HP iPAQ Review.
I wanted a Pocket PC that would be small, reliable, good functionality and finally should be within my budget. It is always very difficult to find exactly what you are looking for, same is the case here. There are lots of PDAs out there but the one factor that made me go for the iPAQ 2215 was its value for money.
Specs -
Processor - Intel XScale processor 400Mhz
Memory - 64MB
Display - 65k colour TFT (16 bit) , 96mm diagonal
Resolution - 240x320
Battery - 900mAH Li Ion rechargable
Dimension - 115mmx76mmx15mm
Weight - 144gm
Expansions - SD slot and MMC support, CF type I and II
Infrared port
Bluetooth (v1.1)
First Impression -
As expected from a reputed company like HP, the packaging was very good indeed.
The packaging contained -
HP iPAQ Pocket PC 2215
USB Desktop charger
AC Adapter, battery, and charger adapter
A poster about getting started
HP iPAQ Pocket PC Companion CD
The first thing I noticed on the iPAQ was solid rubber grips on both sides which makes holding the device very comfortable . The screen is nice and big, however it doesnt come with a protective film which I feel is a very essential on our dusty Indian roads. The case is made of grey plastic and chrome, and does tend to give a 'cheap' kind of feeling. The buttons have a good shiny finish. The overall looks are good but nothing special.
Description -
On the front there are six buttons - a power button , four application buttons and one D-pad.There are two indicators - one for bluetooth and the other charging. The D-pad is soft and sometimes a bit over-sensitive.
On the top I could see the SD and CF slots, 3.5mm headphones adapter plug and a silo for the stylus.
There is also the Ir port, however it is not visible.
Moving onto the display, it is large amd bright. Visibility was excellent even in direct sunlight thanks to a very good brightness level adjuster.
I have been using the Palm m125 before and this is quite a step forward.
Although both are of the same size there is a big weight difference, the iPAQ being the lighter one.
The battery life is pretty good and I have had absolutely no problems whasoever. Even while playing music through the main speaker, the battery lasted for almost 4 hours. The fist low battery warning is given at 25%. So, there should be nothing to complain about the battery.
Software -
The iPAQ has 64MB inbuilt memory of which 57MB is usable. The remaining 7MB is basically ROM.
Software inbuilt in ROM -
Pocket Outlook
Pocket Internet Explorer
Pocket Word
Pocket Excel
Voice Recorder
iPAQ Task Manager
Diagnostic Tool Kit
iPAQ Backup
iPAQ Image Viewer
Nevo
iPAQ File Store
Self Test
iPAQ Audio
ActiveSync
Windows Media Player 9
Microsoft Reader for Pocket PC
Nevo is a basically a universal remote control. It worked very well with the TV, DVD player, speakers, .. anything that works on Infrared.
All you have to do is add a device and choose from a given list of items or alternatively the software can "learn" from a Remote Control.
The Task Manager was a bit difficult to locate but is a very handy tool providing easy access to recently used programs.
ActiveSync lets you synchronize data with any other PDA via Infrared.
The feature I liked the most is the Bluetooth Connection Manager. Using the Manager I could easily tranfer all my contacts, mp3s, photos, etc from the mobile without having to save them as a seperate flat file.
There is also the Voice Recorder but no seperate button for Voice Recording. The Image Viewer can be used to select pictures from any external storage card. Some basic image editing can be done using the Image Viewer.
HP have done a good job by including a ClearType Tuner with which the extent of anti-aliasing can be increased or decreased.
There are also lots of other stuff such as Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger, Terminal Services Client, etc which can be useful to me if I can get wireless internet, but that's still a dream.
Few optional softwares such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, RealOne Player, Pocket Watch are also included in the software CD.
Overall, the software included is more than enough for a home user like me.
Fors -
1.Great screen, superb clarity even in direct sunlight.
2.Bluetooth, Infrared.
3.Good music playback with treble, bass controls.
4.Long lasting battery
5.Great value for money.
Against -
1.Plastic covering looks a tad cheap
2.Cheap stylus(HP trying to save some money here)
3.D-pad over-sensitive sometimes.
4.Alarms dont work sometimes.
