There was a point a couple of years ago when mobile phones ceased to be a luxury item and started to become an essential tool for small businesses. That was when Sony and Panasonic displayed their Þrst handsets that could access POP3 or IMAP email, ie the existing accounts people were already using.

In the intervening years there has been an explosion of devices that can access email ranging from high-end handheld PCs to budget phones. Most use the GPRS (General Packet Radio System) to grab the header of an email, or the Þrst few lines. The user then gets the option of downloading the rest.

Receiving email is one thing, responding to it is an entirely different matter. For in spite of a range of key pads and handwriting recognition systems there is still no quick and easy way to input data on a small device. The holy grail would of course be a voice recognition system that turns your words into text. Yet in spite of many promises, not least from Microsoft's CEO Bill Gates, we are yet to see the system available for a small device.

While there's no denying the usefulness of being able to constantly monitor email, actually choosing a device to access it is becoming increasingly complex. That's because there are several different devices and form factors available. Which model you choose depends on how often you need to use email, whether you need a large screen or maybe even wi-Þ facilities, and how much you want to pay to access that data.

The cheapest handsets you can currently buy are called smartphones. These can be picked up for less than £100 yet include basic email and web browsing (not just Wap) facilities.

For more serious web browsing and easier input of data (via a keypad, handwriting recognition or onscreen virtual keypad) connected handheld PCs are worth considering. These combine the excellent personal organiser type facilities with the ability to surf and email on a much larger screen.

If a person is looking for a laptop replacement the ideal solution is a high-end handheld PC coupled with a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone. High-end PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) often come with integrated wi-Þ to enable them to access the internet via the growing number of wireless "hotspots".

Still not entirely sure which device to buy? Here are a few recommendations of top models. For details of the cost of GPRS tariffs see the network's websites.

Home ofÞce workers

You are one of the lucky few with a view of your back garden from your ofÞce window. On the rare occasions you travel you need to access your email, and maybe even take a cursory glance at the odd website.

Your best bet is the Microsoft smartphone, the SPV that was introduced last year via the Orange network. Admittedly it isn't the most glamorous handset, but it is competitively priced (you can now pick it up for not much more than £30) and has two key features. Firstly, given its Microsoft heritage it syncs with Outlook enabling you to transfer, store and access your contacts. More importantly its email client is a very easy to use cut-down version of Outlook Express. The user can also see some web pages on its relatively large (for a mobile) screen. There's a camera attachment, games and music and video players on board too. If it has a weakness it is that it runs a little slowly.

A good alternative is the Nokia 7650 that also has excellent emailing facilities. It can be bought for around £80.

Road warrior If you possess an unrivalled knowledge of the whereabouts of Little Chef restaurants, you obviously spend a great deal of time on the move and need a phone to act as a virtual ofÞce.

A good option is the XDA, a PDA powered by Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system that also features integrated GPRS mobile phone facilities.

PC owners will Þnd setting up and using the cut down versions of Outlook and Internet Explorer second nature, while the large screen makes reading email easy on the eye. The XDA uses Microsoft's Active Sync software to transfer contact details, events and Þles. It is available across all networks, but the best deal is reserved for 02 subscribers. Prices range from £250-400.

A good alternative is the recently launched £500 Palm Tungsten W, another PDA/phone combination.

Image workers

Part of your job is to show clients locations and places, so being able to email video and still image Þles is essential.

Although several phones now sport video facilities, none can really rival the versatility of the £200 NEC e606, currently the flagship phone of the newly launched Three 3G network. Its much-hyped video calling facility is no substitute for face to face meetings (the voice is often a little out of sync with the face) yet image quality is just about good enough for business applications. Probably more useful, given the limited number of 3 subscribers, is that you can take video snippets which can be emailed to a PC. The phone also boasts a simple device to set up an email system and has web browsing.

The Three package, which starts at around £50 a month, is attractive too. However the network is only running in towns and cities. When you are out of its coverage video, downloads and even email and web browsing facilities on the phone don't work.

Three also offers the £220 NEC e808, a large PDA style phone with an integrated keypad.

Jet-setters

Another day, another airport lounge. The big thing in airports at the moment is wireless LAN connections, or wi-Þ. With a PDA that features wi-Þ you will be able to visit hotspots in lounges, coffee shops, etc. and access download speeds that are much faster than those offered by mobile phones.

One of the Þrst PDAs to feature integrated wi-Þ is the new £400 Tungsten C from Palm. It is small, slim and simple to use thanks to a large screen with superb colour resolution and a mini keypad.

Taking advantage of the wi-Þ connection is easy too. The Palm logs on in seconds and you can soon be taking advantage of its excellent VersaMail email system plus what is possibly the best browser so far on a PDA. Its whizzy Intel 400Mhz processor means that all the other applications it boasts can be accessed very quickly. It syncs very easily with Outlook for both Windows and Mac and has a generous 51MB of storage. A good alternative is the £500 HP Ipaq H5450 PDA, which has both wi-Þ and Bluetooth connectivity. It uses Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system. It's a tad chunky though.

Total mobile solution

If you have forgotten what colour your bedroom wall is because you are constantly on the move then the ultimate package has to be the £500 Toshiba e750 Pocket PC based PDA in conjunction with the £100 Siemens S55 mobile phone. The Toshiba syncs via Bluetooth with the Siemens for excellent web surÞng and emailing. As the Tosh also features on-board wi-Þ, you can always ditch the phone altogether and take advantage of the faster download speeds each time you happen to Þnd a hotspot. Alternatively if you only need to take calls, leave the Tosh at home and take the tiny Siemens handset with you. Its triple band facilities means it works in most countries including the USA.

For more information go to:

www.orange.co.uk
www.nokia.co.uk
www.02.co.uk
www.palm.com/uk
www.three.co.uk
www.hp.co.uk
www.toshiba.co.uk
www.siemens.co.uk
www.tmobile.co.uk
www.vodafone.co.uk