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Sometimes called PC companions, but officially dubbed Windows CE Handheld PC Professional Edition computers-H/PC Pro systems for short-this new category of mobile gadgets fits between palm-size organizers or PDAs such as 3Com's Palm III and subnotebooks like the WinBook XL 233. Most are clamshell designs with petite keyboards and tap-a-stylus touchscreens instead of mouse pointers.
One slick example is LG Electronics' Phenom Express (201-816-2000, www.lgphenom.com). It boasts a 256color, 640 by 240-pixel display, 32MB of RAM, a built-in 56Kbps V.90 modem, a PC Card slot, and ports for a printer and an external monitor. But like all H/PC Pro devices, the Phenom doesn't have hard disk or floppy disk drives and won't run standard Windows 95 or 98 applications.
At Play: The Express weighs a mere 1.8 pounds and is just over an inch thick. Couple that with its bright color screen and "instant on" convenience, and you've got the ideal device to play Solitaire anywhere. And with few moving parts, the Phenom is more durable than conventional notebooks: So when someone on your next flight asks to...