Leave your laptop at home
Written: Jul 18 '00 (Updated Jul 19 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Improved OS, simple navigation, useful software, expandable
Cons: price tag, some crashes, syncing with Money 2000 does not work
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| jjongsma's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Jornada 548 Pocket PC |
I'll be honest - I don't like Microsoft. I've hated all previous CE devices, and was very skeptical of the "new and improved" Pocket PC OS. However, after taking the Jornada for a test drive, I had a change of heart. Finally, a PDA that can replace a laptop for short trips.
The Jornada is lightyears ahead of old CE devices. Not only does the Pocket PC OS add increased functionality, it also simplifies the user interface at the same time. This is a welcome change for Microsoft, whose trend so far has been to keep producing more and more complex and overbloated software. Rather trying to port the Windows 95 look and feel over to a handheld device as they have in the past, Pocket PC establishes its own unique interface which makes navigation simple given the small screen size of a PDA. I've never even opened the user manual yet.
Software:
Although the new OS is one of the strongest selling points, the real clincher is the software available. The Jornada comes bundled with many useful applications for any type of user. First, it syncs absolutely perfectly with Outlook, giving you access to view and update all of your contacts, email, calendar events, tasks, and notes in the office and on the road. Need to view email attachments? No problem. Pocket versions of Word and Excel are also included, allowing viewing and simple editing of these documents. (You could create entire documents from scratch, but who wants to write a document or report entirely with a stylus?)
Other useful software tools include OmniSolve, a full-featured scientific/business calculator, Microsoft Reader (for reading eBooks on the road), Pocket Streets (full color street maps, searchable by address or place name - very useful) and Solitaire (of course...), among others. For a full listing, go to <a href= http://www.hp.com/jornada/ >HP's web site</a>.
Unfortunately, one of the programs I would have found most useful is absolutely terrible. Microsoft Money for Pocket PC is supposed to sync with Money 2000, allowing you to enter transactions at any point and then transfer them to your account database on the next sync - which would be very useful for me. However, when I tried using this feature, I found that it invariably corrupted my main Money file after two syncs. I tried recreating my account database on my PC several times, reinstalling Pocket Money more times than I can count, and tweaking every sync option available for Pocket Money. No luck. At one point, it deleted an entire account of mine during sync. I would strongly advise against using this feature until a new version comes out, unless you want to risk having transactions simply disappear without notice.
Hardware:
The Jornada itself is very well designed. It's a very sleek little machine. There are several features worth mentioning.
First, it has a built in voice recorder. I personally haven't had a need to use this, but I can see where it could be useful.
There is also a built-in headphone jack to allow listening to digital music (MP3's) on your Jornada. If you plan to use this for music, you will definitely want this model (548), and probably an extra memory card as well - even 32 MB of memory fills up fast when you're storing music. In addition, there is a power-saving feature that allows you to shut off the screen when playing music.
There is also a CompactFlash card slot, allowing the addition of extra memory, a modem, network card, or various other devices.
Communication:
Worried about losing compatibility with Palms for exchanging contacts? Worry no more! A third party app that is integrated into Pocket Outlook enables exchanging of contact information even with Palm users via the infrared port on the front of the device.
If you need to print anything from your Jornada (for whatever reason), HP's free JetSend software allows direct printing to any infrared-enabled printer.
Checking email and web sites on the road is also possible now. Using an infrared modem or CompactFlash modem card, you can have full access to the internet. There's even a pocket version of Internet Explorer, complete with SSL and JavaScript. To be honest, viewing web pages on this small of a screen is a bit of a hassle, but that's up to you. The true usefulness of this feature for me is to send and receive email on the road - without taking my laptop along.
The Jornada is also AvantGo compatible.
Competition:
After seeing the Jornada in action, I didn't even consider getting a Palm. The other device I considered was the Cassiopeia E115 from Casio. Although it has most of the functionality of the Jornada, I discarded it for a couple of reasons: First, it's big and ugly. Second, it's big and ugly. Ok, maybe it's not that bad, but it was a little bulkier than pocket-size for my tastes. In addition, it lacks some custom software that HP includes, like a home menu and task switcher. Also, if you use your Pocket PC to listen to music a lot, the E115 will die on you much faster - there is no option to power down the display while listening.
Conclusion:
Except for an occasional crash (not serious - a reset only loses about 5-10 seconds of productivity if your work is saved, and usually crashes are caused by the media player) and some software glitches (here I am thinking of Pocket Money), I have no complaints about the Jornada 548. I am definitely glad that I chose the 548 rather than the 545 - I've already filled up over 16 MB of memory with no problem. Although the price tag looks pretty steep (I almost didn't buy it because of the price), as you get acquainted with the Jornada, you'll realize that it is well worth $600.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
jjongsma
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Member: Jeremy Jongsma
Location: Chicago, IL
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 2 members
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