Handhelds are pocket-sized, electronic date and address books and more.
Handheld computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) were developed for business people who needed quick access to their appointments, addresses, and notes - but didn't have the time or opportunity to fire up their laptop or desktop computers.
But the devices have proven so helpful, especially when they are "synched" (synchronized) with information in personal computers, that lots of people, from social butterflies to busy soccer moms, are getting PDAs to keep organized.
Why Get a Handheld?
Why are people attracted to PDAs like the Palm from Palm Inc., the Visor from Handspring Inc., and the Helio from Vtech Informations Ltd.?
One reason is convenience. The units are light - they weigh less than seven ounces. And they're small - they fit in a shirt pocket.
Another reason is they're easy to use - you don't even know the Palm operating system (OS) or the Helio's VT-OS are formal computer operating systems because they are so user-friendly. Common Handheld Characteristics
Physically, devices like the Palm, the Visor, and the Helio are very similar. They have buttons on the front of the unit to directly access appointments, address book, to-do list and memo pad. A portion of the unit's screen is a writing area for entering letters and numbers with a stylus.
The writing area also has soft buttons for displaying a page with icons for all the applications in the machine, for displaying menus within applications, for calling up a calculator, and for searching for text throughout the machine.
First to Market - The Palm
The original "Palm Pilot" has been replaced by the"Palm."
The first successful handheld computer, the Palm Pilot, was launched in 1996, and since then a number of models of the pint-sized unit have been introduced. The Palm models range in capability and price.
A Good Starter - The Palm Three
At the low end of the price spectrum is the Palm III ("Three"), which can be further differentiated by the amount of memory it has: The Palm IIIe ($149) has 2 MB of memory; the IIIx ($229), 4 MB; and the IIIxe ($249), 8 MB.
The IIIxe also contains the latest version of the Palm OS, version 3.5.
Never Forget - Memory Makes the Difference
Memory is an important feature to consider when buying a handheld computer because it determines how much information you can cram into a machine. In a 2 MB machine, for example, it's estimated you can store 6000 addresses, 3000 appointments (about five years' worth), 1500 "to-do" items, 1500 memos and 200 email messages. With 4 MB of memory, you can just about double those numbers.
The IIIc is Palm's first unit with a color display. It sells for around $449 with 8 MB of memory. Lighter Weight, More Power - Palm Fives. In the mid-range price spectrum is the Palm V (Five). The V is thinner and lighter than the IIIs - 4 ounces compared to 6 ounces.
They're sleeker, too, with anodized aluminum cases, and they use advanced liquid crystal display (LCD) technology to obtain a sharper display. And while the IIIs use AAA batteries for power, the Vs have internal rechargeable lithium ion batteries.
Palm's portable keyboard can make entering a lot of text easier than using "Graffiti."
