While you can spend hundreds (and save time) on a personal shopper, or spend hours (and save money) poring over product reviews and comparing prices, here, we offer a bit of both: A full-length report from our own back-page Secret Shopper columnist, chock-full of behind-the-scenes experiences and shopping tips and strategies designed to steer you to smart choices on your timetable.

For this second annual report, we posed as owners of a new home-based landscaping company with $3,000 to spend on a wish list of equipment that included a 400MHz Pentium III (or faster) laptop with a roomy hard disk and a large screen to share information with clients during off-site meetings; a basic personal digital assistant (PDA) for tracking schedules, building customer contacts and updating to-do lists; a megapixel- or higher-resolution digital camera to take photos for our company's Web site; and a cellular phone with voice mail. We told each sales rep that we were open to any brand or platform as long as it adhered to our budget. We explained that we were replacing our desktop PC but keeping our current printer, scanner, and fax machine.

Rating the Resellers We gave retailers the same information and an equal opportunity to provide complete recommendations. On our scale of one to five shopping carts, high scores reflect friendly and patient service, appropriate recommendations that kept us within budget, an understanding of our business needs, and promptness in providing us with price quotes and product specifications in writing.

THROUGH THE DOORS

Although the Framingham, Mass., outlet of national electronics retailer Best Buy was quiet that Wednesday afternoon, it took us five minutes to flag down David, our sales rep. Even so, we quickly felt that we were in good hands. Right off, David told us he didn't work on commission. When we relayed our plans and budget, he told us we needed plenty of power, since the laptop would serve double duty as our main PC and a presentation system for off-site customer demos. With that, he steered us away from Compaqs and toward a $2,399 600MHz Pentium III Hewlett-Packard Pavilion notebook. Why? "Compaqs are bulky and require proprietary RAM for expensive upgrades," he explained. For crystal-clear viewing, he suggested an active-matrix screen.

David then said if we weren't in a rush, we could have a customized Pavilion with more RAM and a larger hard disk in two weeks. Considering that's how long it often takes Dell and Gateway to deliver their custom PCs, we were impressed.

How about a PDA? David pointed out the affordable $249 Handspring Visor Deluxe with 8MB of RAM. We liked that the Visor offers multiple expansion modules for a modem, digital camera, and MP3 player.

For our digital camera and cell phone needs, David handed us over to Matt, who was equally knowledgeable and friendly. Matt suggested a $299 Kodak DC215 megapixel camera with optical zoom for sharp photos.

As for a wireless phone, though Matt showed off a spiffy Motorola StarTac, in the end he said a basic $50 Nokia 6120 would fulfill our paging and voice-mail needs just fine.

DAVID AND MATT'S PICKS
Laptop: Pentium III Hewlett-Packard Pavilion ($2,399)
PDA: Handspring Visor Deluxe ($249)
Digital Camera: Kodak DC215 ($299)
Cell Phone: Nokia 6120 ($50)
Total Spent: $2,997

Rating: Attentive, smart sales reps, adequate selection in all product categories. However, initial response time by salespeople could be faster.

We had high hopes for CompUSA, a chain of popular superstores. The Natick, Mass., location was dark and cluttered with piles of computers and peripherals on clearance. Though several clerks were stocking shelves, it took more than 10 minutes for one to notice us. Andre finally came to our aid. Although he was friendly at first, he soon began to fidget and give us abrupt answers. At word of our budget, Andre quickly pointed to a $2,299 450MHz Pentium III Sony Vaio. When we pressed him for more details, Andre said mobile users liked the Sony's 15-inch screen and lightweight 6.8-pound design, but didn't compare it to other displayed models.

Andre looked bored with our questions, and when we said we were confused about the PDA choices, he mumbled, "For $149 you can't go wrong with an entry-level Palm IIIe."

Upon mentioning our Web site plans, without explanation, he recommended the Kodak DC215 digital camera we saw at Best Buy, or a $499 Kodak DC240 1.3-megapixel model with 3x zoom and USB connection.

