Pocket PC

Pocket PCs continue to keep pace with their full-sized cousins, to the point where the best of the pocket PCs can perform a wide variety of "big PC" functions and still fit in the palm of your hand. The term "pocket PC" gets frequently used and misused in conversation, and it is often confused with PDA. The truth is that a pocket PC is essentially a small-scale computer that runs on some version of Microsoft Windows Mobile software.

Technically, there are a few more attributes that the device must have in order to properly be called a pocket PC. It has to have a touch screen as well as a directional pad or touch pad. It also must contain a pre-determined bundle of ROM applications, and it must run on an ARM-Version-Four-compatible CPU.

Pocket PCs were designed to function essentially as little PCs that you could fit in your pocket, and their range of functions reflects this purpose. You can find pocket PCs that allow you to access your e-mail and even use the ever-popular MSN Messenger. Some of the better pocket PCs even have the ability to play games over the Internet.

Although pocket PCs technically have to run on Microsoft Windows Mobile software, there are a number of different manufacturers who have a pocket PC in their lineup. You can find pocket PCs that run as high as $800 or more, but there are also inexpensive models that perform some of the most popular functions, like e-mail retrieval, scheduling, etc. You can find pocket PCs that run for as little as $200, and if you are diligent, you can even find quality used late-model pocket PCs for even less.