Whether it's about transferring data from a Palm to a Pocket PC or getting free phone calls from a PDA, our editors answer some of the burning questions on handhelds from our readers.

Free phone calls from your PDA?

Question:

	Skype is currently not available on Palm-based handhelds like the Tungsten C

Submitted by James, via e-mail
I live in Manhattan where, at least in my neighborhood, there are open broadband hot spots all around. If I get an Axim or Tungsten C handheld, will I be able to download Skype into it and have nearly free wireless phone service as long as I'm in range of a hot spot?

Answer:
Answered by Matt Elliot, Section editor
Skype is a free download and will work on any handheld running Microsoft's Pocket PC OS. So it will work with Dell's Axim, but not with the Palm-based Tungsten C. (Rumors have been circulating on the Web for a while about Skype coming to the Palm OS, but so far, they're just that--rumors.)

Calls to other Skype users are free; what you'll have to pay for is a headset that works with your Axim and any charges that you may incur at a particular hot spot. And if you want to call people who aren't on Skype, you'll have to sign up for a SkypeOut account. With it, you can make calls to almost any phone number in the world for low, per-minute rates. You have to prepay for calls by adding money to an account, and your remaining amount is displayed on a tab in the Skype window. I'd suggest starting with the minimum amount of 10 euros (about US$13). We tested the SkypeOut service on a desktop and a laptop and experienced widely inconsistent voice quality. We had better luck with free Skype-user-to-Skype-user calls.