PDAsWill a PDA or smartphone really make your life easier? We get to grips with the latest handheld organisers to find out
It's 2003, and digital devices are here to stay. Many of us now carry several of them at any one time - the majority of us have a mobile phone, some a laptop, and maybe digital camera, Minidisc or MP3 player, too. Each has its purpose and we'd probably feel lost without one or other of them. But what about PDAs? Are they really the handy 'personal digital assistants' they're intended to be, or just a 'pointless digital accessory'? Is a PDA just an electronic personal organiser and address book, or is it also a portable store for photos and music? Or maybe it's a 'smartphone' - designed to replace your mobile phone and let you take notes, send and receive e-mail and web-surf wherever you like? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Nuts and Bolts of PDAsA PDA is essentially an electronic organiser, that can be used to store addresses, phone numbers, and diary information. The ability to write 'to-do' lists and brief memos, and a calculator, are key features on all PDAs, too. To keep information up to date, you will need to synchronise your PDA with your computer. This also creates a back- up of information you have put on to your PDA while out and about. It's straightforward to do this, and usually involves dropping the PDA into a 'cradle' connected to your computer, or using a USB or serial cable. Most PDAs don't have a keyboard, so you usually add information using the touch-screen keyboard or handwriting recognition system. These are fine for brief notes, but to enter lots of text, you may need to buy an add-on keyboard (see 'Putting the text into textile', July 2002). Horses for coursesWe've tested 21 PDAs and smartphones, and divided them into groups to make your buying choice clearer. Some are labelled as 'budget' devices, others as 'business and multimedia' PDAs, and there's the group of integrated smartphones, too. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Main DistinctionPDAs are increasingly marketed on the basis of chic design and fancy colour screens, but there are real practical differences to consider when buying one. The biggest distinction is the operating system it uses - this will affect how a PDA works and interacts with other hardware and software. Microsoft and Palm are the two biggest market players, and both their operating systems have pros and cons. Generally, PDAs using Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 or Windows 2000 operating system are more expensive than those using Palm's, but they come with faster processors and more software - offering greater potential for committed users. Palm's operating system is called PalmOS. It's used in Palm-branded PDAs, and also licensed to other manufacturers. The PalmOS devices we've tested mainly use version 4.1 of the Palm software, but this is currently being replaced by a newer version, PalmOS 5. Palm's latest PDA, the Tungsten T, is the first to feature this new operating system. In general, PalmOS is fairly simple to use, and fine for carrying out key PDA functions, such as managing your diary and address book. And our tests show PalmOS devices also tend to be small and light with good battery life. On the downside, PalmOS may seem a bit un-familiar if you're used to using Microsoft programs, and it doesn't come with as much standard software as Microsoft PDAs (although there are oodles of Palm programs available - many free - for download via the internet). The current version of Microsoft's operating system is called Pocket PC 2002, but this is also due to be refreshed. You should be able to upgrade most of the latest Pocket PC 2002 PDAs to the new version of the operating system when it becomes available. All Pocket PC devices have good colour screens, although these use more power so battery life can be limited. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
More Memory
It's possible to add more memory to nearly all the PDAs on test, to store extra software or files. The most common types are CompactFlash and SD cards, which start at around £18 and £30 respectively for 32Mb of extra memory. Extra memory for Sony PDAs comes in the shape of Sony's own Memory Sticks, and these cost around £30 for 32Mb. But if you want to store MP3 files, you'll need a Sony 'MagicGate' Memory Stick (with built-in copy protection), and these cost much more than normal Memory Sticks - £100 or more for a 64Mb one, which stores only around two hours of music. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SmartphonesA smartphone is a PDA and mobile phone combined in a single device - the idea being it should replace your mobile phone, but also offer all the functions of a PDA. This integrated approach allows you to web-surf and e-mail with relative ease, on a reasonably sized screen. Our verdictThe idea is great, but we're not really convinced by the smartphones we've tested - they're too much like chunky PDAs, which feel odd against your ear if you're used to a dinky mobile phone. We have described some of their good and bad points opposite. In general, they're easier to use with a handsfree kit, but overall probably worth considering only if you think that portable internet and e-mail is more useful to you than making phone calls. They use GPRS to send and receive information. Using GPRS is expensive, so you'll have to pay a fair whack for internet use. There are several new smartphone models just coming on to the market, such as the Orange SPV and SonyEricsson P800. These both resemble mobile phones more than PDAs, and also feature digital cameras. But smartphones are still in their infancy, and changing rapidly, so we'd suggest not investing in one just yet. We'll keep you up to date on newer models as we test them. Models on test
Handspring Treo 180/180g/270
HP Jornada 928WDA It has a good, covered screen, plenty of memory, and integrates phone and PDA functions well. But we think it's still too big to be used as a true mobile phone replacement.
