You Can Do Better, But Worth A Look
Written: May 26 '01 (Updated Jul 10 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Audio, video, Microsoft compatibility, software, features
Cons: Durability, memory, overall compatibility, performance
The Bottom Line: It has some rough edges. I'd say $250 is a fair price. Add some memory and you may find yourself happy with this Pocket PC.
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| bizewriter's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Jornada 545 Pocket PC |
Overview
I have always been an HP fan, but my experience with the Jornada 545 has shown to be an exception. However, I could have had an atypical lemon. There is a good warranty and otherwise reason to give HP the benefit of the doubt, so my review is mixed.
I believe product comparisons are in order as is consideration of intended usage and memory. If you can find the HP on sale, or slightly used with a deep discount it is worth looking at.
Durability and Usage
The flip top became loose and the stylus started to fall out after weeks of kind usage. Heavy gaming, audio books, mp3 listening etc., may not be suitable. I am pleased with the Microsoft applications and the general writing and character recognition functions. I love the easy access audio record button on the side of the machine. If you have this gadget handy there is not much excuse for forgetting to leave yourself a memo, or if you prefer, to send one. Saved in a .wav format you can add this and other audio rather easily to E-mail, Word and other programs that accept this format.
System - Compatibility / Crashes
At first there were few crashes but the system soon became frequently unstable. This required resetting of the system and loss of data. Backups did not solve the problem as there was a glitch with trying to reload Microsoft Reader data. If you want to read ebooks, I'd consider another system.
I suspect the promotional program "Audible Manager" and its accompanying files are at least partly responsible, if only a memory issue. I have also experienced trouble with memory intensive games, Internet Explorer and heavy data use from the Internet. I couldn’t get MapQuest to work for instance.
Active Sync' is flaky. It worked fairly well on a Compaq Presario (AMD PII class 550), though I had to reinstall it a few times in three weeks. It would not load on my Intel-based PIII machine on the first try. I have not repeated the procedure out of frustration. Most preloaded software worked well.
Audio and Video
The audio is very good. The video is good as long as the product is not used in or near direct sunlight.
Memory and Miscellaneous
I believe an added 16 to 32MB memory would solve most problems. The battery is decent. The software, such as pocket MS Office (Word, Access, Excel) is great. Outlook is nice but I did not find it as user friendly.
Another benefit is the line of optional accessories is extensive and reportedly good.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 499
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Epinions.com ID:
bizewriter
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Location: Missouri
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Writer
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