Abstract: The present invention is a modular handheld device. The modular handheld comprises a console and a keypad/battery module that acts with the console. The handheld can have other module parts. For example different modular handles can be attached to the handheld. The user or user organization has the option to select from one or more smaller keypad/battery battery modules and/or one or more larger keypad/battery modules with more battery capacity. The appropriate keypad/battery module is selected based on the needs of the particular user or application. This allows an organization to have multiple handheld configurations which utilize the same core computing engine, thus greatly reducing the number of IT platforms that need to be supported. By combining the display, processor, scan engines and radios into a console and separating the keypad and batteries into a “personality module” many different handhelds can be customized from a single console.