I am writing this article based on the assumption that you have made your decision in favor of Windows CE. You are now facing the next hurdle, and that is which machine to purchase. Personally, I enjoy this phase of the buying decision. Since I am an incorrigible collector of portable electronics, I've learned a very important lesson. All of these units are very well made, include lots of extras that increase their value, are well supported, and will do the job required of them. The differences lie in their physical look and feel, and how certain features are implemented.

The heavyweights
There are three heavyweights in the Windows CE palmtop division. The first is the Compaq Aero 2150, shown in Figure A.

FIGURE A

Here's what the Compaq Aero 2150 looks like.

The second is the Casio Cassiopeia E-100, shown in Figure B.

FIGURE B

Here's the Casio Cassiopeia E-100. Click picture for a larger image.

The third heavyweight is the Hewlett Packard Jornada 430, shown in Figure C.

FIGURE C

Here's Hewlett Packard's Jornada 430. Click picture for a larger image.

Each of these machines offer 16MB of RAM. The Jornada offers a 133 Mhz Processor. The Cassiopeia offers a 131 Mhz processor, and the Aero offers a 70 Mhz processor optimized for Windows CE. The slight difference in processor speeds doesn't seem to make a difference because the apparent speed of all three units is about the same. One thing I did notice is that each unit displayed occasional slowdowns and glitches that seem to be typical of Windows CE, sometimes necessitating a soft reset. I find these glitches fairly aggravating, but most users have accepted this as normal behavior and seem to take it in stride. Each unit features a compact flash slot for additional storage. The Cassiopeia and Jornada screens are capable of displaying 65,536 colors, the Aero displays 256 (the Aero 2180 has the 65,536 color screen). Each of the units has a microphone for voice recording, an infrared port, a stereo headphone jack, and a speaker. Basically, each unit has all the bells and whistles necessary to make it a good value. They each come with bonus software included on a separate CD. Each manufacturer offers different extras including some form of multimedia software. HP seems to have bundled the most extras, including a voice recognition contact manager that allows you to bark a name at your palmtop and have it speak the response to you. Pretty nifty.