I used to use a Toshiba Libretto but I got tired of lugging around the power supply and constantly hunting for a plug. After analyzing my use of the machine, I realized that I could switch to a handheld unit with a few adjustments.

So...which one to buy? Palm (and similar units) were out because I don't get along at all with that handwriting recognition stuff and they don't have a heck of a lot of RAM. The fact that their peripherals are all proprietary didn't make them any more attractive. Looking at WinCE units, it became clear that I wouldn't be happy with anything that didn't have a keyboard, PCMCIA slot, and a color screen. When I got down to the Jornada 680/690 and the MobilePro units, I picked the Jornada 690 because the package is noticeably smaller and has most of the features I was looking for.

My biggest complaints about the Jornada 680/690 relate to the CompactFlash slot. A CF-II slot would have made more sense than CF-I since the MicroDrive was right around the corner when this unit was being produced. Using the smaller CF slot means there's no chance of tucking a MicroDrive into that space. Second, it should be located on the side of the unit, not in a flimsy "hatch" on the bottom. They should have put it on the side between the stylus and the power jack which would have allowed the use of communications CF cards like modems, ethernet, etc. It appears that HP was only thinking of using the slot for memory expansion.

Another complaint is the "voice recorder". It just plain sucks. Don't think you'll ever be able to make quick reminders with this thing. If you yell into the mic from about an inch away, you might be able to hear the result.

My last complaint is the built in modem. I can only get it to work by limiting the port speed to 19,200bps. Anything higher and it can't finish the handshaking. Not a big deal since I use an ethernet connection but I was still disappointed.

What do I like? Just about everything else. I have the 690 with 32 megs of RAM. If you're buying one of these, get the 690. Getting twice the memory is worth a few bucks. Yes, the 680 can be upgraded but just try and find an upgrade kit...and look at the price when you finally find it. I have a bunch of software loaded (including a dozen "AvantGo" subscriptions and the data files for 30 Infocom games) and I've barely made a dent in the storage memory. I put a 32 meg CF card in there to store news articles and email. That should give me room to hold a week's worth of each with plenty of room to spare.

The screen is big enough to handle light word processing and pecking around small spreadsheets. I use MS MoneyCE to track finances and there's plenty of room to display a useful amount of information. There's a real web browser for surfing complete with images, SSL, cookies, etc. With "Pocket" versions of Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word, you can get a lot done. While these versions have their limitations, it is possible to make good use of them.

When all is said and done, the Jornada 690 handles all of the stuff my Libretto did. It's smaller, lighter, and runs for about 5-6 hours on a charge. You can get a more time by dimming the display (I run it at maximum brightness) and not using any PC cards. Best of all, the "instant on" nature of WinCE makes it _much_ more useful. No more waiting for my laptop to boot/wake. Just press the power button and start working.

Having said all of that, I wouldn't pay full retail for one of these. Most places are selling them for over $800 which is a lot of money for what you get. I picked up a used one on Ebay for about half that which is about what I think they're worth.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 400