Thanks to all of you that sent me emails requesting we do more on Psion and related products. PCM has been adding more coverage for new EPOC-based hardware. The number of EPOC-based products is growing at an unprecedented, but welcome rate. The last issue of PCM had a sneak preview of Psion's new Revo handheld. The Revo is a very interesting machine, and my column this month is dedicated to an introduction to this new EPOC based handheld.

Let me start out by saying that the typical Revo photo doesn't do justice to its size, so don't be fooled. The Revo looks very similar to the Psion Series 5mx when photographed open. However, this is a bit misleading. The Revo weighs in at 7 ounces, around half the weight of the Series 5mx, and has a 480 x 160 pixel screen. The 480-width screen is a tip-off that the Revo is in a different class than the Series 5mx. For web browsing, a 640-width screen is really a must.

Clearly, the Revo is aimed at the Palm market. Anyone who says otherwise if fooling themselves. The only handheld that seems to be even approaching what might be called mass market is the Palm. Corporations are finally giving in to a handheld device, and generally it is the Palm they are giving in to. In my mind the key to this is docking and synchronizing.

I hear some of you saying "Hey, what's all this talk about Palm? I thought I was reading the Psion Psection?" Well, read on to hear about Revo's docking station. :^} Everyone else has stepped up the plate to try to take some of the Palm market, why not Psion? They've been in the handheld market as long as or longer than anyone else, and have survived. For new readers I should also mention that I believe there are two markets out there. The one that caught everyone by surprise is the Palm market, which I call the viewer. The other is the power-user market. Psion has done very well selling to power-users for years. Other companies followed suit by trying to build a full-featured computer that fit in your pocket, like early Windows CE machines, and some that wouldn't fit in your pocket, like Newton and current CE machines. One of the biggest failures of the power-user handheld was that corporate wouldn't support it. Where others failed, the Palm-sized machines succeed. Handhelds with docking stations eliminate complex cabling, and handhelds that synchronize with desktop applications eliminate the need for support.

With that mini-review of handheld history, let's take a look at the new Psion Revo. Note that much of the review compares the Revo with the Series 5mx, since they have most of the same built-in applications, processor, etc.

Processor
The Revo is powered by the ARM 710T RISC processor, running at 36MHz, the same processor that is used in the Series 5mx, Psion's high-end palmtop.

Internal Memory
8 Megabytes of RAM. This is a typically memory model for this class. With all of the built-in applications in the ROM, it is probably more than enough memory for the type of user that the Revo is aimed at.

Storage
Unlike Psion's Series 5mx, which uses Compact Flash memory, the Revo has no storage device. It would be nice to have, but keeping the machine small was obviously a priority, and storage devices take space.

Display
480x160 grayscale with reflective backing. Touch sensitive screen. No backlight. Multiple zoom levels. Active screen area is 4.9x1.9".

The screen is very sharp, and in most normal lighting conditions, doesn't need backlighting.

Keyboard
53 key QWERTY layout. This is the same keyboard layout as the Series 5mx, although the keys are not as large, and have a tighter feel to them.

Case
Black and silver plastic case. The case design is very similar to the Series 5mx, although smaller and much thinner.

Power
Two 650mAHr AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries, and no lithium backup. Psion claims 12 hours of use on the batteries. The lack of a backup is not a big problem since the rechargeable batteries will hold enough charge to keep the data secure for two weeks, even after the batteries report being drained.

The rechargeable batteries are charged while in the machine, and have a 3-year life expectancy. There is no battery pack to take out. The AC adapter can be plugged into the docking station, making it very easy to keep the Revo fully charged.

Communications
Fast RS232-compatible serial link (when connected to docking station) provides data transfer speeds of up to 115 kbps. IrDA compliant Infrared port for printing and file transfer between machines. Psion has also released a new 56k Infrared Travel Modem. Just point it at the Revo Infrared port and you're ready to get online.

Applications
Some of you that are going to compare the Revo with a Series 5mx will want to know what the difference is when it comes to built-in software. The built-in software includes Word, Agenda, Sheet, Data, Email, Web, Phone, Calc, Time, Jotter, Contacts, and Spell. The Revo is an awesome machine when you see how much it does. Functionally, it beats the pants off any Palm-type handheld. Since it has a different target group than the fuller-sized palmtops, there are some differences to the built-in software.

