GPS
If street maps are what you're after, there are some other options available as well. Navicom has HandyGPS, featuring such GPS favorites as date, time, position, bearing, course, and speed. It's at http://www.nexian.com/handygps/handygps.htm. GeoDiscovery also has a GPS device out called Geode that provides easy-to-scroll maps and travel information. It can be found by visiting http://www.geodiscovery.com/products.htm#04. One unique feature their representative pointed out to me is the fact that their GPS system can tell where you are even when you're standing still.

Does the fact that orbiting satellites are routinely monitoring our location bother anyone else? I've become paranoid of Global Positioning Systems since reading about how terrorists could soon harness this technology in order to aim missiles with pinpoint accuracy. This makes the threat personal, as now some rogue state nutcase can target my third floor apartment while I'm out barbecuing on my deck. And this begs the question, how long until someone develops the Ballistic Missile Targeting module for the Springboard expansion slot?

Leaving such paranoia behind, I decided to move on and check out Sony's yet unnamed handheld device. It was the one item about which I had heard the most pre-show buzz.

Sony
They say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to Sony's new handheld, there's not much else to do. It wasn't terribly striking to look at, and it probably wouldn't have drawn much attention if it weren't for the fact that it was securely locked under a glass case as if it were the crown jewels. It even had a personal guard, cleverly disguised as a marketing representative.

Curious gawkers could do little but press their noses against the glass and squint at it. As if that might make it look less drab. It was difficult to judge, but it appeared taller and narrower than the typical handheld. A partially inserted memory stick poked from the top. The device was blue and silver in color, slim, and had rather severe looking edges. Personally, I prefer the sleek curves of a Palm V.

The admirers crowding around the display case were naturally curious, but their questions were deflected by the apologetic guard/marketing guy who could only say that, because it was a prototype, there was little accurate information he could give, as things could change by the release date. He did reveal that versions will be available with both color and grayscale screens, and it should be on the market in time for the holidays.

I asked about the memory stick, as I wondered if the slot would be similar to Handspring's Springboard expansion slot. No, he assured me, it was just for memory.

Inside the Palm pavilion
After visiting Handspring and Sony, I dutifully checked out the Palm booth, which looked quite spectacular this year. They had even more cool hardware goodies for my toy-seeking entertainment and gratification. I'll describe some of them for you.

C-Pen
C Technologies' C-Pen immediately caught my attention. It's at http://www.c-pen.com. The device is actually a pocket-sized, handheld computer shaped like a bulbous pen. It's pictured in Figure C.