Handheld PCs (HPCs) were the first Microsoft Windows CE devices on the market, preceding Pocket PCs by several years. These units featured integrated keyboards and clamshell designs that resembled miniature notebook computers. They were somewhat popular, but being more expensive, larger and more complex than early Palm brand PDAs, they didn't become overwhelmingly popular. The operating system resembled a slimmed down version of version of Windows 95, featuring the familiar Start Menu, Settings (control panels) and My Computer and My Documents folder on the desktop. These units generally had CF slots, 56k internal modems, half-VGA 640 x 240 displays and a PCMCIA slot. They were powered by MIPS, SH3 and later ARM processors (running from 66 to 206 MHz) and had either 32 or 64 megs of RAM.

The PDA camp divided into the palm form factor (Palm brand PDAs and Pocket PCs) and the handheld factor: HPCs. HPCs co-existed with palm sized PDAs from 1997 until today. In the HPC's heyday, there were 7 brands to choose from, and in 2002 only two . Today, only the NEC MobilePro 900 running HPC 2000 survives from this family of devices.

Handheld PC Strong points:

1. They have no moving parts so are safely transportable with less care required.

2. They are are instant-on, so you don't have to wait for them to boot up.

3. They are much lighter and smaller than notebook PCs and can offer better battery life.

4. The OS is permanently installed in ROM, so no worries about trashing Windows and having to re-install via CD when on the road.

Handheld PC Strong points:Subnotebook strong points:

1. They runs full blown Windows so you can use your favorite PC programs on it-- if you have advanced needs such as development, database work, web page building and remote network administration this can be especially important.

2. Depending on the model, you can upgrade the RAM and hard drive as you see fit, while handhelds can't be upgraded other than by using CF or SD memory cards.

3. More drivers are available for networking cards on Windows PCs.