While working on this extended document, I had the opportunity to check out all the Project Management tools that run on the HP Palmtop. I also explored several, but not all, PM tools designed for Windows. Of the latter, I was unable to test the most frequently cited Windows tool, Microsoft Project. due to the lack of a review copy of the software.
The greatest benefit to having Project Management tools on the Palmtop is portability. If you manage by "walking about" or if you want to rough out a project while talking with a client, then the Palmtop is the way to go. The biggest disadvantage to using the Palmtop for PM is the size of the screen. Many of the shareware PM tools that run on the Palmtop were actually designed to run on a computer with an 80 X 25, CGA screen. On the Palmtop this means tiny fonts. Be prepared to squint a lot. The best PM tools for the HP Palmtop are the commercial ones developed with the Palmtop in mind.
The Windows-based PM tools that I examined were at least a couple of orders of magnitude more powerful than the programs that work on the HP Palmtop. After using such tools for a week or so, I was reluctant to return to the Palmtop. To be perfectly honest, if I did project management as a full-time occupation, I'd probably use the Palmtop for personal needs and invest in a high-speed, large-screen laptop. That would give me less portability but much more power for doing Project Management.
Furthermore, a major responsibility of a project manager is communicating with others while planning and managing a project. Some of the Windows PM programs I looked at had the ability to send and receive messages over a local area network as well as the capability of importing and exporting graphics to aid in presentations.
It's possible to use the HP Palmtop as a standalone Project Management tool. There are sufficient programs available to suit almost every level of project manager from the novice to the professional.
However, the field of project management has advanced considerably in the past ten years. The DOS-based tools that run on the Palmtop reflect the state of PM from 5 to 10 years ago. To practice PM today you need more than what the HP Palmtop can provide. You really need to move up to a computer that supports presentation quality graphics, seamless communications, and ease of use.
If you're a real wizard of the HP Palmtop, you could probably add other applications that would let you approach the capabilities of a desktop/laptop tool like Primavera. Most people are not that patient. Perhaps the next generation of palmtops will provide more of what it takes to do the job.