Palm Tungsten W

The excellent RIM BlackBerry 7230 earned a place on our A List thanks to its email messaging abilities, but as a PDA it was distinctly ordinary. If you want up-to-date email on the move, plus all the benefits of Palm OS 4.1, the Tungsten W may well be your ideal partner.

Palm replaces the usual Graffiti writing area with a keyboard, which is a sensible option when it comes to dashing off quick emails or SMS messages. If you prefer, you can use Jot to write on screen. We were less enamoured by the screen itself, which isn't as bright as the later Tungstens and suffers from worse viewing angles. But the area where it truly falls behind is speed, with the 33MHz chip resulting in a notable lag as you switch between apps.

The Tungsten W isn't tied to any one operator; you just slot your SIM card into the back and use the supplied configuration tool (on an SD card) to set up your services. There's plenty on offer too, including WAP browsing, web browsing, SMS and email - everything the mobile professional needs. The generous software bundle includes VersaMail 2, Palm Web Browser Pro and DataViz's Documents To Go 5.

As a PDA, it's head and shoulders above the RIM BlackBerry 7230 and it has similarly exceptional battery life: 33 hours under light use with the backlight off. Unlike the 7230, though, you'll have to switch on the backlight most of the time and it can't be used as a mobile phone without the earphone/mouthpiece plugged in, which can cause chaos when you have an incoming call.

The Tungsten W doesn't knit in so tightly with a corporate email structure either and requires the unit to poll for mail rather than having it sent directly. But the Tungsten W is a decent option if you're a Palm fan looking for email on the move. However, before you buy, consider the Tungsten T3 paired with a Bluetooth mobile phone, or the new Handspring Treo 600.