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In this corner, a Palm fanatic. In the far corner, a recent Pocket PC convert. Two editors, two handhelds, one question: Which is the better machine?
SENIOR EDITOR Mathew Schwartz is a Palm fanatic who swears by his new, monochrome Palm IIIxe (from Palm Inc. at a street price of $215). Senior reviews editor Russell Kay, a recent convert to the Pocket PC, much prefers his Jornada 545 (from HewlettPackard Co. at an estimated street price of $499) and its Windows CE 3.0 operating system from Microsoft Corp. Computerworld asked these two for a calm, balanced appraisal of their handheld companions. Instead, they made passionate arguments, but each failed to convince the other.
BACKGROUND
Schwartz: First, some ground rules, Russ. If I buy a gadget, I have two guidelines: Will I carry it? Will I really use it? When I first checked out handhelds by talking to friends and searching online, I picked the Palm. After a year, that device still satisfies my two criteria, and it's great at keeping me organized.
I've looked at the new Pocket PC devices, and they just don't meet my requirements. They're too big, and their operating systems are a pain. I don't care how much memory they have or about playing MP3s. I want something inexpensive to keep me organized. The proof is in the pudding: For more than a year, I've used the Palm religiously, tracking phone numbers, appointments, story ideas and movie times and even writing stories on it using the portable keyboard. The Palm still beats the Pocket PC in just about every category I find useful.
Kay: Will I carry it, and will I really use it? Those are great questions, Mat, but my answers are different. I also carried a Palm for more than a year, and it was no more useful to me than the $30 organizer it replaced. In fact, it was harder to use in low light. I stopped carrying the Palm.
POWER ME THIS
Schwartz: Two words, Russ: battery life. My Palm IIxe goes for more than six weeks on two AAA batteries. No recharging, no fuss. Even with the color Palm IIIc, which has built-in rechargeables, I got more bang for my buck. The Pocket PC only...