The store had four personal communications service (PCS) phones displayed at the service center. A harried clerk named Jim helped us select a $129 Nokia 5100 series.

ANDRE AND JIM'S PICKS
Laptop: 450MHz Pentium III Sony Vaio with 15-inch screen ($2,299)
PDA: Palm IIIe ($149)
Digital Camera: Kodak DC240 ($499)
Cell Phone: Nokia 5100 series ($129)
Total Spent: $3,076

Rating: Decent selection, but Andre's disinterest, coupled with a skimpy cell phone selection, left us wanting.

FLIPPING PAGES

TigerDirect's catalog, known for its build-to-order PCs, specials, and closeouts, is filled with laptop and digital camera choices but only a few PDAs and, unfortunately, no cell phones. Sales rep Paul helped us sort through the options in an afternoon call.

Paul was friendly and quizzed us about our price range and software choices. When we told him our plans to present landscape designs to clients, he said, "You want a 500MHz or faster system and a TFT [active-matrix] screen that can be viewed clearly even at extreme angles."

However, Paul suggested a laptop from a company we'd never heard of: Ashton Digital (www.ashtondigital.com). We hesitated, but Paul assured us that he sold many Ashton Digital laptops without customer complaints. Hmm. How could we be sure? He noted the $1,699 MaxiMate 500MHz Celeron laptop with 13.3-inch TFT screen and 6GB hard disk was in stock. We were struck by the low cost, but Paul explained that the system's Celeron processor and smaller screen drove down the price.

Tiger's PDA choices were limited to the skinny Palm V and wireless Palm VII. A $30 rebate on the 2MB Palm V brought its price down to $299, but we knew we were better off buying a 2MB Palm IIIe or Handspring Visor elsewhere.

The catalog featured more than a dozen digital cameras at prices swinging from $99 to $1,299. "More expensive cameras are capable of higher resolution for higher digital image and print quality," Paul explained. "Pricey cameras feature zoom lenses and higher memory capacities." Paul recommended a $519 Nikon Coolpix, saying its 3.34-megapixel resolution would give us ample storage and quality images.

PAUL'S PICKS
Laptop: MaxiMate 500MHz Celeron with 13.3-inch TFT screen ($1,699)
PDA: Palm V ($299, including $30 rebate)
Digital Camera: Nikon Coolpix ($519)
Cell Phone: None
Total Spent: $2,517

Rating: Friendly, knowledgeable sales rep and overall bargain prices. Catalog could use better and cheaper PDA selection, however. No cell phones.

Having jumped numerous voice-mail hoops, we finally reached a sales rep named Ralph at this catalog known for its big inventory of name-brand products. He congratulated us on our new venture and actually asked us about our budget and wish list. Did we also need a printer, scanner, or fax? When we declined, he didn't push.

Since power was a priority, Ralph suggested a $2,375 500MHz Pentium III Hewlett-Packard OmniBook XE2 with a 14.1-inch TFT screen: "You'll have no problem running business software, getting online, and doing presentations." Ralph also recommended a $145 port replicator to connect the laptop to a full-size keyboard, mouse, and monitor.

As for our basic PDA needs, Ralph compared the Palm IIIxe with its Palm OS (good for calendars and lists) and Windows CE Pocket PC (for advanced users who want more power to run streamlined versions of desktop applications). In the end, he said we'd be happier with the $399 PalmVx, with its rechargeable lithium-ion battery and smaller pocket size.

We liked Ralph's recommendation of the affordable $299 Olympus D360-L, a 1.3-megapixel camera with 8MB of memory and 2x digital zoom for sharp close-up shots of our landscaping creations.

Though we eyed the $179 Motorola StarTac cell phone, Ralph discouraged us by noting its limited talk time. "For $99 the digital Nokia 5160 supports voice mail, paging, and caller ID," he said.

