Compaq, HP show new wares; but palm-size systems are plentiful.

Hewlett-Packard launched a new color Windows CE device in its Jornado line at CeBIT 99. According to HP representative in the company_s Munich office, it is "yet another form factor" from HP_s existing Windows CE devices, which include the Jornado 820, a subnotebook-like handheld; and the color-screen palm-size Jornado 420. A main feature at Compaq is the new Aero 2100 color-screen Windows CE palm-size PC.The device, launched last month, has a 256-color thin-film transistor screen with reflexive technology that uses ambient light to improve visibility. It comes with either 8MB or 16MB of RAM. Compaq also shows some of its C-Series handheld computers with keyboards and monochrome screens. Philips Electronics also launched a new color Windows CE device at CeBIT. Philips also plans to announce a new low-end handheld computer, the Nino 200, which will be a less expensive scaled-down version of the existing Nino 300. Nino 200 won_t be able to send e-mail or access the Internet, which the Nino 300 can do, but is aimed at users who want basic functions.Casio will launch in Europe its Cassiopeia E100, a color palm-size PC that runs Windows CE, said Jim Prendergast, a company spokesperson. The E100 doesn_t have built-in wireless Internet connectivity, but Casio will display mobile phones from partners L. M. Ericsson and Nokia that let users hook up the device to the Internet via infrared, he said. Casio will also show its black-and-white handheld, the E15, and some older models. Handheld PCs are all the range. Even vendors not announcing new products will showcase their current line. British handheld computer maker Psion, which builds devices running its own Epoc 32 operating system, won_t unveil any new devices at CeBIT, according to Stephen Pang, a company representative. However, Psion will show some new applications for its Series 5, a black-and-white-screen handheld computer with a keyboard. The new software includes a calendar program from Netscape that can synchronize with a calendar on a desktop PC. 3Com won_t bring its upcoming Palm VII handheld computer, which uses a wireless modem to connect with the Internet, but will show the Palm V and the Palm III, said Oliver Schwartz, a 3Com spokesperson. 3Com will discuss the rollout of the Palm VII at a press event during the show. But the company hasn_t announced plans to launch Palm VII in Europe because its wireless technology doesn_t work with existing wireless infrastructure there, Schwartz said. 3Com has no plans to release a color product anytime soon, Schwartz said. The company believes color screens are too costly and take up too much power. Global sales of handheld computers topped 3.9 million in 1998, an increase of 61.4 percent from the previous year, according to market research firm Dataquest. And unlike in the PC market, Microsoft_s operating system isn_t the market leader: 3Com_s Palm OS is still on top.