4. Testing Procedure And Evaluation

The eight handheld computers went through seven benchmark tests. Six of these are based on Pocket PC 2002. The two PDAs manufactured by Handspring and Sony are based on Palm OS, which are listed in a separate evaluation. All the devices were rated on the basis of their performance, features, ergonomic design and customer service. The performance rating is based on the benchmark scores. What's important in this evaluation is not only the CPU and graphics performance but also the results obtained in the practical tests. This includes the time required to synchronize 1600 addresses, as well as the duration of a search performed in the handheld's master database. In addition, the German magazine "PC Professionell" ran test programs to check how well the integer and floating point units of the processors perform. Yet another test category involved the 3D performance of the Pocket PCs. Finally, the laboratory experts measured battery life.

Performance Not The Only Important Factor

The features rating was based on the size of the standard RAM, the maximum allowable memory expansion, the number of colors and resolution of the display, the power supply design and the type of microphone and speaker that came with the PDA. Also important here were the available ports and card slots. Furthermore, we took into consideration the software bundled with the PDA, where offline browsers and imaging tools are particularly important.

The third discipline in the PDA comparison evaluates ergonomic design. The first factors considered were the weight and dimensions of the device. In both cases, lower scores mean better ease-of-use. Another essential factor in ergonomics is the quality of the display. Here, we rated not only the physical data such as size, resolution and number of colors or grayscales, but our testers also gave scores based on their subjective impressions. This included categories such as contrast, focus, the intensity of background illumination, legibility indoors as well as outdoors and the quality of the anti-reflection coating used. The energy management design was another component of the ergonomic design rating.

Points were also given for power packs, the capability of loading the PDA without a docking cradle and additional batteries to secure data in case the main battery runs out.