NEC 900

This was the last of the NEC HPC line. It diverged from earlier Mobilepros in that it uses the XScale processor, a newer version of the ARM processor found in the Jornada HPC 720/728. This means it runs the newest and best of the HPC software for Windows CE 3.0. It is also the best built of the Mobilepros, carefully designed and reinforced. With 32mb of internal flash ram, you never lose data due to a power failure or software failure requiring hard reset. A feature envied by Jornada 720 owners. On the other hand, it is not portable like the Jornada either.

The cons: It does't fit in your pocket. It needs to be carried in a small pouch about the size of a double CD case. The DSTN screen stinks outdoors and is practically impossible to see. All DSTN color units are this way. Even with the 400 mHz processor, it handles animated graphics marginally as do all HPC units no matter the brand.

The pros: A real workhorse for typing on and data entry. Responsive touch screen and great colors indoors. Lots of HPC software available to do most anything. There are hundreds of great utilities, games, and productivity programs available for free. Batteries last a long time...you can use this thing for well over 6-7 hours without a recharge. Try that with a laptop. Instant on means just that...no warm up time. Works great with wireless networks and the Windows CE 3.0 offers a much better Internet Explorer than you will find with the CE 2.11 machines such as the Mobilepro 780 and earlier, or the Jornada 690 and earlier.

One great thing is that NEC upgraded this machine to CE.NET 4.2 during the last year of production. This newer operating system features a full Internet Explorer 6.0 which allows secure connections and much more. With the additional install of Jeode Java, nearly any site is accessible except those with propriatory connections. Again AOL seems to just be stubborn. The CE.NET operating system did away with the old Pocket Office Suite of applications, and instead, separate 3rd party applications are available. The software changes allow for many more hardware devices such as CD roms, USB memory drives, cameras, and much more to be used with the Mobilepro. With the install of the DLLS from the HPC 2000 operating system, the 900C runs not only all of those older HPC ARM programs, but will also run many pocketpc 2000, 2002 applications as well. This is really the ultimate HPC in HVGA format.

To see more info, visit HPCNEC.COM for non-partisan information, or the forums at HPCFactor.com to talk with real everyday users.