Forget phones and faxes. E-mail rules, and Research In Motion (RIM) delivers. The BlackBerry service merges pager and PDA technology for an e-mail station unmatched, while variations link to corporate e-mail servers or select ISPs nationwide.

Using a keyboard, as opposed to Palm's stylus, is silly-faster, easier on airtime, and more natural. The RIM display screen is crisper than monochrome PDAs, and like a pager, the unit stays on until you turn off. The menu is navigated via a thumbwheel and ...