Handheld Reviews

Clie SJ33 had very good form factor and design. There's no need to spend extra $$ on case or hardcase. The built in flip protects the screen and looks cool. Hold/power switch is also very nice for mp3 playback.

The major pro's are,
1. Good build quality and stylish casing.
2. Jog dial, hold switch and memory stick expansion slot.
3. HiRes color display and good backlight.
4. About 7-8 hrs of battery life with mp3 playback.
5. Runs Palm OS 4 which has zillion free apps available. Very easy, reliable and not bloatware unlike Windoze on PocketPC.

Con's,
1. Only 128kbps or low bitrate mp3 can be played.
2. Uses a Lithium Ion battery...
3. To be discontinued and replaced by a newer model by Sony very soon.
4. Memory stick is expensive compared to CF cards. Plus this model won't support new MS Pro sticks.

If you can wait for till Sept/Oct new Sony PDA's should come out with Palm OS 5 and better features at same price point.

This is my 2nd PDA. I had a Casio PV-S1600. So I was used to monochrome screen and no snazzy apps.
This palm OS based color CLIE just blasted me away.
The palm 4 os based software are easily available online. The PDA serves all my purpose ... entertainment or work. The built in mp3 player is great.
I give it a thumbs up!

Cons:
A faster proccessor and RAM needed... (yes im greedy)
No cradle available with package
Built in Speaker not loud enough

Pros: Built-in MP3 player; fast processor; high-resolution screen; slick clamshell design; 16MB; excellent screen; hard cover; faster processor; small shape; Thin; light; great color screen; Great battery life.

Cons: Wimpy scroll buttons; includes OS 4.1 rather than OS 5.0; expensive; buttons are small again; Doesn't come with a memory stick

Summary: This is my third handheld, and I'm quite impressed with it. Before this I've used two Palms, the 130 and the 515. I always give my old gadgets away to family because I love keeping up with the latest.

The first thing that should strike you is the great look. This is a handsome PDA; although built with plastic, and not metal, it doesn't take away from the quality feel.

The screen is great. Way better than the Palm 130 and 515, and much better than most Power PC's I've seen. With the backlight on I'm able to utilize it non stop for about 9-10 hours, so this will last you probably about 2 weeks with average use.

The processor speed is lightening quick, I was able to move around while playing MP3's with no lag, also playing MPEG's was a great experience. With the 128 or 256 or bigger meg memory sticks you can fit a huge amount of multimedia in there.

My favorite thing about this as opposed to the Power PC is the speed with which I can just open up and use it. This is a great OS first and foremost, and doesn't have TSR's and other BS piggybacking it like the Power PC OS.

I love this thing, but I hate its connectivity! Which is mostly either lacking or an immense aggravation. So, be very careful about how you plan to download your data, or you will end up owning a very nice and advanced piece of techno-junk.

Getting the hang of the way to scan with C-Pen takes about an hour's practice, but it is well worth it. At first I couldn't get the C-Pen to read anything and I thought I had just thrown $200+ down the drain. Then I learned a few key things: if you are right handed, scan from right to left---don't worry, the pen will automatically transcribe from left to right. Also, I needed to develop a feel for when the automatic trigger was properly depressed, how to keep the eye flat on the page while moving the pen, and the necessity of making sure the page is flat (something of a bother at time with, for example, fat books.) I still have occasional mishaps, but the edit function makes quick cleanup and re-read easily possible.

The OCR is as good as I get from my HP flatbed and I have absolutely no complaints, reading from a variety of texts ranging from early 19th Century texts to inkjet documents. Like all OCR products, one sometimes gets amusing results. If one is merely taking notes, fine. If one wants clean text, some editing will be required.

But --- oi-v-voi --- the download problem is major. The factory product (I got mine straight from the USA distributor) will not work with Windows XP. The system simply does not recognize the pen's existence. Technical support (Sweden) advised me to download a patch from their website. My desk top twice aborted attempts to download this patch in mid-installation.

Likewise, the C-Pen and my Palm Tungsten C are from different planets and will not connect via infrared. The factory's not very helpful advice was to please be sure that I had the C-Pen oriented in the right direction. Duh-uh! I have no idea what to do about this glitch, which is a major aggravation.

