Every month the Internet For Lawyers' free Internet legal research newsletter delivers this kind of useful information to your e-mail inbox.

 

More powerful than a PDA, the Pocket PC rivals a laptop and fits in a pocket

 

Advances in technology continue to pack more and more computer processing power into less and less space. One result of this trend is that over the last few years, the laptop computer has become an indispensable tool for nearly every attorney. It has allowed lawyers to remain in touch with their offices while traveling on business and to carry entire case files in an electronic format. Recent technological developments have shrunk that computing power even more. Handheld computers offer many of the features of laptop and desktop computers in a package that fits in a user’s hand or pocket. Handheld computers are a step above personal digital assistants (a group that includes the Palm Pilot and the Handspring Visor). Most PDAs have only 2 MB of memory (a standard PC has hundreds) and are limited to black-and-white screens. These limitations alone may prevent some attorneys from using a PDA—although some of the newest and most expensive PDAs have 16 MB of memory and high-resolution color screens. Of more concern to most attorneys, however, is that a PDA’s software, while compatible, does not have the same look and feel as the software they use most (for example, Word, Excel, and Outlook) on their main computer.

 

Unfortunately, PDAs generally oblige their users to learn new applications. Additionally, trading data between a PDA and a regular computer is sometimes an exercise in frustration. Handheld computers occupy the gap between the size advantage of PDAs and the well-known software that attorneys are used to using on their personal computers. A number of manufacturers have developed handheld computers, known as Pocket PCs, to compete with PDAs. These hand-helds use an operating system that was developed by Microsoft and include light versions of many of Microsoft’s applications, including Word, Excel, and Outlook (but not Power Point).

 

Since these applications function much like their laptop or desktop counterparts, attorneys who make the transition to a Pocket PC are finding the switch to be nearly seamless and report that the transfer of data goes more smoothly than it does with a PDA. Also assisting the transition from PC to Pocket PC is the handheld PC’s ability to allow users to attach a keyboard via a serial connector and employ all the well-known keyboard shortcuts that are used with a desktop computer (such as Control-X to cut selected text). Think Outside’s Stowaway keyboard, distributed by Targus, is full-sized but folds to a size nearly as small as the Pocket PC itself. The keys are the same size as those on a standard keyboard, requiring little or no adjustment when using the folding keyboard. The keyboard also has hot keys that open a variety of the Pocket PC’s programs and functions, including Word, Excel, and the calendar.

NEXT>

For more information on evaluating and purchasing a Pocket PC, see our new Pocket PC Information Center.