Handhelds are cool tools for school BY LARRY MAGID Special to the Mercury News February 7, 2002 My son Will, a sophomore in high school, is a good student. But, like his father, he's challenged when it comes to penmanship. He has permission to bring a laptop to school, but he never does. That's because they're too expensive, too heavy, too breakable and too likely to be lost, stolen or damaged. Besides, he told me, ``it attracts too much attention.'' The couple of times he has brought one to school, he found himself the center of unwanted attention. Indeed, my kids tell me that they hardly ever see high school students carrying laptops and they certainly never saw them at middle school. But at Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto, students have been spotted with laptops. Last spring, 51 students participated in a pilot project using borrowed machines. Most reported that the laptops improved the quality of their work, which prompted school officials to send a letter to parents recommending that families spend $2,000 to equip their child with an Apple iBook. The program was put on hold after parents bombarded the district with e-mail, complaining that it would be too expensive for many families. Even though I'm bullish about kids' use of computers at school and at home, I was skeptical. Cost is a big issue. Even though the program was optional, many parents would feel pressure to participate regardless of whether they could afford it. Even during Silicon Valley's boom years, $2,000 was a big chunk of change for most families. Like a lot of parents, I worried about the machines being stolen, lost or damaged and was concerned about kids having to carry around a five-pound computer in an already heavy backpack. While Apple does make great laptops, I also question the wisdom of not giving families a choice between Macs and the numerous -- and typically cheaper -- Windows-based systems. Yet, there clearly are advantages to kids being able to use a keyboard to take notes in class. A much cheaper solution is to equip them with a handheld computer like a Palm organizer or PocketPC along with a plug-in keyboard. The entry-level Palm m100 -- which I find adequate for my needs -- has a suggested retail price of $99, but I've seen refurbished and used models on sale for less than $70. Add in another $70 to $100 for a fold-up keyboard from Palm, Targus or Belkin, and you have an affordable and highly portable device for helping students take notes, keep track of assignments and organize their lives. Unlike a laptop, they start up instantly and you can easily get through several days on replaceable or rechargeable batteries. The note taking application that comes with the Palm Operating System is far from a full featured word processing program but it's fine for jotting down notes in class or the library or even getting started on a paper. When you get home from school, you can synchronize the Palm with your desktop PC or Mac. Although much pricier, handhelds from Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, Casio, Toshiba and NEC that run Microsoft's PocketPC operating system provide even greater PC compatibility because they come with stripped down versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook. Kids will no doubt also appreciate that they can double as an MP3 player but frankly, prices, which typically start at $400 or more -- put them out of reach for most students. Still, there are some families who have taken the plunge. Albert Anderson, a senior at Gunn High School in Palo Alto carries a Hewlett-Packard Jornada 520 with a Targus Stowaway fold up keyboard. ``So far, my main use is to take notes in English class,'' he said. ``It's easier to note down a page number or a quote with the keyboard than to write it with a stylus.'' Blake Holland, also a senior at Gunn, uses a Handspring Edge to organize his life which, like many high school students -- is at least as busy and complicated as most adults. ``I record homework assignments and use it keep track of phone numbers. It's also ``useful for college stuff'' such as scheduling interviews and keeping track of when applications are due, Holland says. Having a daughter who just finished applying for colleges, I can understand why he needs an organizer. I used the $99 Targus Stowaway keyboard with an HP Jornada 540. It took some time to get used to it, but eventually I was typing almost as fast as I do on my desktop PC. With a fold-up keyboard you have to carry two items instead of one and you have to take a moment to connect the two devices. It's not difficult or time consuming but it is an extra step and, now there are two things that can be lost, stolen, broken or left at home. Another alternative is the AlphaSmart 3000 from AlphaSmart of Cupertino. This $199 portable for kids weighs only two pounds and, according to the company, runs between 200 to 500 hours on three AA batteries. It has a full-size keyboard with an excellent feel, but a small (4 lines by 40 characters) screen, which is fine for note-taking and writing rough drafts but not all that great for serious editing. It's for writing only -- no spreadsheet, graphics or other software. AUSB or infrared port lets you transfer data from the AlphaSmart to a PC or a Mac. So far, Apple is the only major PC company that has ever designed a laptop computer for K-12 students. But the eMate 300, introduced in 1997, had a short life span. Based on the Newton operating system, the four-pound machine was kid-friendly, energy efficient and virtually indestructible. But, sadly, it went away when Apple pulled the plug on its entire Newton line. Eventually, it will be cost effective for all kids to carry an Internet-connected electronic notebook to school. When that time comes, I hope they're also able to serve as electronic textbooks, especially now that many schools have eliminated lockers. I'm tired of having to send my kids to a chiropractor to relieve the aches that come from carrying around 20 pounds worth of books and supplies.