Hewlett Packard Jornada 545 Pocket PC

Pros: Great screen, better than earlier versions
Cons: Everything else

...it's no Palm. There, I said it. I love gadgets but they must qualify for my attention by way of making my life better, being an improvement over whatever I'm currently using that I'm replacing, must be logical (the Mr. Spock in me)and...be fun to...

Pros: Strong design; great sound
Cons: Expensive, heavy, some usability concerns

The Jornada is the first CE device that I've ever seriously considered buying - but following a serious test-spin, I found it just didn't quite cut it. Weight and high prices still remain insurmountable barriers for the Jornada as well as all the other...

Pros: Color display is amazing, great to use for games, as an organizer, and for work, email and internet connectivity, sleek design
Cons: Error in design limits display to 12bit instead of 16bit, pricy ($499)

About a week ago, I had the joy of finally receiving my Jornada 545, HP's color PDA containing 16MB RAM. The following review has my thoughts on this incredible product. I hope you enjoy!

Performance
The bottom line is that the...

Pros: Ergonomics, design, engineering, quality and features.
Cons: The stylus that ships with it is not very comfortable in the hand for extended use.

Intro

I needed to purchase an upgrade/replacement for my now old and limited Compaq C120++, a first-generation CE PDA. I had the C120 for 4 years, and since I use my PDA on a daily basis, I have a very firm minimum expectation of...

Pros: Case design, CF slot, USB + RS232 interface
Cons: Poor display, bad buttons, high price

I am a software developer and wrote the PacMan emulator for Microsoft's PocketPC release in April. Being a software developer working with Microsoft, I have owned and/or tested every HPC/PPC/PocketPC device and this one is at the bottom of my PocketPC...

Pros: Most usable version of WinCE to date, USB
Cons: Still a little more complex to use than PalmOS platforms

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...

Pros: Design, color, multimedia, valuable Win CE improvements
Cons: The screen is not bright enough

I’ve been through two monochrome Win CE machines: the original Casio Cassiopeia clamshell-type with keyboard, and a palm-sized Philips Nino. I’ve also played (a lot) with my wife’s Palm III and friends’ Palm Vs. In fact, I was on the verge of purchasing...

Pros: Audio, video, Microsoft compatibility, software, features
Cons: Durability, memory, overall compatibility, performance

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...

Pros: Thin design, lots of software, hand recognition tools, USB connection
Cons: PocketPC Operating system, Not-so-great stylus

I've been using a HP Jornada 430se for the last 5-6 months and recently needed to take it in for a repair. Since the 430se is a discontinued model, Best Buy gave me a new Jornada 545. Needless to say, I was as giddy as a schoolgirl and left the store...

Pros: Handwriting recognition, Audio Books, Great color display, MP3 player, e-books, Excel, Word, Internet Explorer
Cons: Active Matrix screen would have been nice

I have owned a Pilot, a Pro, and a Palm III. The time came for me to make the jump to a better screen (read as: Color) and I was ready to buy the Palm color handheld (around $450) when I came across the Jornada.

I have always hated Windows...

Pros: Fully Functional computer in your hand. Total access to everyday life! Not just a palm.
Cons: could use more memory. internet access is expensive

Ok, lets talk about the nice color screen. its everything you need when you're looking at a unit 5 hours a day. The pale green or barely backlit gray can be a bit annoying.

I like the full functionality of the unit. YES, you can view full...

Pros: Nice color screen, comes with more multimedia than PalmOS
Cons: flawed OS and sync software,

I purchased my HP Jornada 545 the same weekend Microsoft debuted there PocketPC operating system. Since I am always eager to stay on the bleeding edge of technology, I decided I needed one of these devices. I ordered mine directly from HP's online store....

Pros: Integration with MS Office / Outlook. Color display, Neat dictaphone feature, pretty rugged.
Cons: A little heavy. Problems experienced with screen.

I've had the Jornada 545 for the past 6 months, and I haven't regretted spending $700 on it yet. All the little things that I used to wish I had handy - Internet ID's and passwords, list of insurance policies and their contact names, expenses, address...

Pros: Connected screen protector, removable, onboard Compact Flash Media, ergonomics
Cons: Screen hard to see in sunlight, moderately slow processor, only 16 MB Memory

In the summer of 2000, a new graduate (me) emerged from the public high school system. I was motivated, eager, and, above all, disorganized. I, along with my parents, decided that I could think of no better tool/graduation present to help me traverse...

Pros: Nice screen, good applications, good looks
Cons: Limited memory, no support for IBM CF drive

Epinions / Jornada 545

After a couple of years of using Palm machines, I decided I needed something else: colour. The choices came down to Palm’s IIIc, and the Hewlett Packard Jornada 545. Given that the Jornada was only £50 more, and came...