Considered by many the indisputable leader in the handheld computer industry, Hewlett-Packard once again sets new standards for the competition with its 620LX palmtop PC.
The 620LX is one of the few colour handheld devices out now - although the upcoming colour Sharp Mobilon HC-4500 seems set to offer stiff competition.
Consequently, the 620LX is an ideal gadget for mobile professionals who like the clarity and attractiveness of a laptop screen and convenience of an instant-on organiser - all in a size that conceivably can be carried in a jacket pocket.
Incorporating a colour screen begs the question of how much power it consumes, but I found the battery life of the 620LX acceptable if you use it only occasionally, especially if you enable the automatic screen dimming as well as suspend mode.
If you use it continuously, however, the battery life is abysmal, with roughly four hours of straight usage against more than 10 for even the most mediocre monochrome PDAs.
The 620LX uses a special lithium-ion battery pack which must be charged with the accompanying AC unit. Unfortunately, this means you can't just pop in fresh AA batteries when it goes flat.