Next Generation Handheld Devices

Cell phones with built-in cameras, color navigation systems that fit in your pocket and tablet-style PCs are just a few of the hot new portable devices hitting store shelves this holiday season.

Sony Ericsson T68i
Everyone is talking about cameras as being the next big thing in cell phones. Sony-Ericsson is one of the first to team up a cell phone with a built-in camera attachment. A camera on a cell phone enables you to take a picture and attach it on an email or call someone and say “I have a picture for you” and email it right to them. The T68i is under $200 for the cell phone. The CommuniCam camera attachment is sold separately. www.sonyericsson.com

AT&T 5840 Cordless Phone
With cordless phones, the next big thing is 5.8 GHz technology. A lot of consumers have 2.4 GHz phones or even 900 Mhz phones -- these phones are fine until you have a wireless network at home or a microwave oven that causes interference. 5.8 GHz phones like the AT&T 5840 system are designed to move the spectrum out of the bandwith of most of the interference of your house so you get a clear connection. The phone has better audio quality and longer distance as well. This AT&T 5840 is $199 and the additional handsets are $99. www.vtechphones.com

Magellan Meridian Color GPS
The next generation for GPS is portability. Portable handheld GPS devices like this Magellan Meridian Color GPS now cost under $500. And this Meridian Color is the first portable GPS device with a color LCD screen just like the systems you see in cars. GPS gets its data from satellites and gives you turn-by-turn directions while driving. And with the portable system, now you can walk through any city in the US and have turn-by-turn directions down to the block level in any city. www.thalesnavigation.com

Compaq Tablet PC
The next big thing in PC's is the Tablet PC. Bill Gates recently announced that the Tablet PC is going to be the next big thing in computers. Like a laptop, the Tablet PC is portable. But the new wrinkle is you can write directly on the screen using a special magnetic pen. Here is how it works: a magnetic pen is used to write on the screen and after writing on the screen, the Tablet PC can either save your squiggles as a jpeg file (graphic file). Or, they can convert your handwriting directly into text for use in Microsoft Office. The Tablet PC is not for everyone. This Compaq Tablet PC is $1600, expect to see prices between $1600 and $3000, but the Office PC system is looking to upgrade the Tablet PC in the future. This is going to be the next big thing in laptop computers. http://thenew.hp.com