PDA Buyer's Guide - Page 5

E-mail and Internet Access

Many handhelds are designed with the assumption that you'll check e-mail through your desktop PC and download the messages to your handheld for future reading. You can also download Web magazines, audio programs, and news subscription services if your handheld supports these features. However, some handhelds include a built-in modem or a slot where you can add one, allowing you to send and receive e-mail directly.

Setting up a handheld to work with an Internet Service Provider's (ISP) e-mail server can be a tedious, time-consuming process--especially if you've never done it before--but you should only have to do it once. One reason for the added time and complication is that the communication software on many handhelds is less sophisticated and has fewer automatic setup conveniences than the corresponding software on desktop PCs.

Before setting up the handheld, you need your e-mail address, password, ISP's dial-up telephone number, and the following information about your e-mail system: your protocol to receive e-mail; your incoming-mail server name; your outgoing-mail server name; and your primary and secondary DNS name server addresses. You may also need to know if your Internet Service Provider wants you to use IP header compression or to enable software compression.

You can find this information on your ISP's Web site or by contacting its customer service department. Among the handhelds that support e-mail directly, most work with POP3, IMAP4, SMTP, and LDAP protocols, with POP3 being the most common.

Larger handhelds based on Pocket PC or Windows CE may include Pocket Internet Explorer, a slimmer version of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Tapping your stylus on a touch screen that's running Pocket Internet Explorer is a convenient and fun way to surf the Web, but don't expect to watch streaming videos or to listen to sound clips; these functions are not yet supported.

Price Range for a PDA / Handheld

Handhelds range in price from about $100 to $1,000. On the low end are pocket organizers with some PIM functions--little more than electronic address books. On the higher end are handhelds that look like notebook computers without disk drives and that include full-size keyboards and VGA screens. Most palm-size handhelds with standard functionality are in the middle, between $250 and $550, with memory and display type primarily determining the cost.

By reading through each of the sections above, you will have a very good understanding of the different hardware and software components that make up a good handheld computer. If you are interested in the idea of saving money on your next PDA purchase, then look into buying a cheap, refurbished PDA.

Note: This buying guide is courtesy of Amazon.com and was written by Mike Brown, a consumer electronics editor for Amazon.com, covering phones, PDAs, printers, scanners, and other products.