If you are trying to buy a palmtop computer, you will know how hard it is to see past the hype surrounding the PalmPilot. But there are other good handheld computers on the market and Psion, a British-based company, has long been one of the best alternatives.
Psion's latest is the 5mx. This new Psion is predictably silver-grey - the de facto colour for mobile computers these days. However, the 5mx, a clamshell device, is designed for functionality. While lacking the sexy curves and the petite form of the Sharp Zaurus, it is nevertheless modestly pretty.
At six inches long and less than an inch deep, the 5mx is remarkably compact, especially considering its 53-key keyboard. You can also key in with a stylus using the on-screen keyboard.
The 5mx runs the EPOC operating system from Symbian. Surrounding the 5.5-inch greyscale screen are 14 hot-keys which let you open system programs on the left and bottom of the screen - essentially like a hard-wired task bar. These shortcuts really let you save time when you need to switch back and forth between programs.
The EPOC32 OS, which has been rewritten in 100 per cent Java, can easily handle multiple programs at one time. With 10 applications open to test its multi-tasking endurance, the 5mx did not hang or encounter delays. That is an excellent performance, compared with similar Windows CE machines.
The interface, which is very similar to Windows and Macintosh, is comforting to experienced computer users. There are applications which are very similar to Word, Excel and Outlook from Microsoft in both form and functionality, which will help PC users pick them up quickly.
Most of the important functions such as changing font sizes and text-formatting are included, as well as expert features such as plotting graphs and tables.