by Susan Ives, Alamo PC

I’ve been thinking about getting a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). I wasn’t keen on spending several hundred dollars for a personal information manager when in my heart I knew my boring life could be just as efficiently organized with a $5 calendar and a stubby pencil. Now I am reconsidering. Do I want one at all? Do I want Palm or Pocket PC? How much do I want to spend? What features are important to me? Is this the right time to buy? 

I’ll be using my search for a handheld computer as an example to lead you through the process of using online buying guides, but all the sites I am about to lead you to will also give you advice on everything from $25 keyboards to $2,500 systems.

The premiere site for reviews and comparison-shopping is CNET Networks. CNET itself is a series of Web sites, including CNET, Download.com and News.com. ZDNet (the ZD stands for Ziff Davis) is best known as the publisher of 12 computer magazines, including PC Magazine and Yahoo! Internet Life. Computer Shopper is that gigantic magazine, an in-depth reference for expert guidance on what to buy, where to buy, and how to. MySimon is a comparison-shopping site, concentrating on finding the best online prices. All of these come under the CNET umbrella.

Let’s start with ZDNet. They have an interactive finder that helps you narrow your choice, first by price, then by features. Finders are also available for digital cameras, desktop and notebook computers, MP3 players and scanners. After indicating what you can expect at each price point, it asks three questions: are you looking for a basic information manager, a state-of-the-art machine or do you just want a fashion accessory?. Once you get to the list of recommendations, you can create a side-by-side comparison of different models, read full reviews and even search for the best price. There is room for users to rate the products, which I often find useful. For example, the review of the Compaq iPAQ H3650 Pocket PC mentions that its fast processor drains the battery quickly. The review estimates 12 hours of use between charges, but the users are claiming that they are only getting two hours. 

Now move to CNET to look at handhelds by lifestyle, by price, by operating system, by manufacturer, by top five picks . . . for some of the product there are even videos from their TV show. CNET also links to reviews (different than the ZDNet reviews) and pricing information.

MySimon has a nifty “Active Buyer’s Guide” that asks you dozens of questions (it takes 5-10 minutes) and then makes recommendations based on your criteria. The “tradeoff” questions are clever. They pose several scenarios, along the order of “all else being equal, which product do you prefer? “ and then describe two PDAs with one or two competing features. I found the results interesting and the process itself helped figure out what I was looking for.

Finally, check out Computer Shopper. Most of their editorial content, at least in the PDA category, referred back to ZDNet. Most of ZDNet’s pricing information comes from Computer Shopper.

If all of this sounds incestuous, it is. I picture about five guys, all sitting in the same room, deciding what the best PDA (or camera, or printer, or scanner . . .) I should buy. This isn’t all bad – five heads are better than one – but it would be prudent to check some other sources.

If all you want is no-frill reviews, check out Review Booth. They carry links to more than 16,000 product reviews, handily arranged by category. 

I found PC World disappointing. It’s repackaged material from the magazine, which is excellent, but it doesn’t take full advantage of the power of the Internet to integrate the information. They are not as thorough as the CDN Network in providing product reviews of individual products or in offering the opportunity to directly compare products. 

I enjoy the About.Com guides. The guide for handhelds can be reached directly at palmtops.about.com/ and for digital cameras. To get a complete list of all their computer and technology sections, go to home.about.com/compute/. 

For buying info, About is not the best first source, but after you narrow the field a bit it’s a superb place to probe more deeply. The topics covered in the handhelds category include: Pocket PC Update; Hot Palm Software; Medical Palm; Education Software; Database Apps; DOC Readers; Overclocking and about 25 more topics. 

If price is your main criteria, try PriceScan. This site finds best prices for computer stuff and displays a price trend report which shows a graph of high, low and average prices over time. A savvy shopper could use this feature to spot trends and predict the best time in a product life cycle to buy. Another helpful utility is the PriceScan Alert, which will send you a one-time message when the item you are watching hits your target price.