with the launch of the casio cassiopeia e-200 pocket pc 2002 ($600 street), casio is catching up with its competitors that have already released models based on microsoft's latest pda operating system. while the e-200 is a solid entry (touting 64mb of ram and both compactflash type ii and secure digital/multimedia card expansion slots), it doesn't offer any distinguishing features to set it apart from a crowded field. the e-200 comes with a usb connection, a 206-mhz intel strongarm processor, and a 65,536-color reflective tft display, which tested well in various lighting conditions. the rated 12-hour battery life of the e-200 beats the 10-hour battery life of the nec mobilepro p300 pocket pc (also $600 street). toshiba pocket pc e570 the e-200, with its silver and light-purple metallic case, is not as likely to appeal to conservative buyers as the eye-pleasing hp jornada 568 ($650 street) and the good looking toshiba pocket pc e570 ($570 street). we found two problems with the case: the mmc slot cover is difficult to open, and the compactflash cover is completely removable--making it easy to lose. the 7-ounce e-200 measures 5.0 by 3.1 by 0.6-inches (hwd). when we put the e-200 through its paces, we found the synchronization process worked fine via microsoft activesync 3.5. but audible's audiblemanager program for the desktop hung temporarily, and we had to click on the install command three times before the casio menu program installed successfully. other bundled software, all of which installed without a hitch, includes audible's audibleplayer for listening to audio content, packet video corp.'s pv player for playing wireless streaming video clips, and activesky media player for pocket pc, a second video player for downloaded video files. we tried the e-200's audio system with and without a headset and found the audio quality clear, but we had to set the volume to the highest setting to listen to spoken audio in a quiet room. microsoft transcriber, the included handwriting recognition application, tested fine in both pocket word and contacts. we noticed that automatic recognition was a bit more reliable with cursive than printed input. based on its looks, entertainment-focused software bundle, and lack of unique features, the cassiopeia e-200 pocket pc 2002 is a good fit for consumers and mobile professionals but will probably not be the first choice for corporate buyers. what's hot: the tri-toned metallic cassiopeia e-200 pocket pc offers striking looks and both compactflash and secure digital slots (which can be locked to prevent cards from popping out by accident). the e-200's screen is bright and easy to use in all lighting conditions (though it's a bit darker than earlier cassiopeias), and you can swap out the rechargeable battery for a spare one (which costs $45); a backup battery will preserve your data if the main battery runs out. a jog dial on the side permits one-handed use. what's not: at $545, the e-200 certainly isn't cheap. casio eliminated the voice recorder button that was on the side of previous casio pocket pc pdas, and after trying out the e-200's audio, we're not surprised. the muted, fuzzy playback from the built-in speaker sounds terrible compared with the old cassiopeia em-500's, although playback through the headphone socket was good. what else: at almost 0.75-inch thick, the e-200 is one of the thickest of the pocket pcs, but it still fits fine in a shirt pocket. we found the directional pad a little stiff; in contrast to earlier models, it's combined with the built-in speaker and centered on the front, flanked on either side by two application buttons. casio includes a black leather slipcase. advertisement the e-200 works with a healthy assortment of add-ins via its dual expansion slots: memory cards, wireless lan adapters for 802.11b networking, and wired and wireless modems. an option is a $150 pc card sled with a battery; the sled allows the pda to use pc card devices and increases the e-200's life by providing a second battery. upshot: one of the most alluring pocket pcs, the e-200 offers both cf and sd slots built in for no-fuss expansion, as well as plenty of memory and a bright, easy to-read screen. pro: a well configured pocket pc pda, with dual expansion capabilities, host usb support, and network-savvy software. con: host usb support requires a driver written for the pocket pc os; few drivers of this type are currently available.