ViewSonic's V35 is a low-cost handheld based on Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 software. The device lacks built-in wireless capability, but its light weight and slimline design will probably appeal to mobile staff who only need basic handheld functionality.

The V35 is currently shipping at a price of £195 + VAT, which makes it one of the cheapest handhelds available.

One of Dell's Axim models is cheaper, but only has 32MB of memory compared with the V35's 64MB. Dell's model offers more flexibility with both CompactFlash and Secure Digital card slots, but the V35 is much lighter at 125g.

At 121x76x12mm, the V35 is slightly larger than Hewlett-Packard's iPaq H1910. Like that model, the V35 comes with the Pocket PC code stored in Nand Flash, which means it must be copied into memory when the device is first turned on.

This reduces the available memory to just 36.45MB, but user files and documents can be held on Secure Digital Flash storage cards, freeing the internal memory for applications.

ViewSonic has equipped the V35 with a 3.5in colour screen. This screen is slightly smaller than that of some rival PDAs, which are typically 3.8in, but we found it to be clear and easy to read.

On the downside, the V35's battery is not removable, unlike that of most new handheld models. ViewSonic quotes a life of about 10 hours from the built-in lithium-ion battery pack.

The ViewSonic V35 ships with a USB docking cradle and battery charger, plus Microsoft's ActiveSync software to synchronise the handheld's data with Outlook on a Windows PC.

Price: £195 + VAT

Contact: ViewSonic 01293 643 900

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