With all the flash of Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system, one might easily assume that it's the far superior handheld OS. But we wanted to really compare the features of Pocket PC 2002 and Palm OS 4.0 to see exactly what you get with each. The contest isn't quite as one-sided as you might suspect. Pocket PC has the clear lead in multimedia, but Palm's OS works with more operating systems and PIMs and has a giant library of third-party software to supplement many of its shortcomings. As with many things, your particular priorities will ultimately determine which OS is a better match for you.

As you read through the chart on the next page, keep in mind that we are comparing the operating systems--not specific handhelds. So while the Palm OS supports a screen resolution of only 160x160 pixels, Sony offers PDAs with 320x320-pixel displays, and HandEra sells a 320x240 model.

Palm and Pocket PC features compared
Which OS does what? Our chart will show you.

The editors sound off
Our handheld experts give their opinions about the relative merits of these two popular handheld operating systems.

On to the chart!