Not everyone likes Kate Moss-like waifs but there is no denying that when it comes to mobile computers thin is in. Ever since the first slimline notebooks hit the market a couple of years ago, everyone's been trying to trim another tenth of an inch off their already impossibly thin notebook computers. Then the Palm V appeared and brought the trend to palmtop devices as well. When the first palm-size PCs came out two years ago, they seemed small and very handy, especially when compared to the original PDA form factor of a Tandy Zoomer or an Apple Newton MessagePad, let alone an EO. Yet, the PalmPilot, and then the Palm V changed our expectations as to what "small" means in a handheld or palmtop device. With one notable exception-the REX which turned out to be too small and thin to really work for most people-every new generation of products seems smaller and thinner. That point was driven home to me when a fellow editor of took one glance at a palm-size PC that had been praised for its small size and beautiful design just over a year ago and dismissed it as "a brick."

That said, let's take a look at Compaq's latest palm-size PC, the Aero 1500 Series, that was announced on September 20. From the front, the new 1500 looks just like the critically acclaimed Aero 2100 with its High-Reflective TFT color screen (which has recently been upgraded from 256 to 65,536 colors). But look at the two models from the side and you'll see how much thinner the 1500 is compared to the already slender 2100. A mere half inch thick and weighing just five ounces, the Aero 1500 is the thinnest and lightest palm-size PC currently available, even undercutting the petite Casio E-15. It's still a bit larger, thicker and heavier than the incomparable Palm V, but we're no longer talking apples and oranges. The Aero 1500 is a supremely elegant device by any standard.

Like the Palm V, and the Casio E-15, the Aero 1500 has a monochrome device. That's because a good, contrasty monochrome screen is still preferred by many due to its superior indoor/outdoor readability, and also because it offers better battery life. To my eyes, the Aero 1500's "semi-transmissive" 16 gray-scale screen comes very close to matching that of the Palm V, which is generally considered best-of-class. One thing I don't care for is the 1500's reverse pixel backlight, but then again, the Palm V also fails in that area.

Compaq chose a 70MHz version of NEC's VR4111 processor to power the 1500 Series, providing it with benchmark performance in the same range as the Casio E-15 or the Philips Nino 200. Compaq claims battery life of up to 14 hours, puny by Palm standards, but respectable in the Windows CE world.

Like most Compaq handhelds and palmtops, the 1500 has excellent audio recording and reproduction capabilities and comes with a comprehensive software bundle. There is Compaq's QMenu that provides one-menu access to all important applications and even lets you close all open tasks with one tap, QUtilities, QuickView Plus for viewing of email attachments and other files, VCA Finance, CoolCalc, Picture Viewer, and trial versions of Sierra Imaging's Image Expert and AudiblePlayer. As usual, Compaq also included a number of extra touches, such as a dual mode alarm (beeping and blinking light), customizable application buttons,

The initial member of the 1500 Series, the 1530, comes with 16MB of RAM, a docking cradle, an AC adapter, and a travel synchronization cable. It lists for $299, an attractive price considering what you get: an extremely attractive slim-line palm-size PC that does double duty as both a personal organizer and an MP3 and audio book player.

-Conrad H. Blickenstorfer