Faster, Smaller, Better I've had a personal digital assistant so long I can't imagine life without one. In fact, I've been carrying around one PDA or another since the first PalmPilot came out in 1996. Back then, the PalmPilot had a dull monochrome screen, sported 1MB of memory, and sold for $300 to $400. But its simplicity, shirt-pocket portability, and versatility made it a mass-market winner. Now, less than a decade later, the newest Palm, the PalmOne Tungsten T5, has a larger, brighter, crisp color screen; holds 256MB of memory; supports wireless Bluetooth; and plays music and video files-- all while performing its basic secretarial duties. The price for all that added functionality? About the same as those first PalmPilots. And the PDA revolution that the PalmPilot started has spawned a wide array of competitive devices--from the PalmOne families to the various devices based on Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system, as well as so-called smart phones, which combine the intelligence of a PDA with the communication skills of a cellular phone. Before, handheld computers were little more than gadgets; now they represent the kind of buyers' challenge that people face when they need to find a new desktop PC. Whether you simply want an inexpensive pocket organizer to hold your contacts, addresses, phone numbers, and appointment calendar, or a more ambitious handheld that lets you listen to music downloads, play games, browse the Internet, and make phone calls, there's a model for you. Here's a bottom-up look at the secretaries you can put in your pocket. Palms Up Noted for the low- or no-learning-curve simplicity of its operating system, PalmOne PDAs remain the most popular. Unlike Pocket PC devices (see below), which offer miniature versions of Windows, PalmOne devices work with both Windows PCs and Macintosh (news - web sites) computers. As more robust features have been added to Palms, their ease of use has remained amazingly consistent. Data input on most units is with a stylus using the Graffiti2 handwriting-recognition program. A few models have thumb keyboards, and optional add-on keyboards are available as an alternative for the stylus-based ones. All PalmOne PDAs include rechargeable batteries; how long they last between charges depends on how much you use the device. Obviously music playback, gaming, and video, which make higher and longer demands on the CPU and screen, will run down a battery quickly. But expect at least 8 to 10 hours minimum, and days more if you use the PDA in short spurts. The least expensive PalmOne, the Zire 21, lists for $99 but is frequently discounted to $50, making it a bargain if you only need an organizer. It is the lightest of PDAs as well, weighing in at a bantam 3.8 ounces. Of course for this price, the unit has just 8MB of memory (still more than enough for thousands of contacts, appointments, and add-on programs) and a monochrome screen. And like all PDAs, it syncs the information on your PC and vice versa with just the touch of a button. If you want a more easily readable color screen, the Zire 31, which lists for $149 (and runs as low as $120 at some Web retailers), is a rainbow for your wallet. Armed with a headphone port, it can play back MP3 audio. Because the unit only has 16MB of memory, though, you'll need to put your music files on a Secure Digital memory card (not included) that fits in the included SD card memory-expansion slot. At 4 ounces, this entertaining secretary is easy to carry around. For about $50 more, the more appealing and fuller-featured Tungsten E offers a built-in digital camera, a high-resolution color screen, Microsoft Office-compatible document handling, and 32MB of RAM. The most obvious new feature on PalmOne's newest model, the $399 Tungsten T5, is its larger color screen (320 by 480 pixels, compared with 320 by 320 on other models) that is viewable in both portrait and landscape modes. Its whopping 256MB of memory is not only the most on any PDA on the market today, but it is also flash memory instead of so-called volatile memory. This means that even if you forget to charge the unit, your data will not be lost, unlike with other handhelds. The Tungten T5's 416-MHz processor is particularly speedy, which cuts average sync times down to mere seconds and handles audio and video without a hiccup. Because the flash memory can be used like a USB removable drive, file transfers are as easy as dragging and dropping from your desktop PC to the device, then from one PC to another, without all the syncing you have to do with other models. Pocket PC Moves In The first Pocket PC devices were bulky--real pocket stretchers--but, in the last couple of years, they've become more compelling competitors for your PDA bucks. Although they're still saddled with the more complex Microsoft Pocket PC OS, Pocket PCs are also more streamlined, offering better bang for the buck in terms of features such as integrated Wi-Fi (something found on only select PalmOne devices). They also have a more familiar feel to anyone who has used the Windows operating system. With numerous manufacturers supporting this OS, including Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Asus, and others, there's a much wider choice of models and prices than in the PalmOne lineup. That said, entry-level shoppers will have to pay more for a Pocket PC. The low-end devices are not as cheap as the Palms. For example, HP's fine $280 IPaq Rz1715 Mobile Media Companion is just what it sounds like: a portable entertainment device that also works as a handy organizer companion. Weighing in at just 4.2 ounces, it is one of the lightest Pocket PC models, but its photo viewer is wasted on a low-resolution 240-by-320-pixel color screen. The integrated speaker, headphones, and microphone jack provide decent stereo audio for both music and recorded voice memos. If business comes before playtime, HP's IPaq Hx4705 is the