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Europe has lots of history, art, and, apparently, technology, as well. Europeans have been able to effectively use their wireless GSM networks to communicate via mobile phones and SMS. Now they're expanding quickly to accommodate data transfer and communication, including Internet browsing and emailing, though transmission rates are still somewhat slow. One device taking advantage of the wireless infrastructure in Europe is the Mondo from Trium.  A PDA and mobile phone in one, the Mondo operates on the dual band ESGM 900/1800 network. The Mondo will also be able to work on GPRS networks at a later date. It operates on the familiar Microsoft Pocket PC platform and includes Pocket Explorer, Pocket Outlook, Pocket Excel, Pocket Word, Microsoft Reader, Microsoft Notetaker, and Microsoft Task, along with normal PDA applications. While the Mondo has some substantial, usable features, it is not quite as robust as many of the Pocket PCs we're used to. First of all, the expansions slots that we're accustommed to seeing, like CompactFlash, MMC, or SD slots, aren't available on this device. And as for memory, the 16 MB it comes with is pretty paltry, and with no expansion slot to add the memory, well . . . ! Another feature that is lacking is the processor. It's not quite the 206 MHz processor included in most PDAs, but rather a 166 MHz Intel processor. The touchscreen display has 16 grey level color. And though there is no color display to drain the battery life, you will still only get about 3 hours of talktime and 100 hours of standby. As for phone features, you'll be able to send faxes and SMS messages; use call waiting, forwarding, and holding; and conduct conference calls. The brushed chrome Mondo measures 5.5 x 3.3 x 0.75 inches and weighs 7 oz. Pricing and Availability The Mondo is currently available from Trium, but only in Europe. Pricing is around 650 British pounds, or about $940 USD. (For access to more than 4,500 other hands-on product reviews on all variety of wired and wireless appliance and consumer devices, go to the iAppliance Web Portal Page. )
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