PalmOne Britannica Concise Encyclopedia expansion card

Rating:
Summary: Extremely disappointing after having used the real EB
Review: Being an enthusiast of the EB, and already owning a software
version and an old paper edition, I was very thrilled by the
possibility of having access to the EB on my pda as well. No
more would I be left musing about a strange place name
on a book read in the cafe, or wondering what the currency of
a country might be called... It was a disappointment, then,
to find that the "Concise" in the name of the product is an
euphemism for grossly abbreviated; many articles do little more
than state the obvious about their topic. Moreover, one wonders
why this needs to be the case, as current SD cards have become
cheap and have enough capacity to contain a lot more text. Is
it the desperate need for claiming 900 "illustrations"?

Rating:
Summary: A Valuable Addition to My Palm Tungsten T3
Review: While studying, living, working, and traveling in China I have found the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia a valuable addition to my Palm Tungsten T3. I am frequently confronted with distorted versions of world facts and history here and can quickly review the actual facts and figures to effectively refute the distortions. In my Chinese language classes the encyclopedia's condensed articles are very useful in preparing classroom assignments where we have fifteen minutes to prepare a speech on an assigned range of topics. The maps are very general; but provide adequate national overview maps with major cities and geographical features shown and can be useful aids in discussions, much better than my napkin and pen drawings. Other software is available for more detailed travel needs. Similarly; if you're expecting to unfold the actual unabridged Encyclopedia Britannica with the click of an icon you will be disappointed; but that is not what this on-the-move version is all about. I have been thankful that the compiled information is condensed, can be very quickly and inconspicuously reviewed, and put neatly away until the next time it is needed. I keep it in the card slot at all times and find it useful at work, school, and family and social gatherings. Others really enjoy looking on with me as I use this card as a way to enrich our interactions with a deeper look into the facts than we could achieve off the tops of our heads. I would highly recommend that anyone with both a PDA and a brain purchase and use this product as their first-line quick reference tool.