A Handier Handheld

Home Office Computing, Oct, 1999 by Rick Broida

See what your Windows CE device can do

OWNERS OF 3COM PALM ORGANIZERS can choose from a wealth of add-ons, but if you prefer a keyboard-equipped handheld PC (H/PC) powered by Microsoft's Windows CE, there's no need to feel slighted. Whether your device of choice is a first-generation Philips Velo, last year's Vadem Clio, or IBM's spiffy new WorkPad z50, you'll find a plethora of nifty extras that provide everything from wireless Web access to cord-free printing.

Wireless Windows Time waits for no one, and neither does e-mail. Unless hunting for phone jacks for your modem is your idea of a good time, check out the latest wireless connectivity solutions such as the AirCard 300 ($499; Sierra Wireless, 604-231-1100, www.sierrawireless.com) a cellular digital packet data (CDPD) modem that delivers Web and e-mail access at speeds up to 19.2Kbps. It works with a variety of service providers, so you can shop around for the best rates and coverage. This Type II PC Card is compatible with all H/PC Pro models.

Similar, but a bit more flexible, is Uniden's Data 2000 card ($400; 888-686-4336, www.uniden.com). It not only runs off its own set of batteries (the AirCard draws power from its host), but also works with most notebook PCs as well as Windows CE devices.

Major Paging? Got a Glenayre Access-Link II pager? You can put it to much better use with InfoBeam ($10 activation fee, $6 per month; JP Systems Inc., 888-665-2460, www.jpsystems. com). This software/service combo delivers news, stock quotes, airline information, package tracking, and loads of other information to your Win CE handheld, all by way of the pager. The latter handles the communications end of things, transmitting data to and from your H/PC via its infrared port. You can take this arrangement a step further with the company's BeamLink software ($50), which uses the pager for sending and receiving e-mail messages.

Lost and Found If you think north is up and east is right, you'll never find your way to that new client's office. Instead of fumbling with maps or stopping for directions, bring along the Earthmate GPS Receiver ($200; Delorme, 800-569-8313, www.delorme.com). When used with Delorme's Street Atlas USA software, the satellite-driven device pinpoints your exact position on a map that's displayed on your H/PC screen. It can even help you navigate by beeping as you approach turns on your route. Forgot to load the map of your destination city? No problem--just download it from Delorme's Web site directly to your handheld.

Citizen CE It can be fairly maddening to spend an entire plane trip crunching numbers in Pocket Excel, only to realize you've got no way to produce a hard copy of your spreadsheet. Enter the PN60i ($399; Citizen America, 310-643-9825, www.citizen-america.com), a portable color printer that weighs a mere 1.5 pounds with battery. Capable of printing everything from envelopes to transparencies, the PN60i has an infrared interface, meaning you can just point your palmtop at it to print--no cables necessary.