high-end business tool for you. For its hefty $640 price tag, this baby works hard with its 4-inch high-res display, speed-demon 624-MHz processor, integrated touchpad and mouse-like cursor, both CompactFlash and SD card slots, 802.11b Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology, and up to 135MB of accessible RAM. With that type of power, this IPaq plays as hard as it works, handling audio, video, even streaming TV without a flicker. Not to be outdone, Dell's aggressively priced Axim PDAs offer as much or more in its Pocket PC lineup. Its just-released $499 Axim X50v matches the $640 IPaq feature for feature, including a bright 3.7-inch VGA screen that provides dazzling resolution. You'll need it, too, since you can download video, music, 3D games, and other multimedia, as well as perform business tasks in either portrait or wide-screen landscape modes. For $100 less, the Axim X50 has a slower, but not exactly slow, 520-MHz processor and a 3.5-inch color screen; otherwise it's much like its higher-end sibling. Have Your PDA and Phone, Too Then there are PDA phones. Their appeal is simple: Why carry around two devices when you can have just one that combines both functions? Handspring's Treo answered this call a few years ago. Then PalmOne bought Handspring, continued to sell the incredibly popular Treo 600, and developed the brand-new Treo 650. The Treo 650 is the Swiss Army knife of personal digital assistants, combining all the features of a high-end PDA and a cell phone without compromising the functionality of either. PalmOne certainly took all the Treo 600 user requests and suggestions to heart when designing this baby. A brighter, higher-resolution 320-by-320-pixel screen crisply displays data and VGA pictures taken with the built-in camera. Integrated Bluetooth is great for adding a wireless headset (see the accompanying article "Bluetooth in Action"). The QWERTY keyboard is backlit to be readable in any lighting condition. The 23MB of flash memory maintains stored data even if you forget to charge the removable battery. With the headphone jack, you can listen to audio with the included MP3 player. And an e-mail application lets you download mail wirelessly from POP3 and IMAP e-mail clients. While prices will vary with each cellular carrier, expect to pay about $500 for the Treo 650. For the budget-conscious, look for the older Treo 600 to be repriced well under $300. Not to be outdone, Microsoft's reply is a series of SmartPhones that use Windows Mobile 2003. HP's IPaq H6315 series is one of the latest SmartPhone lines. The HP IPaq H6315 matches the Treo 650's features but also adds some extras. In addition to cellular voice and data service, the IPaq H6315 has built-in 802.11b Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to provide seamless data connections. If a signal is lost while browsing on the Internet using a cellular connection, the IPaq will automatically switch to an available Wi-Fi signal. While the IPaq has a thumb keyboard like the Treo, the IPaq's can be snapped off when not needed. Though the 75MB of memory is three times the amount on the Treo 650, most of it is volatile, and data can be lost if the device loses its charge. At nearly 5.5 inches wide, the 6.7-ounce IPaq feels more like a PDA than a phone, but that's nothing that a Bluetooth headset couldn't cure. Geared more to the corporate customer, this SmartPhone is still a contender for anyone who prefers a Windows-based PDA. Depending on the cellular carrier, expect to pay around $600. PDA Tips and Tricks Once you've chosen a PDA, make the most of it. PDAs are more convenient when you know some of the built-in shortcuts to speed your tasks and navigation. Most of these are documented either right on the devices or in the online help, but they are easily overlooked. Graffiti macros (Palm): It's amazing how many veteran Palm users don't use the Graffiti shortcuts feature. In the Preferences app, select ShortCuts. You will see the default shortcuts, such as Dinner and Lunch. Tap on New and add your two-letter shortcut name, then under ShortCut Text, add the boilerplate words you want to be automatically typed when you enable a shortcut in Graffiti. To cue a shortcut, write the curlicue symbol (see Graffiti help for the exact movement) and then the shortcut name. The boilerplate text will scroll on the line in place of the shortcut name. Shortcut buttons (Palm): You can customize the HotSync button on your desktop cradle (if you have one with your model) to launch any application instead of HotSync. Go to the Preferences app, select Buttons, then tap the More button to go to the second window. Use the scroll-down menu next to the illustrated HotSync button to select the app you want the button to launch. You can also customize any of the buttons on your Palm by following the same routine on the first Buttons window. Shortcut menus (Pocket PC): You can display the applications you want on the Start menu by going to Start, Settings, Menus and checking the items you want and unchecking the ones you don't. You can do the same on the New menu, which appears on the bottom left of the desktop. Similarly, by tapping the Today icon in the Settings window, you can customize what appears on the Today screen, which by default shows unread messages, tasks, appointments, and date. Shortcut buttons (Pocket PC): The dedicated buttons on your device don't have to launch the apps that Microsoft defaults to. Go to Start, Settings, Buttons and assign the app you want for each button. The number of customizable buttons will vary by the particular Pocket PC model you own. Hey, I know PDAs aren't for everyone, but the technology continues to get better. And as PDAs and cell phones continue to merge, experts say more people will get into handheld computing. I, for one, am sold. Michael S. Lasky is a former PC World senior editor. He's now a frequent contributor based in San Francisco.