New handhelds help you work AND play

AnchorDesk

New handhelds help you work AND play

Sylvia Carr
Senior Editor, AnchorDesk
Friday, April 11, 2003

Add your opinion

Forward in

Format for

Like most people, you probably use your PDA and/or cell phone chiefly for organization and communication, to keep track of your schedule, manage contacts, write to-do lists, make calls, and maybe check e-mail.

But the newest features on the latest handhelds often have little to do with productivity. In fact, just the opposite: They're all about fun.

On high-end handhelds and mobile phones, screens are getting bigger and sharper, so you can watch video and view images. Processors are getting faster and memory more plentiful, allowing you to play games and run graphics apps. Headsets and microphones are included, for listening to digital music and voice recording. And built-in cameras let you take snapshots or make mini-movies.

PERSONALLY, I can't imagine wanting this sort of entertainment from my phone or PDA. Even though screens are getting bigger, they're still too tiny to make watching video reasonable. And what exactly would you watch? Also, these extras--especially the cameras and music players--tend to be of low quality. If I'm taking pictures or listening to music, I'd rather do it on a quality device.

But perhaps I'm in the minority. Just the other day, a friend commented to me that one of her favorite features on her new phone (a Nokia 6510) is the FM radio. With an earbud in her ear, and the slim phone in her pocket, she listens to news and music as she walks to and from work. "Now I don't have to buy a Walkman," she said.

You better see some value in these multimedia features, because you'll have to pay a premium for them. But if the price doesn't deter you, and you need a portable that's as much about fun as function, there are a lot of options out there.

Here are four gadgets that let you take your entertainment with you.

* * * * * Toshiba e750
The standout feature on this Pocket PC is its large, 3.8-inch transflective screen, which is much brighter and more uniform than other Toshiba PDA displays. The e750 is also outfitted with a speedy XScale processor and plenty of memory to handle games or music. Another plus: long battery life, so those tunes can play on, and on...
Read Review | Check Latest Prices

Sony CLIE PEG-NX70V
This Palm OS device is for the visually inclined: It comes with both a full-motion video camera and a still camera. Add to that its voice-recording features, and you have a PDA that can make decent-quality mini-movies. It also sports a handsome, high-resolution screen and plays MP3 and ATRAC3 sound files.
Read Review | Check Latest Prices

Sony Ericsson P800
Now, here's an entertainment-savvy smartphone. It plays MP3 audio and MPEG-4 video, provides a built-in camera, and sports a big touch-screen display--all in an attractive, compact package. That not enough? It also lets you surf the Web, read corporate e-mail, and transfer files via Bluetooth.
Read Review | Check Latest Prices

Nokia 7210
This sleek color phone is sure to be a winner with gamers, if only because of the two addictive titles it ships with (Triple Pop and Bounce). You can download more games and applications via the high-speed wireless Web access. Other embellishments include FM radio and the ability to personalize the wallpaper with your own images.
Read Review | Check Latest Prices

Do you want a phone or PDA with multimedia features? Why or why not? Which features appeal to you most? TalkBack to me!

Special sponsor stores

Dell Home