Strangely, it was while driving in a random fashion round yet another set of dead-ends and wrong roads in one of Britain’s fine industrial parks, in the vain hope of stumbling across my client’s premises by sheer good fortune, that I decided the time had come to invest in a personal organiser, or PDA.

I spent a total of just under £900 on a Compaq Ipaq 3950 and a navigation system based on an expansion jacket designed for the PDA.

Had I been more patient, I could have purchased the Ipaq for just over £420 at PC World’s website (www.pcworld.co.uk) this being the price for which the 3950 can be purchased today. Or I could have bought the Bluetooth-enabled 3970 for a mere £60 more at £480.56.

Size in a device like this is all-important, as if it were too big or heavy, it would find itself very soon joining the Navman package on that shelf I mentioned. The Ipaq isn’t the lightest or smallest of the current crop of PDAs, but at 190 grammes, and with dimensions of 133mm x 84mm x x16mm, it easily slips into a pocket or briefcase, and no need to worry about scuffing or scratching either, as the package includes a lightweight rigid plastic cover which adds nothing to the size, and a negligible amount to the weight, while affording sturdy protection to the screen and the body of this sleek brushed aluminium and shiny black plastic machine.

To put it simply, it has encouraged me to be more organised in just about every aspect of my working life, and not a few elements of my private life too. Let me explain.

Since the arrival of my Ipaq, I have been able to put all my appointments onto my PC in the office, dock the little beast on the supplied USB cradle and watch in goggle-eyed wonder as the software (which also comes in the Ipaq box) does its thing and synchronises the desktop and the pocket PC. Contacts, e-mails, appointments, tasks are all automatically updated. This is, crucially, a two-way street; appointments or contacts added during the day to the Ipaq will also update the desktop’s files.

The inclusion of Excel means that I can keep a tally of what I spend and where in a format that allows easy transfer to whatever financial package my accountant prefers.

Additional software can be downloaded from, among other places, www.compaq.co.uk/products/ipaq/pocketpc/software.html This will give you links to a variety of sites which offer programmes for the Ipaq.

Additionally, there are a number of physical keyboard options available as accessories. These include a folding keyboard, which will slip into a briefcase, but opens out to an almost full-sized affair. This would be my choice, were I to feel the need to go this route.

Above the screen, and to the right as you look at it, a small chrome button is the on/off switch. This has a satisfyingly solid ‘click’ about it, and the screen response is immediate.

At the top of the left-hand edge, a button provides one-touch access to the memo recording facility, allowing you to add voice to your ‘Notes’ file. The length of available recording time is dictated (sorry) by the amount of free memory.

The bottom edge, to complete our tour, houses the soft reset button (recessed to avoid unnecessary reboots) and the connection slot into which car power adapter and docking cradle fit.

Summarising the good and the bad (at last, I hear you cry) I have to say that the Ipaq 3950 is a great machine, with a huge ‘useability’ rating. It’s very user-friendly, quick, versatile, rugged and sufficiently compact to make it easy to carry about.