I am saved by the fact that my office operating system is the old Windows 98 and I was able to connect via cable. Throught hat connection I easily and quickly download my scans into Word documents. The downside is that I do most of my work OUT of my office, either at home or elsewhere and it is an incovenience and delay to have to come in here to hook the Pen up.

The bottom line is that --- knowing what I know now --- I probably would not buy this pen unless I were sure I could sucessfully download from it. I was accidentally saved from owning apiece of useless junk.

When the people at C-Pen say their product is "a stroke of genius" they do not exagerate. Since I bought my C-Pen 800C a couple of months ago, it has become a permanent companion in my academic activity. Two of its functions are particularly impressive, namely "Notes" (the scanner) and "C-Dictionary". Once you get the hang of it, "C-Write" is also very good (though I would have preferred it if they had adopted the Palm graffiti alphabet, so as not to make palm users like myself spend extra time learning the new alphabet). Of special interest for academic use is the possibility of storing the notes you have taken in different files and folders, thereby helping you organize the information gathered.

The precision of C-Pen 800C's OCR is excellent, not only when reading texts written in English, but also in other languages (though I must concede that my experience has been reduced to texts in Spanish, German and French).

Synchronization with the PC is very easy and the use of C-Direct, by means of which we can scan a text directly into the computer, is easy and precise. As for the remaining utilities (address book, calender, etc.) I have nothing to say, since I have not tried to use them.

To wrap up, I simply want to say that this is a great instrument for academic use. Once you've learned to use it you won't understand how in the world you could ever have done research without it in the past!

As a research historian preparing for law school I found the C-Pen 800 invaluable. The only thing better than the pen itself was the customer service and care from the folks at Solutionworks. Especial thanks to Kevin for all the tech support for someone who is a technological barbarian (that would be me!)

The pen itself takes a bit of getting used to. At first I tried scanning very slow and deliberately; this was a mistake. The C-Pen likes a faster scan rate across the page.

Using yellow highlighter actually seemed to help, as did the calibration feature.

I personally preferred using the manual rather than the automatic trigger due to the curviture of the page in thicker books. In the automatic mode if the trigger lost contact with the page part of a word would be broken off. In manual mode I seemed to have greater accuracy. Likewise I found using it without the cord, and then transferring data to be faster. The cord always seemed to be in the way, and at the speed that the C-Pen likes for accurate scanning it was a nuisance.

For someone who needs to extract key pieces of information quickly and conveniently this is a great tool.

Doug

FOr the price and convience of having a portable emergency battery radio, its OK.

The AM/FM tuner is OK. It's not great. It's not very precise and you need to fiddle with the tuner to get your station locked in.

The shortwave is hit or miss.

The light works.

The hand-crank broke after 3 times using it. It seems it was glued. It was easily fixed using plastic crazy-glue, but somewhat disappointing.

I really wanted a FreePlay radio, but I couldn't justify the price. This radio is OK if you have a fresh supply of AA batteries and some crazy glue :)

Peace

This radio is billed as an Emergency Radio, and it suits that purpose well. It is small, built ruggedly, and comes with a nice case. The crank generator does a fine job at powering the receiver and small light. You won't be using the light to signal ships at sea, but it is adequate to find your way around a dark house to locate a candle or oil lamp.

Combining a SW receiver with the AM/FM was a good idea, as you can get news from far away in the event of a large-area power failure. However, the radio lacks a weather-band receiver, which would be a useful feature in an emergency radio.

For general use, the receiver is somewhat lacking. We have a strong FM transmitter nearby, and it "spills" onto several places on the FM band. SW tuning can be a little tricky, even with the fine-tuning knob. Also, sideband reception is not available for SW. I would not recommend this radio for someone looking to get into SW reception "on the cheap."

Overall, however, it is a very good radio for its intended purpose and price. I'm glad I added it to my emergency kit.

This is an interesting product from Grundig. It is a wind up radio with a small flashlight included for emergencies. It also has the shortwave bands you need for the BIG broadcasts such as BBC, Voice of America, and Radio Canada. I was also able to receive Radio Netherlands. The trick is to listen at night - at 7 PM and after - as that is when shortwave comes in best. You won't want to use the crank every day as you want to save that for true emergencies. Install three AA batteries for daily use. Daily use? Yes. I was surprised at the very good AM and FM reception. Even in my concrete and steel office I was able to get stations that usually come in weakly on other radios. This is a neat little radio and I am going to get another one for my emergency pack (I live in Florida where we are subject to hurricanes but with the world in the state it is in, my pack now may have several uses). Buy this for emergencies but don't be surprised if you use it every day. I didn't give it five stars because I think they could have built it a bit sturdier for 40$.

