1. The New Generation - Multitalented PDAs

The article first appeared in Tom's Hard News Email Newsletter

A mere six points stood between the cream of this crop, the Compaq Ipaq H3870, and the poorest scorer, the Toshiba Pocket PC E570. But even as the laggard in this pack, the Toshiba E570 still earns an overall rating of "good". There's no other product group where performance scores are clustered as close together as in this one. The reason is simple - the hardware for each Pocket PC complies with Microsoft's recommendations for Pocket PC 2002. This operating system is installed in all the devices we tested, which explains why they all come furnished with a 206 MHz Intel StrongARM processor and 32 MB Flash ROM. The essential differences between the Pocket PCs we tested are limited to the expansion options they offer and their ease of use. In these two areas, nothing tops the Ipaq H3870. This Compaq handheld boasts an outstanding display, while its integrated speakers produce crisp sound. Even Bluetooth comes standard with the device. Tom's Hardware carried out this test in cooperation with the Munich lab of the acclaimed German magazine "PC Professionell".