WebWatch

What's a wrist-top computer?

By Toyin Akinmusuru

Weekend Magazine Editor

Ever imagined that you were Dick Tracy? That dream is slowly becoming a reality. Matsucom recently released the onHand PC - the world's smallest PDA.

The onHand prices for $299 and packs a complete software suite, similar to standard PDAs. The onHand packs an addressbook, a notepad, an expense tracker, a calendar and tasklist program, games and even a picture viewer.

The watch has a number of songs programmed in as alarms and there's even a desktop application to help you write new pieces for your watch.

The onHand PC uses a small joystick to navigate the system. The interface is very similar to the Windows OS interface, with the folder/subfolder system most are familiar with.

Entering information into the watch is very difficult. One inputs data through a small onscreen keyboard - the letters are entered with the use of the joystick, similar to entering your initials at the end of an arcade game.

The more efficient data entry system is to enter the information on the computer and then synch the computer to the watch. The watch syncs to Microsoft Outlook, ACT, Goldmine and even Lotus Organizer. Synching is still buggy, however the technology is bound to improve with an in-development update.

All in all, the onHand PC is an impressive technological marvel. Altough the interface and useability needs improvement, there is definitely a solid technological base for future generations of wrist computers.

Of course, just having this gadget will make you the biggest geek on your block.

Courtesy of Matsucom

Matsucom's onHand PC is the world's smallest PDA according to the Guinnesse Book of World Records.