Best Gear

By Wilson Rothman

*HAND IT OVER

Long ago--around 2001--a cell phone that was also a Palm-type organizer was enough to make a gadget freak drool. Now you can get hot video games and a decent MP3 player wrapped up in one device. Lots of handhelds have full Web browsers too, along with instant messaging and a medley of ring tones that are fast becoming standard fare. We even found a GPS tracking device with a built-in jogging computer that you wear on your wrist. Fortunately, many of these new machines also come with improved battery life and enhanced color screens. This is all part of a secret campaign to make the newest mobile devices more irresistible than the ones you already own. And it's working.

T-Mobile Sidekick Think of it as an overachieving pager. This combination phone and PDA features a color screen and a nifty version of AOL Instant Messenger. You can even snap on a camera. t-mobile.com ($300)

Tapwave Zodiac More game platform than organizer, the Zodiac is the only Palm OS device to offer 3-D graphics. Its Bluetooth wireless technology lets you go head to head in games like Doom II. tapwave.com ($300 to $400)

LG VX6000 Phone Verizon's first and (so far) only camera phone, this model has a marquee-style front display, which gives it a dramatic look when closed. Our favorite camera-phone feature: picture caller ID. verizonwireless.com ($200)

Handspring Treo 600 The newest Treo, more powerful and svelte than its predecessor, with an extra-long-lasting battery to boot, is now at Sprint PCS and will soon be offered by GSM carriers Cingular and T-Mobile. handspring.com ($450 to $600)

Garmin Forerunner 201 The latest in wrist-tops, the Forerunner GPS does everything for runners: maps your route, clocks your speed, counts your calories and creates a "virtual partner" that you can race. garmin.com ($160)

Samsung A600 Phone If you prefer the mobile-phone version of electronic football to Madden 2004, this camera phone's Game Pad will give you a two-thumb advantage. sprintpcs.com ($390 with pad)

Nokia 3300 Phone Two key aspects of teen life come together in the 3300: music and messaging. The phone, from Cingular and AT&T, features an MP3 player and a full QWERTY keyboard. attwireless.com ($200 to $250)

Siemens SL56 A sliding cover hides the keypad when this stylish phone is not in use. The SL56 made a splash with fashionistas this year, but there's no PDA or camera built in. For some gadget hounds, less is more. cingular.com ($250)

Fossil Dick Tracy MSN Direct Watch Here's a watch that you never have to set--the network takes care of that. It will also receive weather and news updates and short text messages. fossil.com ($200 plus $59-a-year service)