Last week, after months of speculation, Microsoft revamped their handheld lineup with the release of the PocketPC (WinCE 3.0). Vendors ranging from Compaq to Everex announced new handhelds running WinCE 3.0, a redesigned version of Microsoft's handheld operating system intended for PDAs. Previous versions of WinCE were aimed more at larger machines, which explains why many PDA users felt uncomfortable using WinCE.

PocketPC hardware is similar to previous WinCE units. All have color screens (16-bit, 65k palette) and compact flash slots (Type 2) for memory expansion. Headphone and microphone jacks are once again standard. Of course, this means that these devices are slightly larger than Palm units. Pricing is expected to remain about the same, from $400-$600, depending on the model.

	Pocket Excel

While hardware has been mostly unchanged, the software side of these devices is where Microsoft hopes to attract new users. As Microsoft claims, the PocketPC does come with more functionality "right out of the box" when compared to a Palm. Once you power on the unit, you will notice that it includes 4 familiar applications: Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Pocket IE, and Microsoft Book Reader with ClearType. In addition, a scaled down version of the Windows Media Player is included, giving users the ability to play mp3's and video files. What medical professionals may find most appealing is the Microsoft Book Reader and Pocket Word (for those who use the word format extensively). Pocket Word is similar to the WordPad for Windows. It contains four different fonts, a few sizes and styles, and can handle basic formatting. That is all though. It cannot handle advanced features like inserting tables.

The Pocket Reader is similar to Doc readers for the Palm such as AportisDoc or TealDoc. The difference between the two lies in the ClearType software used in the Pocket Reader. Testers have found reading texts with the PocketPC less straining on the eyes than on the Palm. For long documents or texts, this is a clear advantage of the PocketPC's. Documents stored on the PocketPC are known as eBooks. It's not clear what format the eBooks are, but it is likely to be a proprietary format. Hopefully, Microsoft or third parties will provide a program to convert "Doc" files to the eBook format. Currently, this problem may be a stumbling block for attracting medical users to the PocketPC. The availability of literally hundreds of books in Palm Doc format may overshadow the sight-saving advantages of ClearType.

	Pocket Flash

As for the actual OS, Microsoft has improved the layout by removing many of the UI widgets that contributed to WinCE's demise initially. Users will now find the Start button on the upper left corner, and a clock on the upper right corner. Activity on the screen will vary depending on the program used. Overall, credit should be given to Microsoft for improving the UI, but it is unlikely that Palm users will find the changes significant enough to have them switch. For instance, many users have reported having to go through various menus and screen changes for simple applications like phone book entry. Compare this to Palm, which allows you to do this with a one or two taps. As for input, it is once again through the Jot character recognition system. Personally, I find the Jot system more intuitive than Palm's Grafitti, so it is nice to see its return.

In all, these new devices are an improvement from previous WinCE units. With that said, if you are a medical user on the Palm system, my advice would be to stick with PalmOS. Unless you intend on using features such as the microphone and Pocket Reader, you should wait for further developments in the product line. A price drop would be nice too, as the starting costs ($400) are nowhere near what a Visor or Palm costs. Palm has a well established base of medical users, and a plethora of medically-related software. With that said, if you are a medical user on WinCE, and can afford a new device, the PocketPC's are not a bad deal. Be sure to check your WinCE manufacturer though, as companies such as Compaq are offering ROM upgrades for existing WinCE units.

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