Hitachi's Handy Handful

The G1000 combines Pocket PC, cell phone, and digital camera functions in one convenient package.

Hitachi's G1000 Pocket PC-phone hybrid is so versatile that some users will forgive its heft, which exceeds standard palmtop weight by a couple of ounces, and a silhouette too big for an average shirt pocket.

The G1000 unites a CDMA 2000 1X phone (exclusive, at launch, to the Sprint PCS Vision network), a tiny swiveling camera, a thumb keyboard, and a PDA based on Microsoft's Pocket PC Phone Edition 2002. Like other Pocket PC hybrids, it lets you make and receive calls by cradling the device against your face (smudging the 65,000-color screen) or by plugging in an earpiece headset (not included, and seemingly never within reach when needed). Still, the sound quality was good.

The camera's simple software makes it easy to operate; my preproduction unit captured adequate images in resolutions up to 640 by 480 (VGA). The keyboard would have been more convenient to type on if the keys had been firmer and more rounded. The G1000 carries Intel's 400-MHz XScale CPU, an SD memory-card slot, and 32MB of memory (a bit skimpy for a camera-equipped handheld).

In addition to the standard Pocket Office apps, the device comes with Westtek's ClearVue suite for precise viewing of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF files. You also get a capable backup utility and basic image-editing software.

At 8.4 ounces and 5.8 by 3.3 by 0.9 inches, the G1000 is not for people who like their handhelds small (Samsung's i500 Palm phone, in contrast, weighs 4.7 ounces). And at $650, the G1000 doesn't come cheap. But right now, it's the only Pocket PC that unites a phone, a camera, and a keyboard--a combination that some users may find worth the money and the weight.

Buying Information

Hitachi G1000 (Preproduction unit, not rated Oversize unit has a decent camera and so-so keyboard. Price when reviewed: $650 Current prices (if available)