In the final installment of our PDA travel feature, we show you how your handheld can be your free source of leisure and entertainment, keeping you occupied on the go.

Your personal digital assistant (PDA) can help you plan your itinerary, track your holiday expenses, and even be your travel guide! But when you're bored stiff waiting for your flight to the sunny beaches in Bali, what you need most is a companion. Well, if you've a friend to travel with, it's fine and dandy. If you're traveling alone, then what better way to keep yourself entertained than using your trusty handheld!

In the final installment of our special PDA feature, we teach you how your PDA can keep you occupied while you wait for your next flight.

For Part One of this article, click here.

For Part Two of this article, click here.

Mind your language

It can be pretty intimidating to travel to a country when you can't even speak a single word of their language. You don't want to mistake a greeting for a threat, do you? So when you're in transit, why not spend the time learning the language of the country you're visiting with the help of your PDA?

With Dictionary, Palm users can have a handy translation dictionary in their pocket. Want to find out what's French for "Good morning"? Just enter it into your Palm. Different language modules that allow you to translate from English to Mandarin, English to Thai, and even English to Indonesian are also available on its website.

Another language aid worth investigating for Palm users is the TrueTerm Travel Dictionary. Like Dictionary, various language modules are also available, although they tend to be restricted to the European languages like Spanish or French. A version for Pocket PC users is also available.

Pocket PC users looking for a more powerful package should look no further than First Words in Hand. Unlike other language guides that only display text, this package includes phonetic spelling and audio clips so that you won't embarrass yourself trying to sound like a native.

Read your time away

Everybody carries a paperback novel in case their only source of in-flight entertainment is The Days of our Lives re-runs. If you're a PDA user, you can leave your paperbacks at home and read something on your handheld instead.

Both Palm and Pocket PC users can use the excellent AvantGo to access a wealth of information ranging from financial news to sports analysis. Before you leave for your holiday, just synchronise your PDA to get the latest updates to read at your leisure. Better yet, look for an infrared Internet access kiosk at the airport (as mention in Part One of this article) to retrieve the latest stories.

For Palm users with voracious reading appetites, Memoware has tons of free e-texts and e-books for you to download. From historical documents to science fiction novels, there's something for everyone. Just make sure that you've a document reader, like CSpotRun, iSilo, or TomeRaider, that can read those files.

If you're looking for award-winning materials by renowned authors, head down to Fictionwise for e-books that both Palm and Pocket PC users can read. Of course, these e-books come with a price.

For Pocket PC users, the Microsoft Reader that comes installed with your handheld is certainly a godsend. It not only lets you read e-books downloaded from the Net, it lets you listen to audiobooks that you can download from websites like Mediabay.com.

If you want a no-frills reader, you can simply use your Pocket Word to read the text of classic Charles Dickens novels downloaded from the Project Gutenburg website.

Games to go

Although your PDA is no Gameboy, it can still serve as a pretty nifty gaming machine when you're on the road. Just make sure that the bleeps from your handheld don't disturb your fellow passengers!

There're plenty of Palm-based games out there but when you're stuck in your economy class seat, you want something that can keep you entertained for a long time. One game that'll keep you enthralled for hours is the incredible Kyle's Quest. This role-playing game is like something straight out of Nintendo. It lets you control a character and guide him through various fantastic quests. You can even download enticingly titled adventures like Fatal Fantasy and War of the Magi.

Another great way to occupy your time is to play the addictive trading game DopeWars or its more futuristic-themed counterpart SolarWars. If action is what you're looking for, try the graphically impressive space arcade shooter Zap!2000.

For something more cerebral, you can challenge your Palm in a game of chess with ChessGenius or exercise your strategic thinking skills with the popular card game of Big Two.

While the Pocket PC can't emulate the immersive experience of playing Counter-Strike on your PC, it can still be a pretty cool gaming machine. A great game on the Pocket PC is Galactic Realms (also available for Palm), a real-time strategy game that follows the 'gather-build-destroy' formula of popular PC games like Command & Conquer. If you want a game with impressive eye-candy and great gameplay, try Space Treker. An epic game of space exploration, this one is great fun for those with intergalactic aspirations.

Want something simpler? There're always arcade-styled games like the colorful bubble-bursting Bubblets and board games like PocketChess.

For Part One of this article, click here.

For Part Two of this article, click here.

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