In the highly competitive, rapidly expanding world of wireless and PDAs, it is possible to watch ten different commercials, read ten different ads, and still remain utterly confused about which product does what. Some seem to be cell phones and that's pretty much that. Others seem to be mini-computers, capable of text messaging and surfing the net, while still others let you take pictures and email them to a friend. So, we decided to search for a product that does everything and call it our hot tool of the month.

What we discovered was the T-Mobile Sidekick, apparently one of the few devices that solves all your personal communication and information requirements. Ranked #1 in Entertainment Weekly's Gift Guide, this handheld device includes Internet browsing, e-mail, two-way text messaging, AOL Instant Messenger™, mobile snapshots and lots of fun games. Oh, and lest we forget, it's a mobile phone too, with all the bells and whistles that have rapidly become standard features, including built-in paging, caller ID, conference calling, call waiting and call hold, access to directory assistance, emergency calls, voicemail with message alert, call forwarding, custom ring tones, and international dialing.

When researching the PDA, Handheld and Mobile wireless world, which, by the way, was so enormous as to be slightly intimidating, we kept coming across certain acronyms that were used repeatedly, with the assumption that everyone obviously knew what they stood for, or at least what they meant. It was very reminiscent of the early world wide web days, when the majority of people had some vague knowledge of ISP and HTTP, but when pushed were unable to tell you what words were behind those acronyms either. (That's Internet Service Provider and Hyper Text Transfer Protocol for those who forgot!)

At any rate, we learned that T-Mobile currently operates the largest all digital GSM/GPRS voice and high speed data network in the country. Very impressive. In fact, when we started looking at all the various PDAs to check out their features, all seemed to tout their enhanced capabilities because of their access to GSM/ GPRS. Terrific. But what the hell were GSM and GPRS? Some digging revealed that GSM stands for Global System for Mobile Communications. The technological difference between GSM and first generation wireless is the use of digital technology and digital voice encoding. Now, GPRS is the high-speed data evolution of GSM. It actually stands for General Packet Radio Service, and it's based on packet switching (only using the network when data is being sent). Because it does not send a continuous stream of data, it can deliver it at far higher speeds. It supports IP (Internet Protocol) and thus enables access to internet content and applications from wireless devices, all of which, of course, conform to WAP! (just teasing you now……that's Wireless Application Protocol).

In any event, notwithstanding our newfound technical knowledge, we chose the T-Mobile Sidekick for two very non-technical reasons. The first was that it really did seem to be the only total solution communication device at an affordable price (with the free camera accessory and hands-free headset, you can buy one for about $199). That's an awful lot of functionality for a very low price tag.

The second reason was size. Although larger than most of the highly popular cell phones, we can't SEE well enough to read the screen on those things, much less send text messages or surf the net! After all, it was only recently that we discovered we had caller ID. The caller's name would come up, but we were lucky enough to find the ANSWER button while driving down Ventura Blvd., much less read the tiny little identifying name on the screen. Well, the Sidekick weighs about 6 ounces, but it has a 2.6 inch backlit screen that swivels up to reveal an actual QWERTY keyboard; we don't have to learn all that "How R U?" language. So, if you'd like to know more about this mobile monster, and you're not all hung up on having your phone/computer/camera be the size of a business card, check it out at www.t-mobile.com.