 32-bit Hitachi processor and the new operating system is permanently on the 16 MB ROM chip. It also has 32MB of RAM.

The screen on my 548 is a 240 x 320 pixels, 4,096 colors (it was originally supposed to be 65,000 colors), LCD color display. With Microsoft’s ClearType™ technology, on-screen reading approaches the quality of reading text printed on paper. Input into the PPC is provided by a pen and touch interface using the included stylus that has a nickname of "string-bean", which is stored neatly in the flip-top lid. You can enter text utilizing handwriting recognition software or an on-screen keyboard that is much more functional and useful than the keyboard on the Palm. On the Palm I immediately began using the handwriting recognition but so far on the 548 I have stayed with the keyboard input. The battery is a built-in Lithium-ion rechargeable with an 8-hour battery life. The unit recharges in a little over an hour. Input/output consists of RS232 serial, IrDA infrared, USB, CompactFlash type 1 card slot and an AC input jack. There is an external audio speaker and a microphone for the voice recorder. There is also a stereo earphone jack for the digital audio player. It is slightly larger than my Palm III and weighs less than 9 ounces.

The software (http://www.hp.com/jornada/products/540/prod_software.html) included is:

• Microsoft® Windows® for Pocket PC 
• Microsoft Pocket Outlook (manage calendars, tasks, contacts, and e-mail) 
• Microsoft Pocket Internet Explorer (browse Web pages, AvantGo™ Mobile Channels, Mobile Favorites Synchronization, Microsoft Mobile Channels) 
• Microsoft Pocket Word (view and edit Word documents) 
• Microsoft Pocket Excel (view and edit Excel documents) 
• Microsoft Pocket Money (manage your stocks and checking account) 
• Microsoft Pocket Streets (view U.S. maps)
• Microsoft Reader (read electronic books) 
• Microsoft Windows Media Player (enjoy digital music and more) 
• Landware OmniSolve (Business/financial calculator) 
• Conduit Technologies’ PeaceMaker 1.0 (exchange contacts with other PDAs via IrDA – even the Palm) 
• Socket Communications™' drivers for Ethernet and digital phone cards
• HP settings, backup, home, task switcher, game buttons,  Microsoft ActiveSync® 3.1 (synchronize files with your desktop PC) 
• Microsoft Outlook 2000 (full retail desktop version) 
• AOL Mail 1.0 (send and receive AOL e-mail)
• Yahoo! Messenger (send and receive instant messages to online friends and check news, stock prices, and more) 
• Sierra Imaging’s Image Expert (view, edit, and share digital images) 
• MusicMatch JukeBox 4.4 (record, organize, and play digital music) 
• Emusic.com (free sample digital music tracks) 
• AudiblePlayer for Windows PocketPC 2.0 and AudibleManager 2.5 (if you don’t feel like reading, listen to audiobooks and news) 
• ZIO Interactive’s ZIO Golf 1.1 (play realistic 3D golf)
• Inso’s Quick View Plus (view e-mail attachments in Word, embedded tables, and selected graphics formats)
• HP’s JetSend 2.0 for Windows PocketPC (exchange information with digital cameras, printers, and more) 
• PhatWare’s HPC Notes 3.03 Lite and Professional (create and organize notes) 

I could go on and on, but if you really want to see what it’s all about go to http://www.hp.com/jornada/tour/index.html and take the tour. Pocket PC technology is available with the following devices: HP Jornada 545, HP Jornada 548, Casio E-115, Casio EM-500, Casio EG-80, Casio EG-800, Compaq iPAQ, and the Compaq Aero 1500.

Do I still think that the Palm is dead? … No, not really. Do I think that most Palm users aren’t willing to "sacrifice the simplicity of the Palm for the fripperies of Windows CE?" …No, not really. Why? We’re looking at two different tools serving two different purposes. I just happen to have need for a PocketPC with many of the features of my desktop and notebook, including MS Word, Excel and Internet Explorer. The fact that it is also a PDA… hey… life is good! (…and I still have my Palm III too.)

http://www.hp.com/jornada/

HP545 - $499

HP548 - $599 u