Hello radio lovers! I have a vast collection of radios and many many years of radio listening and purchasing experience I can do accurate compares which many find helpful. When I purchased this radio I so wanted it to be great like the old days of Grundig . Its not bad , but I wouldn't go out of my way to reccommend it over others . The Sony sw7600gr and the Sangean ATS909 are much better buys . Here's why , first off the Grundig YB400pe is generally not made very well . The poor quality of the body , the antenna and the sound are obvious upon first look and listen . The tuner sensativity on FM is good but AM and SW are fair . The side band set up is ok , others are better . One draw back is that it takes 6 AA batteries while the others take 4 .This makes the radio very heavy for its size . True that the Sangean 909 and the Sony 7600 are a little more expensive but worth it . You are getting a more durable radio with a much better tuner and better sound . So I guess to sum it up its not that this radio is so bad its that the others in its class are so good.

Reading the negative reviews for this radio, I suspect
that the disappointed writers aren't familiar with
shortwave. You don't get high fidelity with shorwave,
you don't listen to it for that. I bought this radio
to replace a wonderful radio made by Sangean, too bad they
didn't continue making that model. Reception, with an external
antenna is excellent for a radio of this type, with only the whip antenna it is about the best. The audio quality is the best I've ever heard for a radio of this size, it sounds like a much bigger and more expensive radio.
If you are new to shortwave you should get the current year's Passport to World Band Radio. You'll be lost without it or some other book like it.
I've got a couple of little Grundigs, Yacht boy 200, I think with dial tuning, they are excellent for the price but much harder to use. A bargain if you can find them for under $$.$$

I've had my YachtBoy 400 for about a week now, and I love it! [the 400 is identical to the 400PE, but the newer PE comes with an AC adaptor.]

Within minutes of putting the batteries in the unit I was listening to stations from all over the world. To maximize your listening, especially as a newer listener, buy a good guide like Passport to Worldband Radio.

I have read all the reviews, and I believe the tone quality is better than the naysayers lead you to believe. The tuning is very simple, and once you try all the functions, the operations are intuitive.

I considered the Sony and the ATS-909 among others. I read hundreds of reviews, and I was convinced that the biggest weakness of the Yacht Boy is SSB reception. I have been satisfied with that feature on mine, and since it works ok for me, I'm not sure what the grumbling is all about.

If I had it to do all over again, which radio would I buy? This one. I'm perfectly satisfied with it.

By the way, if you have questions or ever need help, I have found that the Eton (Grundig U.S) customer service and technical folks are extremely helpful.

I had come from the Diamond Mako or Psion Revo+ which I had bought for ~$100 a couple of years ago. The Mako had its short comings which was mainly the lack a hi-res color screen and lack of upgradeable memory. I loved the keyboard on the Mako and hardly ever used the stylus. The graffiti always seemed slow to enter data and you always had to pull out the pen so I like the keyboard. The NR70 had a keyboard, a nice screen, and expandable memory. I didn't really care about the MP3 player since it's too big too be conveniently used while on the go.
The Apps: The applications have the following problems: 1. The applications that are provided with the NR70 are bear minimum. It seems like they stuck them on it just so they could list them in specs. The contact book only allows you to look at the bear minimum of contact information from outlook (the home addresses don't even show up!!!). The calendar does not let you look at all the data. The mail tool is pretty much only good for letting you look at messages in the inbox. The remote has a limited number of remotes and only allows for basic features (so you need to have the remote around anyway). The calculator is very basic, the documents to go does not translate accurately, the picture program does not ever read GIF files and does not have good pan/zoom features. 2. All of the Apps lack options. The preferences only let you do a couple of things leaving so that customization is minimal. 3. There is very little keyboard support. This is probably because it's palm OS, but I constantly have to switch from keyboard to stylus to even move from text field to text field. 4. The only really useful applications I have I had to buy. This includes a new picture viewer, a new remote too, and a decent database tool.
The Screen: The color, clarity, and resolution of the screen is the best part of the NR70. My main grip is you can use it all. There are only a couple of applications that use the entire screen w/o the graffiti area. Even the OS app browser doesn't let you get ride of this area!
The keyboard: very awkward to use. The NR70 is hard to hold while typing and the keys are located in a weird config. The control/alt/shift key has to be held while typing the character (instead of pressed once) which makes capitals a pain. The enter key and back space are in weird spots. Several times the keyboard has just stopped working and the device has to be reset to get it back. Some of the time, you have to use the palm arrows instead of keyboard arrows. I would not get this device if you are like me and like to use the keyboard for entry.
Other: The battery life seems good. The screen can be seen in almost any light. The MP3 player app is nice if you don't mind a large player.
Overall, I feel upset that I paid $300 for it. I would return it if I hadn't bought it from Sony on-line which I don't recommend. If I hadn't spent so much on it, I would go back to my old PDA.

