The thing is, I dont know what information is going to be useful at a given moment. Thats why a robust Net connection is on the top of my list of Things I Need to See in a Palmtop Before I Buy One.

Here, in fact, is that list:

Real Web browsing. I want at least 128Kbps, but Ill settle for 56K until 3G debuts. It has to be through a standard cellular vendor (i.e., not PalmNet) so I can use the ISP of my choice. A dongle to connect the thing to a cell phone doesnt count. And the browser has to be good enough to handle standard HTML 4 Web pages so they look at least reasonable.

Decent hardware expansion. My palmtop would have to replace a number of separate gadgets I might use, like my cell phone, GPS (with street maps), and an MP3 playerwho wants to have a half-dozen boxes hanging off his belt?

Technically, I can do that nowHandsprings Visors have plug-in modules for all those things. But you can only use one add-on at a time; you have to plug and unplug gadgets as you need them. Imagine having a single port on your desktop computer and having to plug and unplug your network, printer, scanner, and what-have-you to switch devices. Forget it.

The Sharp Zaurus SL-5500 has both CompactFlash and Secure Digital (SD) slots, and comes with a built-in MP3 player, so its at least a slot better than the Visors (although the only thing I see available in SD format is memory). And some PocketPCs at least have CompactFlash slots. Palms devices dont offer anything beyond keyboardshow 1998 is that?

Upgradeability. Perhaps the most annoying thing about palmtops and handhelds is that so many cant be upgraded, because the major apps are in ROM. Thats the case with Windows-based products; if you go the PocketPC route, youre stuck forever with the built-in apps. Who wants to waste their money on a PocketPC 2002 machine only to find out that PocketPC XP comes out next year? (Microsoft launched PocketPC 2002 calling it an incremental upgrade. But to get this incremental upgrade, you need to buy an entirely new computer! The exceptions are people with flash-upgradeable Compaq iPaqs, and even they dont get all the new doo-dads.)

The Zaurus has the same problem; lots of applications are going to be available thanks to its Linux OS, but the major, built-in ones are trapped in ROM. Palm and Handspring both get it right, with flash-upgradeable OSs and apps. Smart move, guys.

More memory. When 16MB of storage is supposed to be a lot, somethings wrong. Kudos to Sharp for giving the Zaurus 64MB, which is at least reasonable. Yeah, yeah, I remember when 30MB was more than enough to store everything you wanted, but I also remember when $17,500 sounded like a great salary. If I want road maps on the thing, I shouldnt have to pick and choose which areas of the country I can fit in RAM. And no, using an expansion slot to add storage doesnt count.

Am I dreaming with a list like this? Not even close. GPS receivers are being bundled with more and more things; soon theyll be built in to palmtops. Ditto for cell phonesHandsprings Treo is way cool, but the OS isnt upgradeable, and it isnt expandable. MRAM technology is only a year or two away (see my Editors Note of January) and that will add gobs of cheap storage in a tiny space.

Until thenwhen I can get a palmtop with a built-in cell phone, 56K modem, GPS, and upgradeable OSIll save my money. But I have a feeling I wont be waiting too much longer.

Andrew Kantor