ehandi's Full Review: Hewlett Packard iPAQ h4150 Pocket PC
This will be a fairly short review as there are numerous other sites out there (eg. brighthand, pocketpcthoughts, etc) that have some excellent detailed reviews. My perspective is more from a 'average Joe' view and will skip the details on processor power, etc.
First off, this is my second pda. My first one was the original Palm Pilot which I bought at the time because of the "cool" factor. I didn't end up using it much because I couldn't be bothered with it. Fast forward to today and I came to the realization that I'd like to have a portable device that I can store all of my important data. Furthermore, the gadget geek in me wanted something a little extra. Enter the iPAQ 4150. The main features that attracted me to this model over others are:
1) size - very compact and slim. I already carry enough stuff around with me so I wanted to get something that wouldn't be bulky
2) built in Wifi (802.11b)- the gadget geek part of me wanted this so that I can quickly check email or surf the internet for stuff when I'm not in front of my computer at home
3) built in Bluetooth - again, the gadget geek in me wanted BT to go with my Sony Ericsson T616 cell phone. Now I can surf the web through my phone when I'm on the go (note that it's not cheap to do this. check with your cellular provider)
Other likes:
- these devices can be used to play music, videos, show pictures, etc. Most pdas can do this these days though.
- colour screen is very clear when you look at it straight on. If you look at it from an angle, the whites will appear yellow. This seems to be a problems with all iPAQs though. It doesn't really bother me since I always hold it in a way where I look at it straight on. Otherwise, it is capable of producing 65k colours
- sleek looking - the 'cool' factor is definitely there
- memory - comes with 64mb of RAM of which 56MB is available for your use for programs and file storage. I highly recommend getting a Secure Digital card for extra storage capacity.
Dislikes:
- the included software that makes up PPC2003 is okay but decent to use if you're not looking for anything fancy. There's MS Pocket Word, Excel, Windows Media Player, IE, Messenger just to name a few. But there are better 3rd party software. Take for example, the File Explorer. It's very limited. There's a 3rd party software called Resco File Explorer which is more like Windows Explorer for XP. I don't see why Microsoft wouldn't make something similar for the PPC.
- As of this writing, I have to use the cradle if I want to charge and sync my iPAQ at the same time. The 4150 is a power hog and the usb sync&charge cables won't work properly if the battery is low. Note that companies like Belkin claim that it will work fine on the 4150 but from my readings, they only work when there's 50% power left in the battery. I could Active Sync through Bluetooth or Wifi and then use the included charger to recharge the battery. But I haven't been able to get it to work consistently.
- yellow screen effect (see above)
At the time, this was the only pda that offered built-in Wifi and bluetooth in such a small form factor. I've had the 4150 for 3 months now and still love it. I'm definitely more organized and I'm finding lots of neat software out there available for it. Obviously, it's not a mobile computer but for those times you quickly want to look up something or you need to kill some time while waiting in the doctor's office, it's great to have.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400 Recommended for: Gadget Lovers - Trendy and Hip
400 MHz Intel Xscale processor with Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Integrated wireless capabilities with Bluetooth technology and WiFi (WLAN 802.11b) 3...More at Amazon Marketplace
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