I compared this PDA side by side with my venerable Palm IIIc and was very impressed with it. The screen resolution and brightness are superb, continuing Sony's success with the PEG T615C, and the clamshell design with the rotating screen overall was executed very well, I thought. It's not as bright as my IIIc, but the battery should last much longer than my now 2-year old than the IIIc, and it has 64k colors, whereas my IIIc only has 256. I just had a couple of complaints, but they're not serious.

The only problem with the screen is that it rotates only one way, which is clockwise. If you try to rotate it the other way, you'll find it won't go at all. This makes it different from the small LED screens on most camcorders, but it's okay.

The other problem is that if you rotate the screen 180 degrees and close it, so that you're now holding it like a regular Palm, rather than clamshell style, you now can no longer reach the four application buttons. Had they placed the buttons at the bottom of the screen, it wouldn't be a problem.

The other complaint I've heard is that the battery technology is a little flakey. A friend of mine that has one says the unit powers off without warning when the battery gets low. My Palm IIIc at least tells you when you need to put it on recharge. Also, he said the manual says you only need to recharge it for 4 hours before using it. But when he tried that, the unit wouldn't power up all the way and would lock up.

Overall, though, a great PDA. I would give it 6 stars if I could.

I'm not really a gadget person, but I'm a big fan of PDA's because they really are so useful. I've had a Palm Vx, IIIc, and a Compaq iPAQ, all of which I've been very fond of and have been absolutely essential in keeping me organized.

I currently own a Sony Peg-T615C, and if I hadn't purchased it recently I would buy this one right now. I just got back from CompUSA where I gave it a test drive, and I just have to say "Wow!" This is really one cool PDA.

The flip-open clamshell design with the integral keyboard and the rotating screen has been nicely executed. If you want, the whole screen turns over 180 degrees and then you can close it and then hold it just like a normal Palm Pilot, if you don't want to hold it in "clamshell" style.

One concern I had was resolved right away. The keyboard looked sort of cheesy from the advertising photos, because it looked like one of those membrane-types that don't have very good tactile qualities, but the buttons are slightly raised and have enough spring to them so that they actually have quite a nice, solid feel. Although I'll probably stick to the Graffiti handwriting, the keyboard works quite well. The only other PDA on the market with an integral keyboard that I know of is the Zaurus, running an embedded version of Linux. Although I was impressed with it, it's more of a Pocket PC and doesn't run the Palm apps. Actually, it won't run the Pocket PC apps either because of the Linus operating system. But it's still an impressive offering in its area.

But getting back to the Sony, another thing you'll notice that's different is the Graffiti area is virtual, like the Pocket PCs, and is more evenly vertically divided between the letters and numbers areas. Also, it's noticeably taller, which increases the overall height of the PDA compared to the PegT615C, but I'm sure I'd get used to this pretty quickly. However, it does increase the height making it noticeably bigger than the Peg-T615C, but it's okay.

One thing to consider is that since the NR70 can use the whole screen, they're going to have to develop new apps that take advantage of this. The native apps, the Memopad, Todo list, and so on, probably do, but I couldn't figure out how to cancel the virtual Graffiti area to test this. Anyway, Sony says it has 4000 developers signed up to create programs for their PDAs so I'm sure there will be more apps making full use of the screen soon, not to mention the greater resolution of the Sony color screens, which are 320 x 320 instead of 160 x 160, and in the case of the NR70, 320 x 480.

The program availability problem aside, all in all I think this is a great unit. In fact, I'd give it 6 stars if I could.

