Best PDA Products of 2000--PC World:
PC World.com -- Best Products of 2000
by the editors of PC World
Excerpts Pertaining to PDA's:
Most Promising Newcomers
Hardware
Handspring:
Handspring's Visor Deluxe offers an object lesson in how the game changes. Though nothing is radically innovative about this PDA from the inventors of Palm Pilot, the well-conceived package--a tweaked version of the Palm software, slick case design, and low price--is the most sought-after palmtop of the year. Call it the best Palm that Palm Computing never built. Look for the Visor to get even cooler as more add-ins for its Springboard slot (such as a wireless modem module) hit the market.
On the Road
BEST PDA: Handspring Visor Deluxe; 888/565-9393, www.handspring.com (www.handspring.com)
BEST GADGET: Think Outside Stowaway Keyboard; 760/431-9090, www.thinkoutside.com (www.thinkoutside.com)
BEST PC CARD MODEM: 3Com Megahertz 56K Global GSM and Cellular Modem PC Card; 800/638-3266, www.3com.com/mobile (www.3com.com/mobile)
BEST WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE: Research in Motion BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (model 950); 519/888-7465, www.rim.net (www.rim.net)
BEST PROJECTION SYSTEM: InFocus LP330 Dragonfly; 800/294-6400, www.infocus.com (www.infocus.com)
This year's mobile tools use innovative designs to help you take your home-field advantage with you on the road. For starters, consider a personal digital assistant. Although Palms still dominate the PDA market, the $249 Handspring Visor Deluxe stole the limelight this year. It does everything Palms can do and also offers the Springboard module for a useful hardware add-on such as a digital camera, a modem, or an MP3 player. The Visor comes in a guava-colored case.
Want to tote a keyboard with your Palm or Visor? Check out this year's best gadget, Think Outside's Stowaway Keyboard. This full-size $100 keyboard accordions down to the size of a PDA, making it easy to respond to e-mail or type notes while you bounce along on the team bus.
For notebook users looking to connect, we recommend 3Com's Megahertz 56K Global GSM and Cellular Modem PC Card. It's a bit expensive at $199, but this speedy performer is wireless, phone-ready, and both Windows- and Linux-compatible.
Clockwise from left: the IBM ThinkPad 240, Creative Labs' Nomad II, Nikon's Coolpix 990, and Research in Motion's BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (model 950).
Research in Motion's BlackBerry Model 950:
If you want to go the distance on the road with constant e-mail access, consider Research in Motion's BlackBerry Wireless Handheld (model 950). The $399 pager-esque device lets you send and receive e-mail, check your calendar, or (for an additional $40 per month) surf the Web--all remotely. The screen is small, but a QWERTY keyboard and lightweight construction make this unique device functional.
Perhaps your mobile mission requires a presentation that delivers. For $5499, the InFocus Dragonfly LP300 projector weighs in at a trim 4.8 pounds and comes loaded with a manual zoom, built-in speaker and video inputs, and a convenient wireless remote control device. |
