Forget your laptop? Many business-people have done just that, due to their new Psion 5MX...

The 5MX differs from the previous 5 version in more ways than one. The main difference being the extra RAM - this baby now packs a whopping 16mb, which will store thousands and thousands of contacts, schedules and much more besides. If this isn't enough, just pop in up to 20mb more using the built in compact-flash slot on the 5MX. With the new speedy 32-bit RISC-based ARM710T RISC CPU, running at 36MHz, you'll zip through your organisation tasks with ease.

The screen on this baby is 640x240 and can show up to 16 grey scales. It is a touch sensitive, backlit display, with capabilities of varying levels of magnification, with help from the Palm "Epoc" OS. One thing that makes this PDA stand out of the crowd is it's keyboard, which you can touch type on with practice. With large vertical drop on the keys, it feels much more like a desktop keyboard than ever before. You can record memos on the built in recorder, with external buttons, for those on-the-spot brainwaves!

The 5MX is powered by 2 x AA batteries, which give about a months usage. There is naturally a lithium backup battery, so if you run out of power, you won't lose the data stored in RAM. Also included is a fast serial port, and infra-red port, which is becoming standard on the palmtops of today.

As always, the Epoc 32 operating system lives up to your expectations, delivering high-performance applications. More can be downloaded from freelance developers, and transferred via serial, infra-red or the docking station. You can also buy applications on compact-flash for easy installation.

One problem with the 5MX is its cost - at around £400 it doesn't come cheap, so you'll have to weigh it up for yourself. Also, it is more like a palmtop than a PDA, and having to open the case to write a quick note can be annoying at times, and at 354g, the 5M
X is no light baby.

However, this pocket computer is the best of the keyboard PDAs available at the moment, and from personal experience I can tell you that once you pick one up, you won't put it down!