The Nino is capable of storing a lot more data than the Palm III. But if you take the time to analyze this shortcoming in the PalmPilot, you'll come to realize the Nino NEEDS the extra memory. Windows CE and its applications are huge by comparison. Typical add-on programs amount into the hundreds of kilobytes or even megabytes, compared to PalmPilot applications which take up tens of kilobytes at best. With just a few add-ons, you'll see the standard Nino's 4MB disappear rather quickly.

Even armed with these facts, 3Com should look to emulate some of the Nino's features in their next generation Palm organizer. A lithium battery backup is not a feature, its a necessity when you're on the road and don't have a pair of spare AAAs handy. A charging cradle with NimH or Lithium ion battery packs give the owner peace of mind when the device is synchronizing, plus they have the advantage of being ecologically correct because they are re-usable. Auto synchronization is an extremely useful feature as well. How many times have you forgotten to press the HotSync button after a heavy session with your email program or contact manager on your PC, only to find that precious contact information isn't there when you needed it later?

And let's not forget the Nino's superior screen and sound. Now that the Web is ingrained in all of our lifestyles, its time for Palm to follow suit with a device that has a screen good enough to display dynamic fonts and shaded graphics, and has a decent sound processing engine. The Palm III's current screen is poorly suited to displaying Web content. We want the bells and whistles!

All this being said, we think the units are for users with different lifestyles and needs. Our assessment is that the Palm III is a better organizer because of its ease of use and long battery life, but the Palm-size PC makes a better mobile computer and PDA because of its superior processing power and can use more complex applications. The Palm III is also smaller and thinner than the Nino, which is a nice advantage if you want to carry it around in your shirt pocket.

Next month, we'll take a look at the two machines based on software capabilities and usability. Stay tuned for the next installment!

Jason Perlow is a computer consultant and freelance writer living in the NYC metro area. He can be reached via email at the incredibly cool address of jason@argonautsystems.com.