The Cassiopeia BE-300 looks like a Pocket PC and in some respects it is, but then again, it isn't a Pocket PC at all. How so?

Well, Casio has licensed the Windows CE operating system from Microsoft, avoiding the more prevalent Pocket PC 2002. The company has put this into hardware resembling a Pocket PC and then written applications to sit on top of it. The result is a handheld PC that looks the business but doesn't cost as much as a Pocket PC.

The BE-300 application suite covers the range you'd usually expect from a handheld PC. There is a calendar, contact manager, to-do list, notes application, email tool, web browser, calculator and clock. You can add applications for playing music files and viewing movie clips. It also comes with PC connectivity software.

The touch-sensitive screen can show 32,768 colours. Pocket PC systems manage double this but unless you intend to spend a lot of time viewing images, it really isn't an issue.

There is 16Mb of memory for data and a 16Mb ROM for permanent application storage. You can replace any of the applications with updated versions or alternatives - the ultimate in personalisation.

The Type II Compact Flash card slot means you can add more memory, software and even hardware like digital cameras, and the docking cradle is USB.

The BE 300 is a lot less expensive than Pocket PC PDAs, and the software supplied does its job well enough. If you are on a tight budget and want a PDA with a colour screen and Compact Flash expansion, this is a nice product. If you don't require those two things, though, a low-end Palm or Visor might be an alternative.

Contact
Casio: 020 8450 9131 www.casio.co.uk

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Toshiba E570
A small and lightweight Pocket PC that's worth the extra money.
£469
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Computeractive, Issue 103