Durable clamshell Handheld PC
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

The NEC MobilePro 900's lineage goes all the way back to the first Windows CE-based Handheld PCs in late 1996. The 900 directly descends from then ground-breaking "large form factor" Mobile Pro 750 which went through several model changes (770, 780. 790) and gradually morphed into a vertical market device with the Handheld PC 2000 OS platform and extra flash for custom applications. The 900 model, which has been around for a couple of years, is targeted towards professional markets, with the workhorse 400MHz PXA255 chip and a switch to a more developer-oriented software platform, Windows CE .NET 4.2. This is a very good, mature handheld with an almost full-size keyboard, good expansion, and good battery life. NEC has had a spotty record in staying with platforms, and so we hope they'll continue this line for a long time. (Note: as we last checked, the MobilePro was still listed but not as part of what NEC now calls its "Sentrus" line of mobile systems which mostly seem rebadged devices from other vendors, including MicroSlate. MobilePlanet lists the 900 as discontinued; so a wonderful productline may have come to an end.)