Review: Casio tops PDAs for any budget

From...

By Richard Baguley

(IDG) -- After testing a broad spectrum of personal digital assistants (PDAs), Casio's Cassiopeia E-200 takes first place in the advanced PDAs section, while the HandEra 330 retains top honors among basic PDAs, thanks to its superior screen and expansion options.

Palm's M515 and Sony's Clie PEG-T615C join the advanced ranks at numbers two and four, respectively, and the Clie PEG-S360 and Palm M130 capture spots in the basic chart, finishing in second and fifth place.

Top 5 advanced PDAs

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1. Casio Cassiopeia E-200: One of the most alluring Pocket PCs, the E-200 offers both CF and SD slots built in for no-fuss expansion, as well as plenty of memory and a bright, easy-to-read screen.
2. Palm M515: Palm gets it right with its new top-of-the-line, sleekly designed, 5-ounce M515. The M515 offers a bright color screen that is usable in any lighting situation, making it ideal for those who want a color screen in a small, convenient package.
3. Compaq IPaq Pocket PC H3850: Well designed in most respects, the IPaq's primary drawback is its need for bulky, extra-cost sleds for adding CF or PC Card slots. Although the battery life is reasonably good, the nonremovable battery means you are stuck if your battery runs out while you're in the field.
4. Sony Clie PEG-T615C: If a Palm-based PDA with a thin profile and the best screen possible tops your wish list, your choice should be the new Sony Clie PEG-T615C. It's as slim as the Palm M515 and only slightly more expensive.
5. HP Jornada 565: It's hard to beat the Jornada 565 for sheer style. It looks good and feels solid in the hand. Although it is slightly cheaper than the other Pocket PC-based PDAs, its single expansion slot may limit your options.

Top 5 basic PDAs

1. HandEra 330: The HandEra 330 is a handsome black-and silver unit with the most crisp, easy-to-read gray-scale screen in this roundup, both indoors and out. If you can live with its serial connection, the 330 is a terrific alternative to a standard Palm. It has a bigger available screen and more expansion options.
2. Handspring Visor Neo: The affordable Visor Neo makes a great entry-level PDA, perfect for keeping your schedule on track, and you can add multimedia extras later as available cash and whimsy dictate.
3. Sony Clie PEG-S360: If you don't have much to spend on a PDA and don't mind a monochrome screen, you could do worse than the workaday Clie S360. But if you can't live without the convenience of a desktop cradle for syncing and would prefer a color display, go with the Palm M130 instead.
4. Handspring Visor Pro: Although it adds a couple of nice business-oriented perks, including more corporate-looking colors and a rechargeable battery, the $220 Visor Pro seems a little expensive. You can get an almost identical unit, the Visor Prism, for the same price with a color screen (although half the memory).
5. Palm M130: Ideal for the entry-level, cost-conscious user who doesn't mind spending a little more to get a color screen.

For a more detailed comparison, see PCWorld's chart with specifications for each PDA.