device. The batteries give the user an average 3 months of usage before battery replacement. Many users have found that the CR2032 cells fit, which give the device a longer run time. The device's screen is a 102x64 STN 4-greyscale LCD which uses a timed backlight to save power. The device weighs about 52 grams (2.5 ounce), similar that of a large electronic standard watch. Considering the type of system there is a fair amount of software available although some of the programs written for the Ruputer are either entirely in Kanji script or will not run due to the increased speed of the onHand's processor. One developer has made a prototype for a docking station for the watch that includes a screen illuminator and a half-keyboard. This is not a commercial product, but instructions are available as how to create such a device. The onHand PC was discontinued by Matsucom on April 7, 2006. Response The Ruputer and onHand PC failed to achieve widespread success, for a number of reasons. First, their screen is too small to display more than a handful of text, making it awkward to view data. Second, their joystick input requires entering text in a process similar to that of entering one's initials in an arcade game high-score list. Finally, they run through their non-rechargeable batteries more swiftly than is convenient for a device meant to be worn as a timepiece, although it was later found that the slightly larger CR2032 battery can be used which gives substantially better battery life. The main competitor for the onHand PC was the Fossil Wrist PDA, a wristwatch-sized PDA. The device runs Palm OS 4.1., and like other Palm OS devices, has a virtual keyboard and touch-sensitive screen with handwriting recognition, giving the Wrist PDA an advantage over the joystick input on the onHand PC. The Wrist PDA features 8Mb of memory, four times the memory in the onHand, although a major disadvantage of the Fossil device was volatile memory - if the battery died, data was lost. The Ruputer/onHand uses non-volatile storage, which is not battery-dependent, so data is retained even through battery death. References External links onHand PC Support Site Fossil Wrist PDA versus onHand PC comparison Review by The Gadgeeter onHand PC Discontinued Personal digital assistants Smartwatches Watch models