The new release of Windows CE, version 2.11, has enhancements that have allowed higher resolution displays, USB support, Pocket Access and more processor options. Compaq, and other vendors, have put these features to good use in creating a new type of mobile computer - the so-called Handheld PC Professional device.

With a screen resolution of 800 x 600 in colour, and a 95 per cent full-size keyboard, the Aero 8000 is hard to distinguish from a small laptop. There's no floppy drive or CD-Rom, but a 56Kb modem is built in, and you can plug in an SVGA monitor and a PS/2 mouse or keyboard.

Essentially, then, what you have is an ultra-portable replacement for a traditional laptop that is cheaper, smaller and lighter, at the cost of reduced functionality. The Aero 8000 is good news for people who need remote access to important information and have a desktop in the office.

Unfortunately, the quality of the large 10" DSTN 800 x 600 pixels LCD display is awful, so you won't be giving any PowerPoint presentations on the move. The luminosity across the screen is uneven, making it extremely patchy, and using anything other than a black background makes the mouse cursor invisible when it is moved. We were also frustrated by the slow screen refresh which couldn't even keep up with a normal typing speed.

Rather than a touch-screen, the 8000 uses a notebook-style trackpad and buttons, and the large keyboard makes touch-typing a possibility. Another bonus is the instant-on nature of Windows CE devices.

Flip open the case, and you're back in the state in which you left it. The built-in 56K modem lets you browse the Internet quickly, from a hotel room for example, but this will be reduced to a snail's pace if you have to connect via a mobile phone at 9600bps.

The Aero 8000 comes with 16Mb RAM, but this can be expanded to 64Mb without using up the CompactFlash slot. For peace of mind there's a smartcard reader and writer for security purposes.

There's plenty of software provided, including Pocket Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Access; Audible Content Player, Quick View Plus, and much more. Synchronisation with Lotus Notes, cc:Mail, Novell Groupwise, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Mail comes as standard. Also, using the standard ROM-based Citrix ICA CE client software, the 8000 can actually run full Windows applications.At this price, the Aero 8000 steps into budget notebook territory, and with the extra functionality these units offer, it could be fighting a losing battle. Neither is it as small as other H/PC Pro devices, so it doesn't win there either. Compaq hasn't made use of USB support, which is disappointing as this would have made the 8000 much more vesatile.

Battery life is really the feature that raises the 8000 above the laptops. On the standard Li-Ion battery, you can expect about seven hours of 'typical' use; the high-capacity battery lasts up to 12 hours.