Psion's Revo handheld device, running Symbian's 32-bit EPOC operating system, stacks up well against systems based on Palm OS or Windows CE. Already the leader in the European handheld market, Psion is targeting a broad expansion to the United States and Australasia, and you should take notice.
In tests, PC Week Labs found that Psion's latest offering, the 7.8-ounce Revo, has the power and features to match comparable Palm and CE devices.
Psion's fate depends largely on Symbian's ability to attract US and Australasian developers and third-party manufacturers to EPOC. A joint venture of Ericsson, Matsushita Communication Industrial, Motorola, Nokia and Psion, Symbian has extensive developer support in Europe for EPOC.
Psion began shipping the Revo, along with the larger Series 7, outside of Europe last month. Each device offers a suite of Windows-style applications that runs impressively on EPOC. Release 5 of the operating system includes support for Java -- a notable advantage in the handheld market. With its scanty 8MB of RAM, however, the Revo can't get much out of Java.
In tests, we used a desktop PC to browse, copy, print and manage files stored on a Revo using the included PsiWin 2.3 application. PsiWin also enabled us to convert Psion files to Microsoft's application file formats and vice versa.
The Revo also features synchronization for e-mail, calendar items, and lists such as contacts and tasks. We synchronised these elements from Microsoft's Outlook 98 with little difficulty.
The eyeglass-case-size device has a clamshell-type design in which the keyboard and screen slide out when the device is opened. We were able to hold the device and type reasonably well on its 53-key QWERTY keypad with our thumbs. The Revo includes no native handwriting recognition capabilities, but add-ons are available from third-party developers.
It has a 480-by-160-pixel, 16-shade monochrome touch-screen that is exceptionally clear, but it has no back light -- a serious drawback.
Revo's Arm 36MHz 710T RISC processor runs applications crisply. The 8MB of RAM cannot be expanded but is adequate for EPOC and its key applications. The Revo is powered by two embedded nickel-metal hydride batteries, which will provide about 12.5 hours of use between charges, Psion officials said. We would prefer a lithium-ion battery, but the batteries performed as advertised and could be charged to 85 percent in 90 minutes. There is no backup battery. If the batteries run low, the operating system shuts down, but the battery retains enough charge to keep the memory alive for about two weeks.
The Revo ships with a docking station that connects to a PC serial port. A serial port on the Revo's underside connects the device to both the PC and the Revo AC adapter, which connects to the docking station.
When used with Psion's IRDA travel modem, the Revo provides Internet connectivity for Post Office Protocol 3 e-mail, Short Message Service messaging and Web browsing. The Revo can also make an infrared connection to data-capable phones from Ericsson and Nokia.
Series 7 offers more
At the high end of Psion's line is the new Series 7, which measures 9.2 inches wide, 7.1 inches long and 1.5 inches high and weighs 2.5 pounds. It features a 7.7-inch backlit VGA color touch-screen and a subnotebook-size keyboard.
Priced at AU$1,964, the Series 7 runs on an Intel 132.71MHz StrongARM 1100 CPU with 16MB of RAM, expandable to 32MB.
The Series 7 includes one CompactFlash Type 2 slot that will support IBM's forthcoming MicroDrive card and one PC Card Type 2 slot for peripherals. Its IRDA port supports infrared connections. The Series 7 uses a removable lithium-ion battery pack rated for 8.5 hours between charges.
Psion REVO
Company: Psion PLC
Australian Distributor: Vodafone
Price as tested: AU$790 rrp
Weight with batteries: 7.8 oz.
Display: Grayscale
RAM included: 8MB
Platform: Psion
Psion Series 7
Company: Psion PLC
Australian Distributor: Vodafone
Price as tested: AU$1,964 rrp
Weight with batteries: 2.5 pounds
Display: Grayscale
RAM included: 16MB
Platform: Psion
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