t, speakers, and ROM-based Windows CE. All sell for around $500 with 2 MB of RAM (and 4 or 8 MB of ROM). I tested 4-MB models that go for around $650.
Casio manufactures the Compaq unit and sells identical hardware, as the Cassiopeia, with a different software bundle. Hitachi will sell a version of the LG Electronics hand-held, which is powered by Hitachi's SH3 RISC CPU. Hewlett-Packard and Philips are bringing out CE hand-helds, too (see the sidebar "More Better HPCs").
To distinguish CE computers from palmtops, organizers, and personal digital assistants, Microsoft is pushing the designation HPC (for "hand-held PC"), an acronym I will observe for brevity. This distinction might prove important, but the current crop of HPCs offer many of the same features as regular PDAs and palmtop organizers. They keep track of your appoi
ntments, phone numbers, and notes. Like some recent PDAs, HPCs can automatically synchronize this data via serial port with software on your desktop system.
The big HPC advantage
is Windows CE
, stored in ROM. If you use Win 95, you'll feel right at home, from the bottom-left Start button that grows into a menu tree to each application's close button in the upper-right corner. CE comes with downsized versions of Windows applications that synchronize with their desktop equivalents.
The applications include the most sophisticated word processor and spreadsheet I've seen on a pocket machine. The HPCs' tiny keyboards will be a hindrance, but you can browse and edit documents created by the desktop versions of the applications. (I quickly abandoned my effort to write this article on one of the review units.) People are likely to buy HPCs for organizing their lives, not for word processing.
But there are also interface differences appropriate to the small screen of a hand-held devic
e. The Start menu doesn't build into a multilevel tree, for example, and there is no right mouse button to pop up context menus because you use a stylus (or a finger) and select by tapping. Unlike a desktop application, a good CE program is either minimized to the task bar or maximized to fill the screen.
Memory also constrains the applications shipped with CE. Although they are called Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, and Pocket Internet Explorer, the pocket versions have considerably fewer features than their full-grown siblings. For instance, Pocket Word will allow you to change the font or use the outliner, but it won't let you set the margins. The three small menus bear only a distant relationship to standard Microsoft Word. Pocket Word is a fine application for an HPC, but the note processor on the Apple Newton, for example, has almost as much in common with Microsoft Word as does Pocket Word.
The Web browser is surprisingly useful, although it has few buttons and has to run on such a small screen. Its
usefulness is a testament to the brilliance behind Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and its all-encompassing approach to fitting any local screen. Of course, you can tune your pages to the small display by minimizing the graphics and avoiding any shades or colors that will be lost as they're converted to four levels of gray.
The HPC design sets a new display standard for palmtops. The 480- by 240-pixel screens are larger than most pocket organizers and look significantly better than most, though with four gray levels and little or no backlighting, they don't compare to the bright color displays of notebook computers. But then, an HPC must be able to run for several days on two AA batteries. The CE specification mandates some means of adjusting screen contrast, either with the keyboard or with a wheel, which is preferable.
Typing on tiny keys with two fingers is tough, but I also found that the typical HPC clamshell case just isn't as comfortable to use as either Apple's Newton or US Robotics' Palm Pi
lot. My left thumb often grew tired from holding the HPC after only a few minutes of my right-finger typing. As ridiculed as the Newton was, I found myself wishing for its handwriting-recognition abilities.
I also found it awkward to switch back and forth between the keyboard and the stylus. My best solution was to hold the clamshell in my left hand and the stylus between my right index finger and thumb while typing with my right middle finger. I would welcome something like the new Graffiti software distributed with the Newton and the Palm Pilot.
Size might also be a concern. Although they fit snugly in a suit jacket pocket, HPCs are large and heavy enough to create a significant bulge. It's not like carrying around a sleek cell phone.
With plenty of pocket organizers priced between $100 and $250, you might think twice about the cost of HPCs. The screens of pocket machines are significantly smaller, and these devices don't pretend to run Windows 95, but they take names, numbers, and notes and als
o synchronize data with a PC.
Though the three reviewed HPCs are nearly interchangeable, Compaq's
PC Companion
comes out on top in aesthetics. The PC Companion's best feature is its backlit screen, which extends the range of conditions under which the display remains usable. The PC Companion's contrast-adjustment wheel also helps you get the most out of four dim shades of gray. The price for backlighting is increased power consumption, so use it only when you have to.
The PC Companion is Compaq's version of Casio's HPC. It's based on Hitachi's SH3 processor. The PC Companion takes one PC Card device. The cradle provides power charging, but you need to hook up the separate serial cable for data synching. Unfortunately, the unit's external stylus holster leaves the stylus partially exposed. If you lose it, your $500-plus HPC becomes significantly less useful.
The best part about the
LG unit
is its optional built-in modem. Somehow, the folks at LG Electroni
cs found just enough room to add a modem with a standard jack on the side of the machine. This frees up the PC Card slot for other things. Of course, running a modem uses lots of power and should be done with care and a rechargeable battery pack, although the built-in device should be more power-conserving than a PC Card modem.
The LG is also alone in storing its stylus securely inside the clamshell. You can activate the touchscreen with your fingertip, but you have to do so very precisely . Windows CE does have many keyboard shortcuts, but you don't want to try to edit text without a stylus.
I found the LG HPC's screen comparable to the NEC MobilePro's but of course not as readable as the backlit Compaq PC Companion's. Though the LG HPC has no docking module option, it does have a built-in charger. You plug in the AC adapter if you're using rechargeable batteries and attach the serial cable for synching with your desktop PC.
Hitachi has an HPC based on the LG model. It's comparable to the product
s we reviewed. Prices start at $499 for a unit with 2 MB of RAM.
The most visible difference between NEC's
MobilePro
and the other two HPCs is its external power switch; it's outside the clamshell. The switch is lighted so it can also act as a visual alarm. While there may be something stylish about merging these two features, it creates a potential problem in that you can turn on the unit accidentally. This risk is minimized by the fact that Windows CE is smart enough to turn off during periods of idleness.
The MobilePro has twice as much ROM as the other two units, though the benefit isn't yet apparent. Providing neither modem nor backlighting, NEC also has the most optimistic claims about battery life.
The stylus to the NEC is easy to get to and somewhat protected when the lid is closed. The lip partially covers the stylus and keeps it from sliding out. If this design were a bit more protective, it would be the best compromise between security and accessibility.
The Mo
bilePro comes with a cradle. Unlike the Compaq or Casio docking cradles, the NEC cradle allows one-step docking. Plugging the MobilePro into its cradle connects both the AC adapter and the serial connection.
Noted with Pleasure
The HPC moniker is more appropriate than most in the world of computer hype. With Windows CE, these machines are just like PCs that you can hold in your hand. The Apple Newton, the Sony MagicLink, and the US Robotics Palm Pilot still come bundled with the attitude that they've been beamed in from
Star Trek
land. HPCs are more humble. They have a screen, a keyboard, and a stylus that acts like a mouse, and their sole job is to act like Windows 95. The screens may be small and gray, the keyboard tiny, and the stylus a pain to juggle, but the package is worth considering if you have to take your computer on the road. Even 7-pound notebooks can feel heavy when you walk through an airport with other luggage.
Product Information
Compaq PC Companion..............$600 (2 MB of RAM)
Compaq Computer
Houston, TX
Phone: (800) 345-1518
Internet:
http://www.compaq.com/
Circle 1109 on Inquiry Card.
At Last: Pocket PCs That Run Windows