RALPH'S PICKS
Laptop: 500MHz Pentium III HP OmniBook XE2 with 14.1-inch TFT screen ($2,375); port replicator ($145)
PDA: Palm Vx ($399)
Digital Camera: Olympus D360-L ($299)
Cell Phone: Nokia 5160 ($99)
Total Spent:
$3,317 (plus $40 estimated shipping Federal Express three-day service)

Rating: Knowledgeable sales help led us to appropriate, though expensive, products. Connecting to a sales rep could be easier.

CLICKING AWAY

Outpost.com was one of the first technology e-tailers on the scene, and now has expanded its offerings by partnering with other vendors. We sent an e-mail to the site's Business Traveler customer service requesting assistance and a short reply from Brian arrived--four days later.

Brian must have misread our wish list. He ignored PDAs, and without explanation suggested combining our digital camera and laptop needs with a $2,299 400MHz Pentium II Sony Vaio C1 PictureBook. We were intrigued with the Vaio's tiny 2.2-pound size and 12GB hard disk, but its 8.9-inch TFT screen was too small to create or display landscape designs. Bad call.

Frustrated, we called Outpost and got Carol on the phone, who apologized for Brian's slow response. She then suggested a $2,599 500MHz Pentium III IBM ThinkPad iSeries 1562 with 14.1-inch display. When we balked at its 8-pound weight, Carol argued, "It's bulky, but has more power." We were disappointed to hear the port replicator we wanted was out of stock.

Carol's PDA choice was the Palm IIIxe, a low-cost $249 model with a sufficient 8MB of RAM to handle lists and calendar entries.

Although several digital cameras were available from Outpost's partner Wolf Camera, Carol insisted we buy the 1.3-megapixel Olympus D-360L for $299. Asking why got us a curt explanation: "Cheaper models will produce cheap-looking photos."

Our spree ended there because Outpost doesn't sell cell phones.

BRIAN AND CAROL'S PICKS
Laptop: 400MHz Pentium II Sony Vaio C1 with 8.9-inch TFT screen ($2,299) or 500MHz Pentium III IBM ThinkPad i1562 with 14.1-inch TFT screen ($2,599)
PDA: Palm IIIxe ($249)
Digital Camera: Olympus D-360L ($299)
Cell Phone: None
Total Spent: $3,147 (free shipping)

Rating: Slow-as-molasses sales response proffering bad advice. High prices put us overbudget without a cell phone. Carol's help and free shipping (a rare find) earned a single cart.

PCMall is a well-respected direct-mail catalog with a Web store and shopper assistants who reply via e-mail. We were wary about e-mail recommendations, but PCMall was true to its 24-hour response promise--14 hours after we submitted our e-mail request, Joseph answered us. Enthusiastic, he wanted details about our vendor preferences, budget, and business plans before recommending specifics. We appreciated his attention to detail, but were frustrated that his written quote took two additional days to arrive.

A $2,099 550MHz Celeron HP OmniBook 6000 was Joseph's laptop choice. "This system offers a 14.1-inch TFT screen, a 6GB hard disk, and you can add a [$199] port replicator for quick docking in your home office," he wrote.

For a PC-linkable PDA, Joseph liked both the Palm IIIxe and Philips' discontinued, Windows CE-based Nino 210, each priced at $249. "You can upgrade and accessorize both, but Nino works with slimmed-down versions of Windows applications like Outlook and Quicken," he explained.

Joseph preferred the high-priced $599 Kodak DC280 camera with 2-megapixel resolution and zoom lens. (PCMall doesn't offer cell phones.)

JOSEPH'S PICKS
Laptop: 550MHz Celeron OmniBook 6000 with 14.1-inch TFT screen ($2,099); port replicator ($199)
PDA: Palm IIIxe ($249) or Philips Nino 210 ($249)
Digital Camera: Kodak DC280 Zoom ($599)
Cell Phone: None
Total Spent: $3,146 (plus $57 next-day shipping or $25 UPS ground shipping)

Rating: While we appreciated Joseph's detailed recommendations, a two-day response time, high prices, and no cell phone selection tarnished the effort. 

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