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| Cassiopeia E-11 | Gadgets |
| In 1997,
approximately 2.4 million handheld PCs of various types were shipped worldwide. The
undisputed king of the market is the PalmPilot from 3Com, with 63 percent of the market.
Despite this market advantage, 3Com has been challenged in 1998 with a flood of Windows
CE-based personal digital assistants from manufacturers such as Casio, Hewlett Packard,
Philips and Sharp. These new devices accounted for 26 percent of the market. Individual business professionals, including attorneys, are the single largest source of sales of handheld devices. To this end, Microsoft decided to develop a version of Windows to run on these devices, but the first version of Windows CE was disappointing at best. Microsoft has improved on the most recent version, however, and CE is now much more intuitive to use. Still, for many, the first and only question in evaluating a CE unit is, "How does it compare with the PalmPilot?" Well, I used a Cassiopeia E-11 last fall and not only did I like it, I actually preferred it to the PalmPilot. The Casio is about the same size as the PalmPilot (about 3.25 by 5 inches) and is slightly, but not noticeably, heavier (6.6 ounces vs. 6.0 ounces). The styling is similar, with an input stylus and dedicated buttons on the front panel for accessing your calendar, memos and to-do list. Both units have an infrared port, a port for serial connection to a PC and separate modem units. Beyond the initial similarities, however, lie several substantial differences. The Cassiopeia comes standard with more memory: 8 MB RAM, as well as a CompactFlash card slot for additional memory. Its side panel sports a headphone jack and a button for voice recordings. And, overall, I found the E-11's built-in contacts database, note taker and other apps easier to use than equivalent PalmPilot III features. The built-in handwriting recognition program is surprisingly easy to learn and use. Most letters have several choices and the system "learns" as it goes, displaying possible options for frequently used words as you write. In addition, the handwriting can be displayed on-screen and includes the ability to draw simple charts and diagrams. Synchronizing with desktop programs is done using Windows Explorer. If you use Outlook 98, the Cassiopeia lets you synch your personal information manager and e-mail data on a portable device without any third-party software. It fully supports both Windows 95 and NT 4.0. In addition, Casio has a third-party software bundle, which includes programs like ART's ARTcommand, bSquare's bFAX Express, Intuit's Quicken ExpensAble, LandWare's Financial Consultant Calculator and MobileSoft's Tetris. A wonderful feature not found on the PalmPilot is the voice recording of notes, which can then be stored in folders for later playback. This is easy to use and proved quite valuable at times, such as while driving. All voice notes are saved as .WAV files on your PC when you synchronize. Quite frankly, if you want fast, convenient access to the Internet while traveling, stick with a notebook. Despite continuing advances in PDA screens and software, e-mail on any palmtop is a pain -- and live, unrestricted Web browsing is virtually impossible. Although both the Cassiopeia E-11 and the PalmPilot can download and send e-mail if equipped with a modem, the modems are bulky (and usually require AC adapters); you can't receive e-mail attachments; and composing anything more than a quick note is time-consuming. Firm e-mail systems may complicate matters further. If your firm uses Lotus Notes, the best you can do remotely is synchronize your mail, either from your modem-equipped desktop or firm's dial-up server. Should you buy an E-11? Well, in the words of most attorneys nationwide, "It depends." As a pocket organizer it works extremely well, but it might be overkill for many users. As a general-purpose computer, it suffers from the lack of a physical keyboard and from not having the pocket versions of Microsoft's Word, Excel and PowerPoint that come with larger, CE-based handheld PCs. However, I particularly liked the device's outstanding display and overall usability. Would I buy one to replace my PalmPilot II? Probably not. My inclination would be to spend $129 to upgrade that unit to a PalmPilot III or wait for the next generation of Palm handhelds, which will reportedly have a color screen and better e-mail capability. Would I recommend it to someone buying a handheld device for the first time? Absolutely. The voice and synchronization features make it a clear winner over the PalmPilot III for any new purchaser. |
Casio (800) 836-8580 www.casio.com Windows CE $299 Reviewed by Tom O'Connor, legal technology consultant, Bellevue, Wash. PROS CONS VERDICT |
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