PocketPCs used to be the ugly stepsisters of handheld computing. Large and bulky, they were more powerful than their Palm counterparts, but awful to look at and carry around.
All that has changed, however, and Acer's n311 is a good example of the new, sleek PocketPC.
It uses a Samsung processor which runs at 400MHz – slow by desktop PC standards, of course, but very fast for a PocketPC. It also uses the latest version of the Windows Mobile operating system, version 5.
The screen is 3.7in diagonally across, which displays 65,000 colours and has a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels – the same as an old VGA monitor. This is a real step up from older models and it makes displaying pictures and even movies easy.
Unlike older models, the Acer n311 doesn't have a separate writing section. Instead an area pops up for writing with the stylus when needed. This is a little tricky to get used to at first but it's easy enough to get to grips with once you've used it a few times.
The device will recognise handwriting using the Graffiti system, as with Palm handhelds. If that's no good, a keyboard layout pops up, from which letters can be selected by tapping the stylus.
The Acer n311 comes with a CD which contains Microsoft Outlook 2002, for those who don't have Office already installed, as well as the software drivers for connecting the device to a computer over USB.
Installation is easy, and the Acer n311 itself comes preloaded with Pocket Word and Pocket Excel as well as a video player and a couple of games. We tried the Acer n311 with a selection of PocketPC applications, and found it didn't have any problems, running everything smoothly and quickly.
The built-in Bluetooth connection worked fine when connecting to compatible headphones, but the wireless networking (using the 802.11b standard only) was a little harder to get going.
The Acer n311 copes with the latest WPA security, which is impressive, but it took a lot of trying before we were able to get a connection working. Once established, however, it was very good and we were able to browse the internet using the built-in Internet Explorer with no problems.
The 128Mb memory is a decent size, and can be expanded using an SD memory card, and although some (admittedly larger) devices come with CompactFlash slots, the Acer n311 doesn't.
It can act as a USB host through the charging cradle, however, which means that you could plug, say, a small USB hard disk in, although this would be a little unwieldy.
The Acer n311 is an excellent PocketPC, with all the features most people would require from such a device – apart from, perhaps, a camera. However, all this comes at a price – in this case £300. This is a little on the high side, but if you can find it for less, it's well worth it.
If £300 is a bit far to stretch the budget, there's an Acer n310, which doesn't have wireless network access, and has a slower processor (300MHz) but shares all the other excellent characteristics of its big brother.
Also consider:
Palm LifeDrive
If you're after a handheld PC, the Palm LifeDrive will provide the usual
functionality as well as a place to store your music and video when on the move
Overall: 4/5
Price: £329
All Windows PDAs
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