IBM WorkPad z50 Handheld

I freely admit the first thing that attracted me to the Z50 was the price, I paid about #200 (UK Sterling)and they can still be found new for about $300.

What you get:

One of the best keyboards you are likely to find on a portable device - word processing is a pleasure.

IBM's pointer (far better than the touchpads for me)

A reasonable screen (very good in low to normal light, but not wonderful in bright light outside). It's a good size for viewing, with good contrast and brightness controls but I can't help wondering why it doesn't fill the case lid.

33k Modem - okay it's a little slow but better than dialing through a mobile phone and more than adequate for the occasional use I give it.

16mb standard memory - buy the additional 32mb option (still widely available) to considerably speed the machine up. NOTE: Windows CE limits storage to 16mb but you can always add compact flash (or if you have a deep wallet a microdrive).

MS Pocket Office - okay it's not Office 2000. Pocket Word has just about all the functions you are likely to want for most documents but forget tables and anything complex... Pocket Excel is great for spreadsheets but forget graphs, Pocket Access seems fine for simple databases, Pocket Powerpoint is only a viewer. Pocket Money - personally i know how bad my finances are! For most day to day purposes the suite is fine but remember this isn't a laptop it's a PC companion.

VGA outlet - connect up to a monitor or projector

IE - fine for most sites but doesn't provide full Java support or 128 security.

Contact Management Software - syncs beautifully with Outlook

Irda port - never used it

Serial port (Why can't it be USB or at least a standard size socket?)

Compact flash (type2) and PCMICA Slots


What it's useful for - Great for on the road typing, it has a superb keyboard and the larger screen makes it one of the few PDAs that's useful for typing reasonable length documents. It's lightweight and large display make it great for carrying around with a digital camera for instant viewing.

What it's not for - a PC replacement.

Who wouldn't I recommend it to - Games players (there's a few and there's also a Spectrum emulator available for it, but its no games machine.


If you want instant on (who wouldn't), Great battery life (8hrs standard or 15 with the optional longlife), and don't need the power of Windows 98 I'd highly recommend this lightweight beauty, but be warned the chances of IBM producing further accessories or producing an OS update are pretty much non-existent. Windows CE is pretty stable but not perfect.

All in all if it suits your needs its a fine machine.