Price
$235
I wanted a Pocket PC that would be small, reliable, good functionality and finally should be within my budget. It is always very difficult to find exactly what you are looking for, same is the case here. There are lots of PDAs out there but the one factor that made me go for the iPAQ 2215 was its value for money.
Specs -
Processor - Intel XScale processor 400Mhz
Memory - 64MB
Display - 65k colour TFT (16 bit) , 96mm diagonal
Resolution - 240x320
Battery - 900mAH Li Ion rechargable
Dimension - 115mmx76mmx15mm
Weight - 144gm
Expansions - SD slot and MMC support, CF type I and II
Infrared port
Bluetooth (v1.1)
First Impression -
As expected from a reputed company like HP, the packaging was very good indeed.
The packaging contained -
HP iPAQ Pocket PC 2215
USB Desktop charger
AC Adapter, battery, and charger adapter
A poster about getting started
HP iPAQ Pocket PC Companion CD
The first thing I noticed on the iPAQ was solid rubber grips on both sides which makes holding the device very comfortable . The screen is nice and big, however it doesnt come with a protective film which I feel is a very essential on our dusty Indian roads. The case is made of grey plastic and chrome, and does tend to give a 'cheap' kind of feeling. The buttons have a good shiny finish. The overall looks are good but nothing special.
Description -
On the front there are six buttons - a power button , four application buttons and one D-pad.There are two indicators - one for bluetooth and the other charging. The D-pad is soft and sometimes a bit over-sensitive.
On the top I could see the SD and CF slots, 3.5mm headphones adapter plug and a silo for the stylus.
There is also the Ir port, however it is not visible.
Moving onto the display, it is large amd bright. Visibility was excellent even in direct sunlight thanks to a very good brightness level adjuster.
I have been using the Palm m125 before and this is quite a step forward.
Although both are of the same size there is a big weight difference, the iPAQ being the lighter one.
The battery life is pretty good and I have had absolutely no problems whasoever. Even while playing music through the main speaker, the battery lasted for almost 4 hours. The fist low battery warning is given at 25%. So, there should be nothing to complain about the battery.
Software -
The iPAQ has 64MB inbuilt memory of which 57MB is usable. The remaining 7MB is basically ROM.
Software inbuilt in ROM -
Pocket Outlook
Pocket Internet Explorer
Pocket Word
Pocket Excel
Voice Recorder
iPAQ Task Manager
Diagnostic Tool Kit
iPAQ Backup
iPAQ Image Viewer
Nevo
iPAQ File Store
Self Test
iPAQ Audio
ActiveSync
Windows Media Player 9
Microsoft Reader for Pocket PC
Nevo is a basically a universal remote control. It worked very well with the TV, DVD player, speakers, .. anything that works on Infrared.
All you have to do is add a device and choose from a given list of items or alternatively the software can "learn" from a Remote Control.
The Task Manager was a bit difficult to locate but is a very handy tool providing easy access to recently used programs.
ActiveSync lets you synchronize data with any other PDA via Infrared.
The feature I liked the most is the Bluetooth Connection Manager. Using the Manager I could easily tranfer all my contacts, mp3s, photos, etc from the mobile without having to save them as a seperate flat file.
There is also the Voice Recorder but no seperate button for Voice Recording. The Image Viewer can be used to select pictures from any external storage card. Some basic image editing can be done using the Image Viewer.
HP have done a good job by including a ClearType Tuner with which the extent of anti-aliasing can be increased or decreased.
There are also lots of other stuff such as Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger, Terminal Services Client, etc which can be useful to me if I can get wireless internet, but that's still a dream.
Few optional softwares such as Adobe Acrobat Reader, RealOne Player, Pocket Watch are also included in the software CD.
Overall, the software included is more than enough for a home user like me.
Fors -
1.Great screen, superb clarity even in direct sunlight.
2.Bluetooth, Infrared.
3.Good music playback with treble, bass controls.
4.Long lasting battery
5.Great value for money.
Against -
1.Plastic covering looks a tad cheap
2.Cheap stylus(HP trying to save some money here)
3.D-pad over-sensitive sometimes.
4.Alarms dont work sometimes.
Price
$235
hyeah: