Summary

• Phones and computers are converging, but no one knows exactly what the result will be.

• Three large companies are vying to produce operating systems for these future devices: software giant Microsoft, 3COM spin-off Palm, and mobile phone consortium Symbian.

• So far, PDAs fall into two main categories: clamshells such as the Psion and tablets like the Palm.

• Computers may eventually become wearable but several problems will have to be overcome first. These include battery life and user input.