According to Craig Coward, a spokesperson for US Robotics, the unit is being launched in the UK with a price tag of ú279. Plans for other European countries have yet to be confirmed.

According to Coward, only the entry-level unit launched in the US last month, the Pilot 1000, is being launched in the UK. "This is the only unit to be launched so far," he told Newsbytes.

As reported previously by Newsbytes, the Pilot PDA is an electronic organizer designed to be linked to a portable or desktop computer using a cradle system. The unit, which also features a serial port for a modem connection, will feature a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) slot and wirefree options in its second-generation version due out, in the US at least, at the end of this year.

This second-generation wirefree version is being worked on by Megahertz and Palm Computing, and will support the CPDP (cellular packet data protocol) and Ram Mobitex wireless data transmission systems, Newsbytes understands.

Back in the present, meanwhile, the Pilot's main USPs (unique selling points) include the ability to synchronize data between itself and the connected PC. The unit looks like a miniature version of the Grid laptops, in a small "etch a sketch" style case that fits (just) into a shirt pocket. The bulk of the front of the unit is taken up by an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen which is controlled using a stylus.

The unit features a handwriting recognition package called Graffiti, which US sources suggest is one of the best in its class, achieving near-95 per cent accuracy at a cracking 15 to 20 words per minute.

Coward told Newsbytes that, after using his Pilot for a short while, he was able to do "very well" in the speed writing input stakes. "After about 10 minutes I was able to master the handwriting input side of the unit," he said.

The Pilot seems aimed at users of other PDAs such as the Psion Series 3a unit, and comes with a suite of personal information management (PIM) software, including date book, address book, to-do-list, calculator, and note-taking applications, along with a companion desktop PIM, connectivity software. Included within the price is a desktop cradle.

According to Coward, the Pilot is based on the Palm operating system (Palm OS), which was launched in January of this year. A key feature of Palm OS is its ability to interface and replicate with desktop PC environments. The operating system is split into two parts -operating system software for the PDA and Windows or Mac-based desktops and portable computers.

The PIM apps built into the Pilot are billed as compatible with: Franklin's Ascend; IntelliLink's DataSync; Lotus Organizer; Meca's Managing Your Money; Microsoft Schedule+; Now Up to Date; Campbells OnTime; and Sidekick from Starfish.

(Steve Gold/199606021/Press Contact: The Edge Partnership, +44-1625511966, Internet e-mail mail@edgepr.u-net.com; Reader Contact: Palm Computing Division, +33-1-4197-4600)