The most durable PDA
Written: Oct 09 '00
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Most usable version of WinCE to date, USB
Cons: Still a little more complex to use than PalmOS platforms
|
|
|
| cypher417's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Jornada 545 Pocket PC |
I started with this type of device back with the Casio E-100 last year. The main decision points for me are color, stereo output and a compact flash slot. WinCE is still a little clunky but the PalmOS simply can't do what this can. It only has a type1 CF slot so it can't use CF cards over 128Mb or the IBM micro-drive like the Casio, but it has a much more durable case with a metal cover and is slightly smaller. I can throw it around without breaking the screen and replacement covers are available on the HP site. The stylus is a terrible flat stick that is a small price to pay for the narrower case. It doesn't have a puck to use for games, but I didn't want it for that anyway. It looks like any ordinary PDA which is a plus for me because: a)It is less likely to be a target for thieves and b)You don't have to explain what it is to every jo shmo. The battery life is the best I have ever seen for a color screen. The screen is a HPA instead of TFT which might account for it. It is still slightly easier to see in brighter light than the Casiopias TFT screen. The Compaq iPaq is probably the brightest out of any right now. The top button can be used at any time to shut the screen off and leave an application running to save power. The USB connection makes it practical to use as a CF card reader. The included image viewing software lets me take a CF card from my Kodak DC260 and view the pictures on the HP. The SH3 processor is starting to seem slow, but there is ALOT of shareware available. The built-in Avantgo is very useful to sync the current news every morning. Avantgo can also be installed on any PDA including the PalmOS, it is just integrated with WinCE 3.0. The only flaw I found was that the speaker is very weak compared to others and very hard to hear with the cover down.
This is a very solid, functional WinCE device with plenty of software available. WinCE 3.0 is the first version I would recommend for a beginner over the PalmOS. If you want to play Gameboy type games, this will not work.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
cypher417
|
|
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.