Sharp ZQ-590 review

When handheld computers first appeared they were austere, functional devices that were designed to replace corporate bigwigs' filofaxes. Over the years, new and interesting features appeared, and they became more appealing to home users.

Nowadays, in addition to storing names and addresses, handhelds also let you play Game Boy-like games, save Internet pages for later perusal and store e-mail, contacts and calendar information. Expensive models even act as navigation devices using the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Sharp's ZQ-590 is a simple alternative to these machines - an electronic organiser that looks and feels like a pocket calculator, rather than a full-blown handheld computer. The coarse dot-matrix display looks rather dated, and the blocky text isn't particularly comfortable to read over a lengthy period of time. You'll also need to turn on the backlight most the time, as the highly reflective screen is difficult to read in poor lighting, severely draining the battery.

Data is entered using a plastic stylus that's stored in a slot behind the screen. As with other handhelds, a picture of a keyboard is displayed and you use the stylus to tap on the letter you want. Unlike other handhelds, this is the only input method available - there's no handwriting recognition function - so entering data can become tricky if you're on a shaky bus or train and keep hitting the wrong letters with your stylus.

As well as the usual memo and to-do lists, the Sharp has a few other functions. It offers a calculator and utilities to convert imperial and metric measurements. There's also a world clock and an English-to-Spanish translator, but these seem more gimmicky than useful.

Easily the most impressive feature of the Sharp is its ability to synchronise your calendar and contacts with Microsoft Outlook. But to do this, you have to connect it to the PC via its serial port. The connector also won't fit unless it's fully screwed in, which is annoying if your PC's rear-end is difficult to reach. It's also far less convenient than the usual USB cable.

If you rely on Outlook to organise your life, and want an inexpensive way of carrying information around, this isn't it. For only £12 more you can buy the far superior Palm Zire m150, which is a proper Palmtop rather than just an expensive organiser with lots more functions. It has a decent screen and a USB connector.

v