Casio's Cassiopeia E-115 stands out from the rest for its implementation of the PocketPC software combined with Casio's own PIM utilities, along with clever one-hand navigation controls. It's also packed with memory, supports Compact Flash upgrades and the colour screen is simply the best of the lot. The other colour PocketPC-based device, HP's Jornada 545, simply can't compete with Casio's bright and crisp screen, although it's significantly better than the Palm IIIc in this respect. That said, the Cassiopeia E-115 is the most expensive palmtop of the five. Those on tighter budgets should opt for the Jornada 545 instead and save a good £100 on street prices.

Our second-favourite after the Cassiopeia E-115, however, is actually Palm's Vx. For us, a good palmtop needs to be exceptionally portable. So while the Palm Vx is just a mono device with 8MB RAM and a limited set of built-in applications, you won't find a slimmer, lighter or better designed PDA. Along with the Palm IIIc and HandSpring Visor Deluxe, it also offers the best handwriting recognition and hot-syncing in the business. Not least, the price is good and battery life extensive.

The Palm IIIc, on the other hand, seems to have no purpose other than to pander to customers who want a colour screen. As for the HandSpring Visor Deluxe, we're not convinced. The unique SpringBoard slot seems to be a way of keeping the initial hardware cost low, so that anything you might want beyond basic PIM functions is a third-party slot add-on which costs more than the palmtop itself.