Pogo power in your hand

Internet to go? No thanks, if it means a choice between crappy WAP mobile now and dreaming of superfast 3G (third generation) mobiles some day. But the Pogo, unveiled last week, is a mobile that lets you surf as if you're at your desk, in full colour and as fast as a PC. Nor is it the brainchild of Bill Gates, or a Japanese giant, just three guys in Clerkenwell.

Pogo's trick is making normal global system for mobile communications (GSM) signals faster by compressing data before it's transmitted to your phone. Web pages appear five times faster. As Pogo cofounder Tim Critchley says: "We believe 3G is further away than everyone thinks, so we decided to make existing technologies faster."

Developing Pogo, from invention to hitting the shelves of every Carphone Warehouse in January, has taken less than two years.

The gizmo itself is impressive. A 3.8-inch colour screen shows web pages that are small but exactly as they appear on a PC, with text and links that are just readable. After years of hype about mobile internet, it makes a change to see web pages in your hand. And pages do load at speeds similar to a PC and modem - not instant, but fast enough. It will get faster when updated to take advantage of general packet radio service (GPRS) later in the year.

Tiny the Pogo isn't: it's a curvy brick, smaller than a paperback but fatter. There are no buttons and, annoyingly, no handwriting recognition: you navigate and type with a stylus and touch the screen. As well as web and e-mail, it's an organiser, MP3 music player, text messager and, of course, a phone. For this, it's technically possible to hold the Pogo up to your ear, but you'd look an idiot. Best use the headset supplied.

Pogo ( pogo-tech.com ) makes its own hardware and software, and retains tight control of both, much like that other British success story: Psion. But Psion has now dropped organisers and become a software-only firm.

What makes Pogo think it can slug it out with Microsoft, Nokia et al? "Anyone making a mobile handset is competition, but the only direct comparison we've seen is the Hand-spring Treo," says Critchley.

Pogo plans to make its invention pay by charging for the service: a monthly internet subscription fee of £7.99, with data calls costing up to 15p a minute. Unlike most rivals (see below), it's not aimed at professionals with expense accounts.

Instead, as hinted by the Pogo's curvy styling and funky rubber cover, it's aimed at 18-26-year-olds: an audience already comfortable with spending a small fortune on text messages and internet cafes.

"Most people were surprised by the success of text messaging," says Critchley. "People will use Pogo to grab bits of information. They know it's costing them 10p, but if you're flirting or getting the address of a pub to meet your mates at, you don't mind."

Trium Mondo, £350 with contract:
A big, flat Microsoft Pocket PC combined with a phone. It's let down by a black-and-white screen and lack of memory expansion, just 16Mb memory. GSM, upgradable to GPRS (which means it uses faster GPRS for WAP pages, but uses slower GSM for internet). Available now, go to trium.net .

Sagem WA3050, £399.99 with contract:
Another Pocket PC/phone. Black-and white also, but processor is faster and 16Mb memory can be expanded. Also GSM, upgradable to GPRS. Available now, sagem.com .

Handspring Treo, £499 without contract:
Black-and-white Palm with built-in phone. Good PDA software and easy to use, but web access is slow and doesn't like websites with frames. No MP3. Bulky flip-up so a headset is a must. GSM, upgradable to GPRS. Available from January, go to handspring.co.uk for information.

Siemens SX45, around £500 with contract:
Based on the Casio Cassiopeia Pocket PC, this has a crisp colour screen and the phone is easy to use. You can hold it to your head or use the headset. Double the memory of the Trium or Sagem, and more can be added. Will be full GPRS from launch. From February, go to siemens.com/mobile .

Sendo Z100, around £500 without contract:
A GPRS colour "smartphone" based on Microsoft's new Stinger software. First and foremost, it's a telephone. The buttons and 2.2-inch colour screen are great for the organiser, and for quick e-mails and texts, but the lack of a touchscreen makes web navigation that much harder. Available in spring 2002, see sendo.com for further information.