The device's e-mail program allows the user to retrieve messages from multiple e-mail accounts, as well as decode Acrobat, Microsoft Word and image attachments. It also has PIM capabilities that include an address book, a calendar, a to-do list, a notepad and various games. The Hiptop device also will provide for the importing of contacts from most PIM applications.

An optional, proprietary digital-camera accessory plugs into a special port in the unit. Photos can then be stored or sent via e-mail.

The Hiptop's wireless phone feature lets customers use either the entire Hiptop housing or a separate headset to make calls.

What gives the Hiptop a unique twist is, quite literally, a twist -- the screen on the unit, which supports 16 shades of gray, swivels around to reveal a QWERTY keyboard with dedicated number keys and a directional pad. Like the Handspring, the Hiptop's keyboard is, shall we say, thumb-enabled.

The unit fit in the palm of your hand, with its length and width being a bit smaller than a Palm 100 series. It is a bit thicker than a Palm 100, but not too noticeably so. And the Hiptop is slightly thicker than a Palm 100 (5 oz. for the Hiptop versus 5.4 oz. for the Palm). The batteries for the Hiptop are rechargeable, while only certain models in the Palm 100 line have rechargeable batteries.

Future improvements for the Hiptop platform include full synchronization with industry standard PIMs and a color screen.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Danger is going up against Palm, Handspring, Sony and other makers of PDAs. Its success, though, will depend on selling consumers on the "coolness" of the product, and convincing wireless carriers to sell and support the product. Danger has already taken that first step, with the T-Mobile pact.

The Danger/T-Mobile deal is one made in wireless heaven. Besides having T-Mobile's parent as an investor in Danger, the Hiptop platform is currently designed to work with the GSM/GPRS network, which is the technology that T-Mobile uses in the U.S. The Hiptop service should achieve between 30-40 Kbps data rates over the GPRS network, company officials said, with the hardware reference design supporting Class 10 GPRS. The company plans to support other wireless networks later in 2002.

The Hiptop certainly won't hurt the adoption of wireless services in the U.S, especially with wireless acceptance in the States running way behind that of Asia and Europe. The Hiptop unit itself is certainly attractive, although it will probably fare better in the consumer market than in the enterprise arena.

The big question, though, is on the carrier end. Will wireless companies like Verizon Wireless and Cingular sell the Hiptop line? While Danger's ASP model may be attractive to carriers, the GSM/GPRS network aspect of the system may be daunting at first. But as support for other wireless networks comes on-line -- especially CDMA and TDMA -- different versions of the Hiptop will probably find its way into a wireless store near you. Today's technology announcements should also help the Hiptop and its branded siblings in the consumer market.

Bob Woods is the managing editor of InstantMessagingPlanet.