From The Editor

  Rich Hall

Over a year and a half ago Microsoft began to stake out its turf in the world of palmtops and PDAs with the release of the first Handheld PCs using the Windows CE operating system. They were a compromise between size and functionality. They slipped in your pocket, but you knew they were there. They came with QWERTY keyboards, but you could only use two or three fingers on each hand. Best of all, they came with all the basic applications built in.

Twenty months, and one operating system upgrade later, Windows CE users have a lot more choices to make. This issue takes a look at three PC Companions, representing the heavyweight, middleweight, and bantamweight contenders for the Windows CE title. The heavyweight is the new Hitachi HPW-200EC Handheld PC. Like the NEC MobilePro we reviewed last issue, the Hitachi has a color display and a large keyboard that you can actually touch type on. The middleweight contender is the Philips Velo 500. Philips steered clear of the steroids, sticking with the original size and (slightly larger) monochrome screen. It still slips in your pocket and has a robust 15-20 hours of battery life. The bantamweight contender is the new Everex Freestyle. Smallest of the small Palm-size PCs, the Everex comes with a nice set of accessories and options.

But we go even smaller than bantamweight in this issue with a look at REX, from Franklin Electronic Publishers. REX is not a Windows CE device. It is an information manager the size of a PC Card that slips in your pocket and lets you access Calendar, Contact, and Task information wherever you are. We review REX because a new program called TrueSync lets users of Hewlett-Packard's 360LX, 620LX and the new 660LX slip REX into their PC Card slot and synchronize Pocket Outlook data with REX. As H/PCs get larger, they will get left behind more. We believe that users of the larger PC Companions will begin using devices like REX in tandem with their H/PCs.

We also believe that users will begin using the newer Palm-size PCs in tandem with the larger H/PCs. The common operating system, applications, and communications services facilitate this kind of partnership. Microsoft's Dave Wecker tells us how he uses the H/PC and Palm-size PC as a team.

I not only used to teach high school, I was a high school student at one time. I look back on both experiences, from the safety of many years, and think, "Gee, I could have done that better if I had had a Handheld PC." In this issue, two profiles, one from a seventh-grade student and another from a high school teacher, prove me right.

I'd like to thank Andrew Seybold for another very interesting article, "Pagers, PDAs and H/PCs." Wireless communications is becoming more important to the mobile user, and paging systems are the oldest, most wide-spread wireless systems in existence. Andy describes paging systems, what they cost, and what they can do for the PC Companion user.

Finally, I've received letters and email suggesting that Microsoft should have included additional built-in software on their PC Companions. In fact, I'm one of the people who think that. For the last 20 months I've missed having a built-in, user definable database program (I've heard rumors that the next version of Windows CE will come with a Pocket version of Microsoft Access built-in). Fortunately there are a number of third-party solutions for the missing database program. In this issue we review one of them, Visual CE.

We also review a couple of excellent third-party products, and contributor Michael J Posner shares his views on ten essential add-ons for the Handheld PC. In addition, we announce another 55 third-party products, publications and services for Windows CE devices. PC Companions may not have everything you want built in, but third-party developers have done a pretty good job of filling in the gaps.

Enjoy the issue.