It was with great anticipation that I began using the Blackberry. I was at JavaOne in San Francisco, where the device, now with a Java VM, was generating quite a buzz. All that aside, the question remained: Could it live up to its promise of e-mail anywhere? The answer was a resounding yes! From the beaches of Hawaii, across the country, and all the way to upstate New York, there never seemed to be a location where it was without a signal for very long, and my e-mail was flowing readily in and out.

The e-mail service does everything it promises, though one drawback is its inability to check pop e-mail accounts except through a clumsy, optional web interface. Perhaps future versions will have built-in support. A simple workaround for this was to have my mail server forward a copy of incoming mail to the device. An autosignature I set up through the MyBlackberry.net Web site allowed me to ask people to respond to my main e-mail address so messages would be kept in both places.

The learning curve for the device was shorter than I expected. Everything is controlled via a wheel on the right of the keyboard. To select something, press it in; to change your selection, simply scroll. Looking at pictures of the device, you may think you'll never be able to type on a keyboard that small. Surprisingly, however, after a few short hours I was typing up a storm and, like it or not, was now back in full e-mail contact with the office.

The wireless speed is fairly good - most e-mails come and go in a few short seconds. Large e-mails come in pieces. To receive more, you simply select "More" from the pull-down menu and another chunk of the message downloads. Attachments aren't accepted by the device, of course, because of size and memory limitations, but if you can live without them, this device could be for you. Optional services are available to browse the web, but as with any of the current wireless signals, and the small text-only screen, don't expect miracles. Accessories include a hip holster (which helps conserve the battery by turning off the screen when it's placed inside) and a cradle for synchronization with a desktop machine.

Palm VIIx

The Palm VIIx is the latest in a long line of great products from Palm, by far the market leader for handheld personal organizers. For faithful users of their product line, the Palm VIIx represents yet another great release. The specs haven't changed much since the original Palm VII. The only enhancements are to the memory (2MB versus 8MB) and adding more clipping applications to the device as defaults. More memory is definitely a good thing, so if buying new, or if you're constantly running out of memory on your current Palm, it's a good buy. As with all Palm Pilots, the "Graffiti" language is the main way to enter text into it, but once you pick up the subtleties of some of the more difficult letters, you barely realize you're doing it.

Several pricing plans for the wireless service are available, including, by popular demand, one for unlimited use. If you're going to use the device half as much as I did while testing it, go for the unlimited plan - you'll thank me later. All those little downloads of information add up quicker than you'd think once you get to using it regularly.

The wireless functionality is centered around clipping applications. Rather than accessing web sites directly, clipping applications are scaled-down versions that simply access the server and bring in only the information you need. It comes with over 40 applications for news, stock quotes, travel, entertainment, reference information, communications, and, of course, shopping from leading web names like Amazon.com and ABCNews. All of them work quite well, and for most of the functionality you won't miss the web at all if you stay within the predefined lines.

To access any online applications, just raise the antenna and go. Coverage is available in over 260 metro areas in the United States. For e-mail it comes with iMessenger, which gives you an @palm.net e-mail address. You can download optional software that gives you access to check and send mail from your pop accounts. Of course, as with any other Palm, it comes with applications for address and date books. One of the best things about running a device on the PalmOS is the number of applications available - the Internet is simply full of them. Anything you're looking for, from pocket versions of Quicken to soccer games, is available online in freeware/shareware form. Accessories are also quite plentiful - everything from a full-size collapsible keyboard to combo pen/styli, loads of cases, and so on.

aTalkabout T900

Billed as a "Personal Interactive Communicator," the T900 is marketed toward the younger generation of users rather than the heavy business user. If you're looking for a feature-rich device to keep you in contact with the office, this isn't for you. However, if you're looking for a simple address book, the ability to send short messages back and forth, and accessibility to news updates, you're in the right place. For the style conscious, it comes in four colors: Mystic Blue, Aqua Ice, Razberry Ice, and Black Opaque. Data entry and menu controls are all performed on the keyboard, which is similar to the size of the Blackberry. One advantage is that in addition to a four-line backlit screen, the keys are backlit as well, making those quick messages in the dark easier to send. E-mail use is slightly restricted on the device - you can't send or receive messages larger than 250 characters. This is fine for short messages, but for any substantial e-mail you better hope that people get to the point fast!

For the features that the device does have, it uses them quite well. E-mail can be divided into folders, making organization of messages from home and work, for example, quite doable. It also has automatic signature capability, so if you want to have your contact information and cell phone number displayed automatically at the bottom of every message you send out, it's easy to do. The e-mail address you receive for the device is in essence a phone number, so expect something like 8881234567@tsr.net. It's not pretty, but it certainly works. For incoming e-mail there are several alert options - vibrating, ringing, or silent. The address book is a snap to use, and holds up to 250 addresses, complete with nine fields of information per person. The news service is a breeze to browse through - you can preview headlines, then retrieve fuller summaries of stories. It's great for quick checks of the top headlines. You can check sports scores, music reviews, and tons more - all on the fly. Something else that makes the T900 great for travelers is that it doubles as a fully functional alarm clock, so it's one less thing you have to pack.

Before you buy...

Before you give up your hard-earned money for a wireless service plan, read the fine print. Many such plans lock you into a contract for a fixed period of time, usually from six months to a year. Most people never really know how much they're going to use the online service until they actually start doing it. Signing up for a low-cost service plan is the easy part - the shock arrives with the first bill. You'll often find several charges billing extra time at a much higher rate.

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