Palm versus Pocket PC: Which is better?

Microsoft may rule the desktop world, but in the battle for handheld supremacy, it's still anybody's game. Found in handhelds from PalmOne, Sony, and other manufacturers, the Palm operating system has held a market-share advantage since the beginning, but Windows Mobile 2003 (née Pocket PC) is no longer just nipping at its heels; it's nipping away at its sales, as well. But if you put the Palm OS in the ring with Windows Mobile, which PDA operating system would survive the bout? Is one notably stronger than the other?

To find out, we booked eight rounds of PDA pugilism, pitting Palm OS 5.2.1 against fast-rising challenger Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 in categories such as ease of use, Office compatibility, and multimedia features. For the most part, we left the hardware outside the ring, as features such as battery life and processor speed vary widely from model to model across both platforms. The operating systems threw some seriously powerful jabs, and the winner may surprise you.

	Palm OS 5.2.1		Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003
	Show me PDAs running Palm OS		Show me PDAs running Windows Mobile

Go to the rounds:
		Round 1: Ease of use			Round 5: Email
		Round 2: Entering data			Round 6: Office compatibility
		Round 3: Core applications			Round 7: Multimedia
		Round 4: Desktop compatibility			Round 8: Available software