O2 XDA It feels solid, quite large and has a reasonable display, but would benefit from a screen cover - the soft case supplied isn't very practical. It's easy to synchronise. At the moment it's available only on the O2 network.
Nokia Communicator 9210i | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Smartphones on Test
Notes
Specification
Additional notes/update since our test 6Only available with a contract 7Now comes with 64Mb Ram | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Business and Multimedia PDAsThese do the same tasks as budget PDAs, but have more software for office and web use, and for storing photos and music, for example. All the PDAs in the table are rechargeable and come with a USB cradle for charging and synchronising. Multimedia possibilitiesAll PDAs designed for business or multimedia use come with a colour screen. The ones on the Pocket PC models, and many of the Sony handhelds, have impressive resolution and are readable in most light conditions. But bear in mind that colour screens, especially on Pocket PC PDAs, will chew through battery life much quicker than black and white screens. We liked the integrated design of the Sony NR70V, which incorporates a digital camera that takes passable snaps, in reasonable light. It's better than the cameras currently found on mobile phones - and would come in handy for the odd spur-of-the-moment photo. This PDA also has a rotating screen that can cover the the built-in keyboard. When you're not using the keyboard, you can use the screen to enter information instead. You can add extra memory to all of these PDAs, for storing software, photos, games, or MP3 music, for example. All Pocket PC devices have a version of Windows Media Player, for storing and playing music and video clips, and most of the Sony ones will play MP3s if you shell out for a 'MagicGate' Memory Stick. The Sony NR70V even comes with headphones and an in-line remote control for MP3 playback. This all sounds jolly good, but the big drawback of using your PDA as a personal stereo is, again, the drain on the battery. After a couple of hours listening, you may well find yourself short of power for using some more basic functions. Connecting to the internetIf you think getting your PDA online would come in handy for, say, keeping up with your work e-mails while propping up the bar, you'll need one with an infrared or Bluetooth (wireless radio) connection. All the PDAs in this group have infrared. If your mobile phone has infrared, too, as many of them do, you can use your phone as a modem for the PDA. But the infrared ports need to be in line of sight while you're online, so putting your pint down between the two will break the connection. Even with good line of sight, infrared can be prone to frustrating interruptions. As an alternative to infrared, Bluetooth-enabled PDAs are shown in the table, and if used with a Bluetooth mobile phone, allow the two to 'talk' as long as they're within 10 metres of each other. If you want to do this, it's best to take both to the shop you bought the PDA or phone from and ask them to set it up for you. But generally, we think Bluetooth still has a way to go before becoming truly useful. Hardware aside, the main drawback of connecting your PDA to the internet is the cost of sending and receiving data. (see 'Mobile Phones', December 2002). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Business and Multimedia PDAs on TestBest BuysMost of the Pocket PC models are quite similarly-matched, but the Compaq iPaq H3950 £450 from Comet, Dixons, John Lewis and PC World and £440 from www.expansys.com is solidly built and easy to use. Its sister model, the Compaq iPaq H3970 £550 from Comet, Dixons, John Lewis, PC World and The Link, or £500 from www.expansys.com, is exactly the same but with Bluetooth built-in, should you want it. Battery life, if you use Bluetooth, doesn't match that of the H3950.
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Budget PDAsMost PDAs at the cheaper end of the market use PalmOS and, if ditching the Filofax or Post-it Notes is your main goal, then you needn't really look any further. They may not have stacks of memory built-in, but this is unlikely to be a problem unless you keep adding to the basic software. Where it's possible to add extra memory (via an SD card, or Memory Stick), we've noted this in the table. Best BuysAt the bottom end of the price range, you'd be hard pushed to beat the Sony Clié PEG-SL10, £100 from Comet and PC World, or £90 from www.comet.co.uk. It may have only a black and white screen, and use disposable batteries, but its battery life was one of the best on test. If you're prepared to spend more, for twice the price, the Sony Clié PEG-SJ30 offers you a good colour screen, more memory, and a few more features. It's £200 from Comet and PC World, or £180 from www.comet.co.uk. Both of these Sony PDAs are due to be replaced, so may only be available for the next couple of months.
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Contacts
Compaq
Fujitsu-Siemens
Handspring
HP
Nokia
O2
Palm
Sony
Toshiba | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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