Whether you call it a handheld or PDA, one thing's for sure - people love them. Like a cell phone, once you start using a personal digital assistant (PDA) to manage yourself, it can be hard to imagine life without one.

PDAs first showed up as scarcely more than electronic organizers, tracking appointments and personal contacts. But today these devices have emerged as the more readily accessible equivalent of your PC, with fairly sophisticated interfacing and synchronization capabilities.

Want to join the masses and become a PDA owner but not quite sure where to start? Read on.

Handheld, PDA, palm-top, palm-sized device - these names are used loosely and interchangeably. But there is an important distinction: palm-sized and handheld devices are different species with different characteristics.

The term PDA has come to be a universally accepted one for both handheld and palm-sized devices.

Palm-sized
Palm-sized devices fit snugly in your palm, which inspired the name of 3Com's well-known contribution to the PDA arena: the PalmPilot.

Though they started out as electronic organizers, today's palm-sized devices offer features far beyond organization.

Unlike the larger handhelds, palm-sized PDAs don't include a keyboard. Rather, owners tap on a virtual keyboard or write with specially recognized strokes using a stylus pen.

Writing with the stylus is possible with the use of handwriting technology software, like the well-known Graffiti that comes standard on Palm's devices. Users must get used to using special one-stroke symbols that resemble English letters, which the software recognizes and then displays in normal computer font.

Palm-sized devices, also referred to as palm-tops, are easy to transport - they're tiny and ultra light, weighing only a few ounces.

In addition to tracking appointments and contacts, you can also use hardware with many palm-sized models -- like modems and MP3 players -- and install basic software on them.

Most handhelds come with spreadsheet and word processing applications. An internal modem and colored screen are also standard. Such sophisticated usability has earned them the right to be considered more of a companion to your PC than an electronic organizer.

Handhelds are also referred to as HPCs, since the majority run on the Microsoft Windows-CE operating system.

So if you do buy a PDA, what's really in it for you?

PDAs are quite an information tool for their size. You can maintain all your contact information and appointments in one central place, and synchronize this data with your PC. These days, too, you can use your PDA to send and receive email, surf the Web, and even play games.

There's also no bulk - you're not exactly lugging around a notebook. You can easily toss one into your purse, pocket, or briefcase.

And, unlike battery-draining notebooks, PDAs have a pretty long life without being recharged. You can keep many models running for a month on batteries -- typically a couple of AAA or AA alkaline batteries. (If your PDA has a colored screen, however, alkaline batteries will last a couple of weeks; color drains battery juice.)

They also do far more than organize. You can use them to get online, send and receive e-mail, and listen to music. The most sophisticated of these toys are part of an emerging breed of all-in-one "information devices."

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.

Add-ons and extras are important to PDA lovers, if the warm welcome received by the newcomer in the PDA world-the Handspring Visor - is any indication. Its Springboard feature allows easy snap-in installation of software and hardware modules, making your PDA even more versatile. For more on the Springboard click here.

There are accessories available for just about all PDA models - both hardware and software - that can make your pocket-sized companion a source for information, communication, and entertainment. They range from practical to somewhat silly.

can range from games to fax software to currency converters to mapping applications. You can even dish out $30 for a CD-ROM that compiles some of the best software programs available for PDAs.

As long as your model is compatible with the peripheral, installation is relatively easy.

Palm-sized devices run in the range of $100-$500, depending on the features and memory you want.

Palm in particular has been slashing prices on its most popular models. For example, the Palm VII is now available for $450, already down $150 from its intro pricing in the spring of 1999, and the low-end Palm IIIe model is now available for $150 (matching the price of its hot new competitor - the Visor from Handspring).

Handheld devices run in the area of $400-$800 - again, depending on the type of model you go with.

If you plan on adding extra options, it will boost your price. For example, adding a modem to a palm-sized device will run you $130. And if you decide you can't deal well with a stylus only, expect to dish out $100 for a keyboard.

Warranty woes
You'll become dependent on your PDA, so get a warranty that will give you a loaner if yours needs fixing.

Sync or swim
Back up, back up, back up. There is nothing more devastating than losing all the information you've gathered on a PDA. And the tiny devices can easily be lost.

Check the memory
Make sure your PDA comes with enough memory from the get go for what you'll need to do with it. Applications are notorious memory hogs.