Is the PDA dead? Not yet

Is the PDA really dead? Some pundits insist that the rising popularity of smartphones means curtains for personal digital assistants, which were popularized by Palm. The argument: Consumers want one device that does it all.

Earlier this month, after Palm announced a deal with Microsoft to license its operating system for the popular Treo Smartphone, some wags called it the last gasp for the Palm OS. But last week Palm introduced two PDAs, the Palm Z22, aimed at bargain hunters, and the Palm TX, packed with features that business users covet, such as WiFi, Bluetooth, and support for a program that lets you remotely access an office or home computer.

Last spring the company unleashed the LifeDrive, a sleek ''mobile manager" with a large color screen, business and multimedia applications and a roomy 4GB hard drive. And wireless, too.

That's a far cry from the Palm Pilot of yore that simply organized your calendar, contact, and to-do list. While Sony abandoned the PDA market earlier this year, Palm's still looking high and low for business with the new Z22, priced at $99 and the TX, $299.

The TX sports some of the same features found on the $500 LifeDrive. Sans the Life-Drive's 4GB hard drive for storing movies and other large multimedia files, the TX is nonetheless gorgeous to behold since it comes with the same high-resolution screen.

Thinner and lighter weight than the LifeDrive, the TX bears more resemblance to Palm's Tungsten PDA. Home, calendar, Web, contact, and a five-way navigator button are easily accessible on the front of the device; other features such as the Bluetooth settings can be accessed via an on-screen ''status bar."

With WiFi (802.11b) and Bluetooth support you can retrieve e-mail, send a text message or browse the Web. Rotate the display horizontally for a wider view of Web pages. The unit's Blazer Web browser did a nice job of reformatting most Web pages for display on the PDA's screen.

Like the LifeDrive, the TX comes with DataViz Documents to Go, software that lets you view, create and edit Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. And it syncs Microsoft Outlook as well as Palm's desktop application. The included VersaMail application was a snap to configure for downloading e-mail from my Gmail account, and it handles other Web-based e-mail, including Yahoo and Hotmail.

The TX comes with 128MB of storage. An expansion slot accepts MultiMediaCard, SD, and SDIO cards. I popped an SD card from my digital camera into the slot and quickly had a slide show up and running with transitions, although the TX doesn't include an option for background music like the LifeDrive. You can also watch video clips.

Pocket Tunes plays MP3s and podcasts either through an external speaker on the back of the TX or through the stereo headphone jack. Although it's supposed to work with the Rhapsody online music service, I wasn't able to get it to recognize the TX.

While the LifeDrive is cool, it's been rapped for poor battery life. My TX review unit was just about out of juice after five days, about what a company spokesman predicted from normal usage.

The Z22, which replaces Palm's lowest-end Zire, is the company's first hand-held with a color screen in this price range. Palm has sold a ton of cheap Zires through retailers such as Target; no doubt they're looking to keep that going, offering a bit more bang for the buck by adding color this holiday season.

The Z22 sports a simple white case and the usual Palm organizer applications (calendar, contacts, memo, to-do list), as well as a new game called ''Crazy Daisy" that's about as basic as the Z22. You can also transfer photos from your PC onto the Z22 via the included USB cable and create basic slide shows.

Let's be clear: This is a case of you get what you pay for. I was underwhelmed by the blocky low-res color screen, particularly hard to look at after laying eyes on the gorgeous displays that come with Palm's new TX and the LifeDrive. Still, for $99, getting color and the basics is a decent deal.

With the Z22, Palm's targeting the tech-timid masses still using paper organizers, as well as cash-strapped students. If your needs are simple and a Smartphone that handles organizer chores, phone calls, e-mail, Web browsing, and text messaging is beyond your means, the Z22 is a reasonably priced, easy to use electronic organizer.

For more advanced users on a budget, the TX is a much more robust option. Last week Palm also said it will support two TX services: MobiTV, and Avvenu, a free service for accessing files on your home or office PC.

According to a spokesman for Palm, the company did some research and determined that many people have access to wireless networks at home, in the office or at school. Among the items on their wish lists was to be able to retrieve e-mail sitting on the couch or to browse the Web in far-flung corners of the campus or office.

While I loved being able to do just that, I missed the convenience when I was out of range of a wireless hot spot. Some power users may not be satisfied by anything less than being constantly wired. For them, the PDA may indeed be dead.

For those with less stringent expectations, the new Palm TX looks like a winner.

Michelle Johnson is a freelance writer. Her e-mail address is mijohn@mail-me.com.