Stowaway Portable Keyboard
The newcomer to the field is the Stowaway Portable Keyboard from Think Outside at http://www.thinkoutside.com/pocketpc.html. It's the only Pocket PC accessory you'll carry that will consistently elicit "oohs" and "ahhs" from people. It also includes Pocket PC-specific features like programmable function keys and shortcut keys, but the kicker is that it's a full-size keyboard that folds up to roughly the size of the Pocket PC itself. It's pictured in Figure B.

FIGURE B

This full-size keyboard folds up for easy carrying.

The keyboard is being distributed by Targus at http://www.targus.com/default_product.asp?sku=PA800U.

Keeping in touch
Unless you're on a bona fide vacation, you most likely need access to email and the Web. It's easier to stay connected now than with earlier Palm-sized PC models thanks to improvements made for the new Pocket PC.

Modem connection
On the hardware front, you'll need a modem. Fortunately, there are quite a number of Pocket PC-compatible modem providers out there. Sierra Wireless puts out a CDPD Wireless Modem called the AirCard 300 Type II PC Card; Nextcell, Inc. has a CDPD Wireless Modem with GPS called the Pocket Spider; and three companies--Kingston Technology Company, Inc, PreTec Electronics Corp, and Xircom-have 56KB CF Modems.

Email software
Receiving your email is easy with Pocket Inbox, one of the built-in Pocket PC features. It gives you full email capabilities on your Pocket PC. Not only that, Pocket Inbox allows you to open and send email messages with Word and Excel attachments.

A (small) window to your data
A major consideration when thinking about replacing your laptop with a handheld device is screen size. The Pocket PC's small screen has been greatly optimized thanks to changes in the operating system, such as the repositioning of the Start button. The Menu bar has also been repositioned to the bottom of the screen so that your hand won't block what you're working on when you go to select a Menu item. Another nice change made to optimize the screen space is the elimination of those classic 3-D buttons that look great on a desktop but served little purpose and cluttered the screen on a handheld device.

So, you may not need a 14-inch active matrix color display a laptop affords for everything you do, but larger displays are easier on the eyes over long periods. You may also find looking at the small screen uncomfortable when typing. Laptops work well because you can sit up straight and have plenty of screen to view, but with a handheld it's easy to catch yourself leaning ever closer to the screen or craning your neck, positions that are ergonomic nightmares and can be harmful over longer periods of time.

Compatibility
Word processing used to be a problem with handhelds because of incompatibility between documents created on your desktop and your handheld device. Now, however, word processing is easy thanks to Pocket Word, and you can even do spreadsheet work using Pocket Excel. Both standard Pocket PC features allow you to view documents that come straight off your desktop.