I spent a lot of time researching which gizmo to buy. I'm an M.D. and wasn't sure I needed one at all - I was happy carrying around my binder, calander, scheduler, etc. There are mainly 3 operating systems - the OS (Palm and Handspring), Windows CE (Compaq Ipaq and Jornada), and EPOC (Psion). I chose the Psion because it supposedly had superior medical shareware. Also I wanted a device with a keyboard and one that could do wordprocessing and spreadsheets. The medical software wasn't that good so I give you my overall impression of the hardware. The Psion is a nice piece of equipment. It weighs about 12 oz with its 2 double A batteries (one month life usually). I think it's a bit to heavy to carry everywhere - it may fit well in a lab coat but forget your pocket. The resolution is higher than the Palm however, the screen itself is difficult to see, mainly because of glare in almost all conditions. The keyboard is nice, but it's too small to touch type unless you have really small hands. My hands are normal size (male) and I couldn't touch type with it. I suppose with practice though it would be possible. I would usually find myself balancing it in one hand and using the stylet in the other and then putting the stylet down to type with one finger - not very slick. I kept wishing I hand a Handspring or Palm. My wife has a Handsping and I've played with that quite a bit. I plan to send my Psion back. It's a good tool and would probably be useful to some, but for me it didn't work out. I think I will try the Compaq Ipaq next - which has a great screen and very good resolution.

Psion announced they will no longer be developing PDA's, but will sell existing models while demand lasts, and continue to support for 3 years - until Dec 2004 at least.
I work in sales and marketing, travelling internationally. I find the Series 5mx provides most of the functionality of a laptop - I use it to take notes in meetings, write visit reports, and for spreadsheet calculations. EPOC system never crashes and boots up instantly. Took 2-3 days to get used to small keyboard, which works well.
The main shortcoming relative to a notebook is preparing presentations - there is software available for the Psion but I cannot believe it would work well with the small screen. Synchronization with Outlook is excellent with latest software. Connects via (included) cable at 112k or via IR port at 56k. Takes about 10 minutes to backup 5.4 Mbytes, and about 4 min to synchronize Agenda+2000 contacts. I sometimes use the IR port to transfer data to other Psions, also works with some cell phones.
Fair amount of 3rd party software, the only one I have used for work is "Convert Pro", formerly free, ... I find it invaluable for converting currencies, English units to metric SI, you can add your own categories to the 18 provided. I have 2 games - Chinese chess and Go - but in general PCs are better for games.
The "Time" program showing chart of globe with local times is invaluable if you deal with international locations all the time, I also use the Psion as my alarm clock when travelling.
Batteries last about 20-24 hours if you do not use the backlit screen.
This is more like a pocket PC rather than merely a PDA.

Well, I like to think so, anyway. I spend more time staring lovingly at this thing than at my wife. I've had it for eighteen months now.
Really an excellent product. Great keyboard, great memory, great battery life. Synching up to the PC was no problem. Small enough and light enough to take it anywhere. Stands up to the occasional knock. No flaws yet.

I have had nothing but trouble trying to use this. PiMover is a great idea, but unfortunately the documentation is written in something that looks similar to English, but makes little sense! It's one of those where foreigners write the manual, and no one reviews it for English sensibility. I managed to transfer a few files by playing around with it, but even now don't know how I did it, so trying to repeat it means starting all over again. For me, this has been a waste of time and money.

I originally bought the MatchbookAdapter - a first generation compactflash to springboard application about a year ago. Though that device helped me out tremendously, there were a few functions that were not supported - like a full backup capabilty on the road.

I've had my Visor Deluxe crash on my more times than I can remember and lose all my data because I was nowhere near a computer to sync it. This memplug allows you to save MULTIPLE images to your CF, SM, SD, MMC or whatever card. Their latest firmware upgrade even supports VFS (Virtual File System) as much as the OS 3.1 is capable of handling.

I do have a few software conflicts (ie: MobiBook), and its reliability is not superior. However, it IS functional and the quirks can be dealt with.

On a sadder note, Memplug's Customer Service is not all that wonderful, but apparently getting better. Their manual is written in what appears to be English edited by a non-native speaker - as is some of their interface software. Other than that, a FINE product!

