Are pocket pc better than laptops?

I have both and use them both differently so it is less a matter of comparing than working out what you want to do.

I speak at a lot of conferences about technology and its uses principally for education and when I start my speeches I usually explain to the audience what I use and how it all works. It goes something like this:

I have a tablet computer - this is like a laptop but if you imagine walking around with just the lid of your laptop you will get the idea. In this instance though it is actually the whole computer and I do all my work on it on a docking station in the office. When I go out I take my tablet with me and I can write on it with stylus that is either stored in my handwriting or will convert into text according to how I set it up.

I also have a pocket PC which is also a mobile phone. I generally use this for my to do lists and for any quick notes I need to remind myself about things. I have a 2 gigabite storiage card on this device and I save all my digital stories and learning games (these are what I create for teachers to make their lessons interesting) so I can demonstrate them at any time.

www.digitalstorytellingworld.com

The other technology I have is an ipod although I do not use it a great deal for listening to music. It is another device on which I load my movies and stuff to show people as the resolution is very good.

The other most valuable item I have is a global positioning system unit which is a pocket PC but which I only use for GPS in the car. It is great being told where to go.... But I have to admit that she sounds a bit annoyed if I take the wrong turning and she has to recalculate the route!

As a safety issue I keep all my data on an external hard-drive and I regularly burn discs of material that I have created and am unlikely to edit any further. By keeping stuff on the external hard drive I keep the tablet running more efficiently as it only has programmes and data on which I am working at the time to deal with and not a huge amount stored in the background.

My tablet is a Fujitsu stylistic and I love it. I did look at a range of laptops that are also tablets by virtue of the lid swivelling around but I found that the single spindle is not too robust and likely to become wobbly very quickly.

www.fujitsu.com

So think first about what you are actually wanting to do and then look at the equipment that enables you to do that best. Then when you have made your decision buy the very best that you can afford - buying cheap hardware may seem like a bargain but often it is a false economy.

Then just enjoy yourself!!