PDAs on a Diet

Call me old-fashioned, but I've never been seduced by the charms of electronic organizers. I know that everyone these days--from schoolkids to go-go executives--is packing a Palm, a Visor or a PocketPC. I know the devices now come in more colors than a Benetton window display. And I know that I could use a little more order in my life. But as long as they cost $300 (on average) and weighed in at half a pound, personal digital assistants, as they're called, always seemed too expensive and too heavy for me.

Now, however, PDAs are breaking out into all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some double as phones, while others look more like pagers. What finally caught my eye was a pair of credit-card-size organizers from Royal and Xircom. They looked small enough to slip into my pocket without so much as a bulge, and I liked the fact that I could carry one without listing to one side.

At first I was intrigued by the Royal Vista's adorable fold-up keyboard and rock-bottom $60 price. Even better, the Vista was supposed to synchronize addresses, appointments and to-do lists with Microsoft Outlook, the most popular personal-information manager for PCs. But Vista's keyboard got a lot less cute when I actually had to type on it. Entering my mom's address and phone number took about 10 minutes because I kept accidentally hitting a key that erased everything.

As my fingers uncramped, I finally wised up and started entering information directly on my PC. I figured that when I was done, I could just copy it into the Vista using the cable and synching software that came with it. I figured wrong. Plagued with error messages, I pored over the useless manual and misleading online troubleshooting suggestions on the Royal website--to no avail. Not until I got a replacement unit and downloaded a new file online was I able to get the thing to work right. Even then, the Vista had so many quirks and bugs--names would get truncated, strange error messages would pop up--that I was ready to toss it in the trash.

My hardened heart melted, however, when I gave Xircom's Rex 6000 a try. Originally sold by Franklin, the Rex line of organizers was bought by Xircom last year and upgraded in all sorts of fabulous ways. First, Rex comes with a tiny stylus you can use to tap out words on the onscreen "virtual" keypad. It sounds weird, but it works like a charm. Second, you can download daily news and entertainment updates from the rex.net site into the device. Just set Rex in its cradle and push a button. I was even able to get movie listings for up to three local theaters.

Most important, Rex works. Unlike the Vista, which gives gadgetry a bad name, Rex made even a techno-skeptic like me a little weak in the knees. It's impeccably stylish, right down to its cobalt blue docking station and purple cable connector, and at $150 to $190 (depending on the type of PC connection you choose), it's cheaper than most full-size handhelds. It's custom-made for notebook users who can slide it into a PC card slot for updates. True, it doesn't offer all the expansion options of the bigger handhelds, such as games, e-books and MP3 players. And I wish it had a backlit screen to make reading its small type easier in the dark. But overall, Rex does a great job delivering all your basic organizer needs plus daily news nuggets. I'm sold!

Questions for Anita? You can e-mail her at hamilton@time.com . For past technology columns, visit time.com/personal