I've owned my MEMPLUG for almost five months now and it just keeps getting better? How? The program PiDirect expands the usefulness of MEMPLUG. I had quickly run out of room on my 8 meg Visor Prism. Adding the MEMPLUG and a 64 Meg SmartMedia card, initially just increased my storage capacity but was cheaper than buying a 16 Meg internal ram upgrade. Then PiDirect was released in June 2001. The curtain lifted and the stage came alive with the abundance of programs I wanted to carry and easily access on my Visor Prism. There is still a fairly steep learning curve to using PiDirect, but nothing beats it for utility, stability, and price. It has a minimal drain on battery power when compared to Compact Flash cards. The Manufacturer, PIT, is the most responsive author of software out there with a tremendous customer service team that answers questions and troubleshoots around the clock, 24 hours a day. I never waited longer than 1/2 day to get a response to an email (usually within an hour). And, they upgrade rapidly in response to validated "bugs" and the practical "wishlists" submitted by customers. If you have a Visor with only 8 or even 16 Meg ram, you'll love this product.

When I started looking at PDA's, I was initially attracted to the Casio and the Jornada because of their color screens and features not found on the Palm machines. Long story short is that ultimately the PDA I bought was a Palm Vx. What was important to me was size, battery life, and functionality. I want a name now! Windows CE is still slow no matter how fast a processor you put in the machine - which kills the battery life in the meantime. If I'm travelling I have my portable computer to do the other things that a CE machine can do. For day to day life, I don't know where I would keep a larger CE device. My Palm Vx has never faltered or skipped a beat, the beam feature is great, there's lots of free software, and it lasts a week on one battery charge even playing Subhunt more than I should. Have you seen avantgo? You can download your news when you hotsync.

My conclusion: If you travel alot and don't carry a portable and you don't mind have to carry a charger with you the CE's may be the way to go. Otherwise save yourself the hassle and get a Palm or a Visor.

We had a little bit of cash left over and decided to buy the whole software development team PDAs. I decided that because of Microsoft's history of providing support to older Operating Systems (upgrades to WindowsCE had already been offered) that we would go with a WinCE-based product.

With a 240x320 pixel 16 bit color display, 16 MBytes of memory and stereo headphone jack backed-up by a quality MP3 decoder, the Jornada 430se was our new toy!

We stopped carrying paper. No one is late to meetings. No one scrambles for print-outs. No one says "I don't have a copy of that memo in front of me." Tasks/calendars/contact/email are in color, straight from Windows Outlook to your Personal PC. The Jornada's buttons and scroll wheel allow one handed operation, the voice recognition software allows one button operation.

Two bad sides: 1) People used to Palm pilots think it is a little bulky and decry its use of Windows. In my opinion, they are whiners.

2) The HP Jornada 430se runs my life. Now I forget nothing and this bums me out. The Jornada keeps metrics of my uncompleted tasks and I now realize how truly unproductive I am.

I got one about a month ago and it's cool.
first of all it has a built in MP3 player which is really cool, but if you plan on using it a lot I suggest you get a few large memory cards. Next it has a 16-bit color so you can put high resolution images on it. there are also many other cool things on it, but if size matters to you I suggest you get something a little more compact, I mean this thing is 5.1 × 3.2 × 0.9 big! But if you just want a handheld to scribble down notes,and replace getting a MP3 player this is the way to go.
Over all I really like it and would reccomend it to anyone looking for a PDA.

To be truthful I never wanted to buy a case for my Palm m100 in the first place, but the hinges on the plastic flip cover that came with it broke apart after only 3 months. Because I could not find a replacement part, in order to have my Palm protected I had to buy a case. I am not overjoyed with this product, but it is adequate and does the job that it was designed to do.

All of the complaints about this product are true. The Velcro is small and it can be difficult to close the cover on the case, the stylus is difficult to remove unless the cover is flipped all the way open, the stitching is of poor quality and does not look like it will last. Another irritating that I have discovered is that the opening seems to be off a little bit. It covers up the screen a little bit at the top.

However, the nice thing about this case are that is made of very nice leather and the Velcro beltloop is very convenient. With this case strapped to my belt, I usually remove the Palm from the case without removing the case from my belt in order to use it. I have taken to using the case more as a belt holster. This way, the problems of the stylus and the mismatched opening are not a problem. This is the manner that I would recommend using this product.

Why 3 stars?: I feel the case was poorly designed and will far apart and be unsatisfying in the long run. However, using it as a holster is very convenient and attractive - even if it does a little bit of bulk.