The Revo adds one new serious application, one new game, and better tools for setting up the Internet connectivity. The serious application is called Phone, and it is a nice application, as long as you have a GSM phone. As I've mentioned here in other columns, GSM is one of the PCS-1900 digital Cellular phone standards that is currently battling for dominance here in the USA. In Europe, where Psion is the defending handheld king, GSM reigns as cellular phone standard, with no competition in sight. The Phone application lets you transfer your cellular phone's address book back and forth, updating it on the Revo, where you have a nicer keyboard to do faster editing. The Phone application also shows all phone numbers from the Revo's Contacts application, so that they can be easily integrated with the address book on your phone. The Phone application requires a GSM phone with infrared modem. If you have the infrared modem in your phone, the Revo can also do email and Web browsing by pointing the Revo's infrared port at the infrared port on your phone.

The other two new software additions are Cascade, and eSetup. Cascade is a new game that replaces mines, a game Psion had for a few years in their ROM's. Cascades is an addicting little game that has you trying to remove all adjacent spheres on a board in the fewest moves possible. eSetup is a new Internet setup wizard that is an idea that should be present on all palmtops. Setting up a computer for Internet connection has always been a bit of a pain, and the concept of wizards is perfect for this. eSetup leads the Revo user through a series of questions, and then fills out the control panel Internet setup options for the user.

In keeping with the different target group of the Revo, Psion has also removed some software applications that are present on their high-end palmtops. First, and no surprise, is the OPL program editor. Not many users would be programming on the Revo. The OPL runtime is still present in the ROM, so all programs written in Psion's OPL programming language will run on the Revo. The other two applications that were removed are Sketch and Record. The screen isn't really large enough for any extensive drawing, so it's not a big loss to not have the sketch application. Record is debatable. I'm not sure how many users would use their handheld's recording capabilities as a voice recorder, especially when that same handheld facilitates easy data entry. In addition to the above, Psion has removed the faxing capabilities from the email application. This is a bit of a surprise to me since the email application already had this capability.

My experience with the Revo
During a one-week go at reworking my Notepad application to run on the Revo's smaller screen, I had a good chance to use the machine as my primary handheld. I am very impressed with it. The amount of functionality packed into such a small handheld is amazing. The fact that it has the same processor as the 5mx makes it a very powerful computer for its size. Unlike some handheld's, the applications on the Revo fly. Switching between applications is less than the blink of an eye, and starting applications is very fast. The machine is small enough and thin enough to truly fit in a shirt pocket. It comes with a docking station that plugs into a serial port on the desktop. The 9-pin serial connector has a small hole for the Revo's AC adapter. This way the Revo's rechargeable battery is always being charged as long as it is docked. I have to say that the rechargeable batteries and docking station is a very nice solution, and accomplishes the goal of eliminating complex cabling. There is no worry about purchasing batteries, or putting them in incorrectly. You only have to remember to set the Revo in the docking station every few days to keep it charged. It does a rapid charge up to 85%, and then a trickle charge beyond that. In an hour the Revo is charged up to the 85% level.

The lack of a backlight only bothered me a couple of times when the lighting was very low or non-existent, like in the evening with a dim light. The reflective screen is very easy to read, and seems sharp. The Revo supports two zoom levels on the system screen, and multiple zoom levels in the applications. The system screen now includes a new view mode called Today that shows your Agenda appointments for today, the Agenda Todo lists, and the state of the batteries. This is a very useful feature that I wish were part of the 5mx. Integrating this into the system screen was a great idea.

The Revo comes with PsiWin, the desktop tool from Symbian/Psion that basically makes your Psion's drives look like Windows or Macintosh drives on the desktop. PsiWin supports drag and drop between the desktop machine and the Revo, and does automatic file conversion. Here are some of the applications or file formats supported either by synchronization or file conversion: MS Office, MS Word, Word Perfect, Works for Windows, Ami Pro, RTF, Excel, Lotus 123, Quattro Pro, FoxPro, dBASE, CSV, Access, BMP, WAV, Lotus Organizer, MS Schedule, MS Outlook.

As far as competing with the Palm devices, it seems that there is only one way this can be done, and that is with a huge amount of marketing money to bring the Psion Revo into view. Corporates need to see easy docking and synchronization, and I believe the Revo offers this. The Revo has the potential to compete with the smaller handhelds like the Palm, and users should give it a try before just buying what the current hype says they should own.

– Mark Esposito

Processor	ARM 710T/36 MHz
OS	Psion EPOC32
Memory	8MB RAM and 8MB ROM
Display	4.6 x 1.9" 480 x 160 pixel backlit touchscreen
Digitizer	Pressure-sensitive panel
Storage	Internal RAM
Size	6.1 x 1.9 x 0.6 inches
Weight	7.1 ounces (including battery pack)
Power	Two 700mAH AAA NiMH, AC/DC
Interface	RS232, IrDA, docking connector
Options	Modem, PC Card adapter, email, web, cell phone connection
Price	US$399
Contact	Psion 508-371-0310 www.psion.com