GlobalPulse Palm provides a real solution to one of the biggest mobile computer user questions.

How do I get my e-mail when I am on the road, without carrying a laptop computer or waiting hours for my WAP phone to get its act together?

This remarkable piece of software engineering provides a way to send and receive e-mail, send SMS messages or faxes and link to the internet directly from a GSM phone on to a Palm platform PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

The Palm PDA (the GlobalPulse Palm works with the Palm III, IIIx, IIIe, V and Vx) is clipped on to a special cable mounted adaptor, which plugs into the user's GSM phone.

Frequently, this sort of device cable has flimsy connectors which fall apart quite quickly.

But we tested the GlobalPulse Palm with a Nokia 6110 and found the cable and its peripheral clips to be robust, well made and more than tough enough for the job.

Palm users are accustomed to the idea of running a HotSync operation which synchronises all the data on their Palm device with their desktop computer.

The HotSync operation is also used to transfer software on to a Palm device.

Having initially loaded the Global Pulse Palm software on to the user's desktop PC via a CD- Rom drive, it only takes a few minutes to run a HotSync then the Palm is ready for connection to the GSM phone.

The GlobalPulse Palm is a very neat way of getting maximum functionality from a Palm PDA without spending too much money.

The unit we examined was easy to install and worked first time without any tweaking or fiddling.

A Mac OS version is also available.

Price: £69
Contact: 020 8938 1000
Feelgood factor: 9 out of 10