To decide what kind of PDA is right for you, you've got a few questions to ask yourself.

Organizer or PC companion?
If you're just looking for something to keep you organized that's easy to pop in your shirt pocket or purse, you'll want a palm-sized device, not a handheld.

It does the trick by keeping track of appointments, contacts, and expenses, offering minimal data input, and affording you the option to add extra software and hardware.

If you want something that will work more like your PC, allowing you to edit and work with applications using a real keyboard, save files, and browse the Web, a handheld is best suited for you.

Lots of data manipulation?
Are you going to be using your PDA to do a lot of data input?

For example, if communicating via e-mail is going to be a big part of your PDA's job, then get used to keeping messages short and choppy if you get a palm-sized device.

Using the stylus pen, whether tapping out letters on the virtual keyboard or writing with one-stroke symbols, is OK for short and sweet messages. But if you are used to being wordy in your e-mail messages, the lack of a keyboard will try your patience.

Long battery life?
Is your PDA going to be on for a while? If you expect to surf the Web or play Tetris for hours, you need to take battery life into consideration.

Keep in mind that handhelds, between their colored screens and tendency to run higher-end applications, will eat up your batteries pretty quickly. They can run on 2 alkaline batteries for an average of 8-20 hours.

Palm-sized devices, on the other hand, can run for a month on 2 batteries. (Half that with a colored screen.)

Some of the newer models come with rechargeable lithium batteries that will last longer than alkaline batteries. But if your device runs on alkaline batteries, you can still invest in rechargeable ones.

Frequent Web access?
If you're a mobile employee that can't deal with being off-line for very long, you're in luck. You can get online with handhelds and most palm-sized PDAs.

Handhelds, with their larger screens and internal modems, are the smart choice. Browsing isn't all that different from being online right at your desktop.

If you need Web access and your heart is set on the tiny size of a palm-sized device, you have the option of the Palm VII, which has integrated wireless Web access. Alternatively, you could buy an attachable external modem to get online.

But keep in mind that with palm-sized PDAs, Web access won't be like what you experience at your desktop. There is software available that will cut out a lot of bulk - like graphics - to make accessing information a little easier. But browsing is still pretty limited.

The bottom line: Don't pay extra for Web access if you are going to be completely annoyed surfing the Web on a screen smaller than your hand.