In contrast to the Palm M100 slim leather case which uses only velcro to hold the PDA in place, this case has a leather framework into which the PDA slides. The leather has openings for the screen and buttons. I find this design a bit less appealing visually and wonder if the openings will be prone to getting caught and torn. Either of these two approaches are different from the clear and rather sturdy plastic used to hold the PDA in place with the Palm Glove design. It's really all a matter of taste. So far my friends have each chosen different cases with no duplication. Wise of Palm to offer so many choices.

Others have already mentioned the one other feature that may be a flaw -- that the stylus is difficult to remove unless the case is fully opened. The leather quality on this particular case is, however, quite nice and the case does work very well for those who want to carry their M100 on a belt. Note that the the case stays closed with velcro as does the belt loop (making it adjustable).

I love this item that I got. I just want to warn you that you can not put it in the cradle. It will not go in. It is to big. I don't care. Order off the seller performancepda it came to my doorstep in 4 days.

After working with this gadget on four business books, I concluded that the downside outweighed the upside.

The upside:
When it worked, the scanning mode that transferred text directly into a WORD-document saved a lot of time.

The downside:
(1) The text still needed editing since the C Pen misread letters and commas in every other sentence. (2) Most functions of the C Pen were very cumbersome for someone who is used to the convenience and user-friendliness of a PC or laptop. After an initial try at writing with the C Pen or copying my address book from a PDA to the C Pen, I gave up on these functions. (3) After about an hour of constant use, my C Pen tended to "hang up"; the scanning device in the tip of the pen simply continued to light up without scanning anything. (4) The C Pen needed a lot of power: After four books I had to replace the two AAA batteries in the pen.

The bottom-line:
A good product idea in search of a reliable and user-friendly technology.

The C-Pen is simply the best tool I ever came across for any kind of writing from research to novels to what ever your needs will ever be in the future.

The days of being at the Reference section of any library and copying and retyping are over. One swift use of the C-Pen and your in rewrite heaven with easy citations. Ever read an article in a magazine or newspaper and want to comment on it, just use the C-Pen, you got the exact quote and can respond in kind! See a specific piece of research you want to quote, scan it in line by line with the citation. The Business card scan with C-Pen is easier and faster than rewriting it on palm pilot!

I read how you must get use to using this device. I found no such problems. The text need only be put on a surface to steady it, then scanning line by line so long you keep your hand steady and straight makes it quite easy! The only one drawback is scanning underline text, but I found that to be a minor problem compared to the overall great benefits.

What I really appreciated was the easy installation. The OCR is simply amazing and works in Microsoft Word with absolute ease and speed. This is especially gratifying because I expected complications and found none!

I loaded the software and called Technical Support to make sure this was the latest device on the market! I was at first disappointed I was unable reach a real person, but within a half an hour they called back and walked me through it! When I found out the newer model holds more with a bigger dictionary, I was still satisfied with the 600-C. Depends on your needs whether you want to spend the extra cash on the 800-C model. The booklet is like a Car Manual, but if you take the time to read it, you will never read it again!

I made only one big mistake, I did not check Amazon.com first and saw the price is about $40.00 under retail prices at all stores I checked everywhere! I was unable to take back the device without a re-stocking fee so don't make my mistake, buy it from Amazon.com.

In closing, you will never regret buying this device and using it often for your purposes. It is simply the easiest and best product I have ever used and seen in quite awhile! It is every writers, businessperson, lawyers and research educators dream!

As a foreigner going to north america for student exchange, I found this pen indispensable. The pen proved itself already on the flight over the pond; the man next to me got curious about my device and the following conversation ended with a business card and my first contact on the scary continent. I especially use the pen for translation and am more than happy with its use. The only thing its lacking is an easy way to build a list of words I've looked up; I'd like to save all the words I've looked up in a special file for further repetition and learning. It takes some time to get use to scanning text but once you get the hang of it C-pen is just great. A definite buy for anyone who uses a dictionary frequently. C-direct, the function that lets you scan text straight into the cursor's position (in a Word document e.i.) is also usable. Of little use is the address book. There is no need to have your address book in Outlook, cell-phone, PDA and C-pen. If you need more than one dictionary (I could need one English-Swedish-English plus one English-English)you need to get the C-pen 800 (has more RAM). But with the 800 you also get (and thus pay for) some other useless functions such as SMS and fax.