A computer for the palm of your hand-- it's an appealing concept, and it was hard for me to wait for the technology to catch up to the promise. Two weeks ago, I decided that the wait was over, and purchased an HP Jornada 430. The 8oz unit sports 16MB of memory, a 130mhz Hitachi SH3 processor, and a crisp 65536 color display. A 6-hour rechargeable lithium ion battery powers the unit, and a plastic screen protector flips down to protect the screen while not in use.

The clear screen protector is my first gripe-- It's a nice idea, but it gets in the way more often than not, and the plastic hinge has already broken on my unit. With the screen protector, the need for a case is lowered, but I'd suggest one anyway (I recommend RhinoSkin) if you're going to bring your Jornada along everywhere. The buttons on the Jornada's case are VERY cleverly designed, and a (brilliantly) convenient "voice recorder" button allows you to keep a collection of reminders.

Windows CE isn't quite ready for the mass market; several silly design decisions make it a bit more cumbersome to use than the desktop equivalent. I've had a number of transient lockups and storage problems with the Jornada, but nothing too serious. [Oh, and whatever moron decided that CE devices should synchronize with desktops via a serial port should be shot-- transferring a 3MB MP3 file can take 15 minutes or more.] On the upside, Microsoft ActiveSync rapidly and painlessly synchronizes your calendar, tasks, contacts, etc. IMPORTANT CAVEAT: Microsoft will be releasing a new version of Windows CE in late Spring, 2000.

To make this device shine, you really need to buy a few accessories; to enjoy its fast MP3 player, you really want a 128+MB compact flash card ($200) & USB flash reader ($50), and the included travel dock isn't as nice as the optional desktop docking station (which, sadly, is somewhat flimsy itself).

Perhaps this review may focus a bit on the HP's negatives, but that reflects my belief that a palm PC should be as easy-to-use as any other piece of consumer electronics. If you're a tinkerer like me (I bought it to program Windows CE applications) this is one of the best devices out there. There's a good chance you can find one of these at significant savings on eBay, since this device turns out to be a bit too geeky for many purchasers.

Feature List:
(+)OUTLOOK: Delivers. Fast and easy synchronization, well-designed UI.
(+)GAMING: Delivers. A bit pricey for a glorified GameBoy. :-)
(+)VOICE: Delivers. The Jornada's great design shines.
(+)SOFTWARE BUNDLE: Delivers better than most CE devices, including a MP3 player, Outlook for your desktop, and a number of utilities.
(?)MP3: Delivers if you add a Compact Flash card and a USB CF drive.
(?)PICTURES: High-color display shows JPEGs nicely, but the software to do so intelligently hasn't been written (yet!).
(-)RUGGEDNESS: Fails. These devices will really take off when they can take a beating.
(-)EASE OF USE: Read the manual if you want to approach its potential.
(-)NET SURFING: Don't try this unless you're a glutton for punishment.



Recommended: Yes