I have been anxiously waiting for the release of NEC's new MobilePro P300 Pocket PC 2002, and received one of the first production units just in time for this review. You've probably seen evaluations of the P300 before this, but these were done using early prototypes of the NEC Pocket PC. As reflected by those mostly negative reviews, the prototypes were not quite ready for prime time. However, the final production version I review here is in far better shape. In fact, if I could change a few small things, the MobilePro P300 might be my Pocket PC of choice.

Form and function

The NEC MobilePro P300 has a sleek silver metal case and a cool, futuristic sync cradle. A hinged plastic cover protects the display. The cover can be folded over the back to access the screen, or completely removed if you feel you don't need it.

The P300 has one of the best displays I have seen. It is as large as the iPAQ 3800 screen (3.8" diagonal), and very bright in all lighting conditions.

The programmable application keys are well placed for easy access, and glow bright blue when activated—a nice touch for dim lighting conditions. A small, square navigation button sits between the application launch buttons, and contains the unit's speaker. This navigation button is a bit too small for my fingers; I found it difficult to use comfortably.

The right side panel has a slot for the stylus and the USB host port. The left side panel has the power-on button, a scroll dial to move around within a menu or application, a record button for voice memos, and a Secure Digital (SD) card slot.

Dual card slots; optional PC Card Expansion Jacket

The NEC MobilePro P300 is one of several new Pocket PCs to offer dual card slots. As mentioned above, it has one SD slot on the left side. It also has a Type II CompactFlash slot on the top of the unit, which can accept virtually any CompactFlash card, including wireless LAN, GPS, or voice-over IP (VOIP) modules, and the 1 Gb IBM Microdrive. I used a SanDisk Ultra 256 MB CF I card (MSRP $179.00), and a 256 MB SD card, also from SanDisk (MSRP $199.00). Both functioned flawlessly in the NEC P300.

An optional PC Card Expansion Jacket is available for $149. This slip-on jacket adds a full, Type II PC card slot. This lets you use PC Card expansion options, including wireless cards for Sierra Wireless, Toshiba's 5 Gb PC Card Hard Disk Drive, and more. The PC Card Expansion Jacket has an additional lithium-ion rechargeable battery built into it for extra power. I evaluated a pre-release version of this jacket and found the fit, form, and function very acceptable. The jacket slips on easily and locks securely into place. There are two quick release buttons on the side. It adds very little bulk and fits easily into the sync/charging cradle.

"Flexible Memory"

NEC boasts that the P300 offers 32 Mb of Flash ROM and 64 Mb of "Flexible Memory." The latter consists of 32 Mb of internal RAM and a 32 Mb SD card. This is fine for internal data storage and the installation of most programs, but a number of the healthcare programs I use must be installed into RAM. I find 32 Mb internal RAM to be inadequate for my needs.

Built-in USB host capabilities

The MobilePro P300 and the Casio E-200 are the only two Pocket PCs available with USB host capability. This capability lets you connect directly to USB peripherals compatible with the Pocket PC, such as Microsoft USB keyboards. Zip drives, hard drives, printers, and other USB peripherals are in the works, but not currently available. You need an optional mini-plug-to-USB adaptor to take advantage of the P300's USB host capability.

The synchronization cable and the AC power cable connect to ports on the back of the data cradle. The sync cable cannot be directly plugged into the P300. That means you must use the cradle for synchronizing data. This is a minor annoyance for the mobile users who sync their Pocket PCs to laptop PCs while they are on the road. It means that they must take the cradle with them on trips, instead of just the cable. NEC is working on a stand-alone sync cable that should be available by the time you read this. The AC power cord can be used directly with the device, without the cradle.

Built-in battery Power Options: Beware of Battery Run Down

The P300 is powered by a lithium-ion rechargeable battery. As Compaq did with the iPAQ, NEC built the battery into the P300 and