The Philips Nino 300 Series ($399 - $550) is by far the best tool/toy family to hit the stores since Radio Shack came out with its electronic telephone directory. However, many people fail to realize that the Nino is actually a mobile computer, not just an organizer. With the right applications and memory allocation it can do almost anything your desktop can. No kidding.

How Does it Work and What Does it Look Like?

The Nino runs on Windows CE 2.0 and a 75 MHz MIPS processor. So what if the colors are limited to four shades of gray? Just look at this thing! It comes in a metallic-silver coated casing that features eight additional, ergonomically positioned and easy to use buttons. Four can be programmed to launch applications, and the remaining four are for navigation. The Nino comes with either 4 MB or 8 MB of ROM with a full suite of productivity programs and solitaire already installed. You can also add up to an additional 48 MB of RAM to the system [via compact flash card]. There is even a cute little attachable modem that works with analog phone lines and only adds another inch to the length of the unit. It comes with a rechargeable battery (10+ hrs), stylus, docking cradle, serial connector cable, AC adapter, and stylish carrying case.

Admittedly, the hardware takes some getting used to. The muscles in my left hand and wrist burned for the first three days or so because the buttons felt so awkward. The included stylus was also uncomfortable at first because it is so thin, short, and has no padding. Those annoying sensations went away very quickly though, and the now unit fits my hand like I was born with it.

Will it synchronize with my PC?

The synchronization process between the Nino and your desktop can be fully automated, and you can download both additional programs and third-party applications to the device. Every now and then the process can seem unwieldy because duplication conflicts and errors in writing to memory can occur. For the most part (about 96% of the time) the sync process is seamless and only requires that you to put the Nino in the cradle.

What about the software?

The Nino comes with several applications pre-loaded, including Pocket Outlook, Mobile Channels, Note Taker, smARTWriter Lite, Pocket Commander, Voice Recorder, Calculator, and of course, Solitaire. Pocket Outlook is really a suite of four 'sub-applications' which allow you to maintain a Contacts list with robust functions, create emails on the go with Inbox, stay on track with Tasks and get there on time with Calendar. Mobile Channels is a P/PC special function and extension of Microsoft's Active Channel technology that makes it possible for you to carry offline websites for convenient reading.

Note Taker (a somewhat stripped down version of Notepad) allows you take notes, create memos, jot down phone conversations, make to do lists, and produce documents. SmARTWriter Lite lets you use your own handwriting as input, and you can write normally, landscape, or even upside-down. Pocket Commander (Lite version) is a voice recognition program that will launch applications, files, and dial phone numbers (you have to press a button or tap the icon for to work though). Voice Recorder lets you create audio memos and voice email (short, but YES, voice email). Calculator is pretty self explanatory, and who would leave out Solitaire? With the ability to download programs, files, and applications into the Nino, the pre-loaded software is just the beginning. Built in security even lets you protect it all with a password!

Adding new software is easy, but in most cases you will need a PC running Windows 95/98/NT and Internet Explorer 4.0 to download the files from the Internet (source of most files) or disks to the device. Most demo and third-party applications are 'try it and buy it', meaning that you have a grace period before you are required to pay for continued use. The demos are free, and most full versions or shareware registrations are relatively inexpensive. Just about anything software you can think of is already available, and more is on the way. Don't worry about inadvertently erasing something vital like I did; the Nino comes with a simple backup utility, and I was up and running again in less than fifteen minutes.

The Verdict

Compared to the Palm Series I'd have to give the Philips Nino two thumbs up. While there aren't yet as many peripheral devices or the same extensive database of specific applications I would still buy the Nino over a Palm III any day. It is sleek, subtle, extremely fun to use, and expandable to grow with you. This thing is simply amazing! And while the Palms have more 'stuff' to choose from, you can pretty much get around anything except the wireless modem and pager card with the software and hardware already available. I've spoken with several retailers and vendors and they've assured me that the carrying cases and peripherals that aren't currently on the shelves are on the way. Besides, the Windows CE 2.0 devices just came out this year, whereas the Palms came out over three years ago. Give it six months or so and Palm Pilots will be the dinosaurs that only Palm enthusiasts would love.