Ha! And people thought the PDA was dead. Today, HP introduced two new models to its iPaq line of handhelds: the HP iPaq 110 Classic Handheld and HP iPaq 210 Enterprise Handheld. Now, in this day and age of smart phones, will this type of classic PDA fly? I say yes. There are still plenty of people who want one device for organizing their contacts and appointments while keeping their cell phone separate. And heck, since Dell exited the handheld market in April and there hasn't been a new PDA from Palm in years, HP fills that void. Both devices are expected to start shipping in late October, while pricing has not been finalized at this time.
So if the name didn't give it away, the iPaq 110 is more for the everyday user--the student, the do-it-all supermom, the mobile professional. There's no revolutionary technology in here, but that's not to say, it's a snoozer. The PDA runs the latest Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition and comes with integrated Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi. It's nice and trim at 4.5 inches tall by 7.1 inches wide by 0.5 inch deep and 3.6 ounces and features a 3.5-inch, 240x320 pixel touch screen. Underneath, the iPaq 110 is powered by a 624MHz Marvell PXA310 processor and 256MB Flash ROM and 64MB SDRAM.
HP iPaq 210 Enterprise Handheld
(Credit: HP)
Meanwhile, the HP iPaq 210 will appeal to only a certain portion of the audience, namely vertical markets such as the medical profession. This business-centric handheld comes with advanced tools, such as HP's Enterprise Mobility Agent, a certificate enroller, and VoIP support. It's also equipped with a 24-pin connector and a mini USB port for terminal attachments such as bar code readers. Other highlights of this Windows Mobile 6 PDA include Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g with WPA2 security), a 4-inch, 262,000-color, VGA touch screen, 256MB of Flash ROM, 64MB of SDRAM, a voice recorder, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Intro:
This HP iPAQ 210 is a Pocket PC-based, business-oriented handheld device.Compared to other business-oriented handhelds on the market, it is relatively inexpensive at around $410.You can expand the memory of this unit using Secure Digital (SD), or MMC media.Runs on Microsoft Windows mobile 6.0.
Noteworthy Features:
Has a 18-bit color display, which is considerably better than some similarly priced handhelds.Also, this handheld runs on the Microsoft Windows mobile 6.0 operating system, which is considerably more advanced than some similarly priced handhelds.An available CF slot provides even more expansion, such as wireless connectivity, or additional storage.
Weaker Features:
Weighs in at 6.8 ounces weight, which is heavier than some similarly priced handhelds.For example, the Asus Mypal A696, a Pocket PC-based handheld at around $420, weighs just 5.8 ounces weight.Since this device runs on Pocket PC, it will work only with Windows, not with Linux or Macintosh operating systems.
Suitability:
A business-oriented handheld, suited for professional use.Also, its display, supporting standard at 640x480 resolution, makes it passable for viewing standard images.This handheld supports the Bluetooth private area network protocol, which means that it has the ability to wirelessly connect with other Bluetooth-enabled devices within about 30 feet to synchronize data, access e-mail and the Internet, exchange files, and print documents.This PDA includes Wi-Fi (802.11b) compatibility and can be used to access the internet at various wireless enabled "hotspots".
Value:
Given its relatively inexpensive price, this handheld has great features for the money.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Finally mature enough to get the job done
If you're like me, you've been wondering if the Pocket PC market would ever spin off a solution ...
If you're like me, you've been wondering if the Pocket PC market would ever spin off a solution that got it right before the niche was absorbed by convergent devices. While late to the party, HP has finally managed to bring a device to market that satisfies the need to balance small size and big possibilities.
I paid $450 for my Enterprise 210 - not chump change by any stretch. But as I later discovered, it was money well spent. The device is a lot smaller than I expected, and it fits nicely in my pocket. The 4" VGA screen is absolutely brilliant and sharp. Out of the box, Microsoft and HP provide a rather clunky interface and icon layout. I fixed that with an additional $100 in expense to install sbp Pocket Plus (to customize my desktop), ibe file manager (to improve the explorer), pocket DOS (for command line environment), z2 Pocket Lan (for a suite of TCP/IP tools), and Thunderhawk browser (to fix the still ridiculous PPC IE experience).
I administer a network, which is exactly why I bought this device. The wireless tools included are satisfying and my ability to configure and attach to encrypted networks was easy and thus far no dropouts taking it past 100 feet. The Bluetooth is equally easy to setup. Since this device has no phone, I thought this was a great alternative since I will use my cellphone as a modem where there is no wireless coverage (and preserve my weekends not having to drive into the city).
The processor has a lot of horsepower at 624Mhz, and even though I was skeptical about the 185Mb available Ram (384Mb total minus the OS) it sprinted along with multiple apps open and multimedia (I added an extra 4Gb SDIO card for storage). The touch screen is a nice feature and frees up having to pull the stylus every time, but you still need it for articulate keyboard work.
Security-wise, it does not have the buggy biometrics of other iPaq's to crash the system. Instead, you get a good set of encryption and intuitive setup to create VPN and other connections. I tested it out and was able to get reliable remote access over wireless using IPSEC. There is a noticeable pokeyness to the WIFI on startup pulling DHCP, but once it does it works great.
The screen deserves some comments. I have owned several PPC's in my time and this one absolutely blows them away. It is crispy and has a lot of real estate (but do yourself a favor and use a plain color background theme so you have a desktop without the distraction of graphics near text on the Today screen). Orientation landscape or portrait is easy to set, and you don't need to run it on full brightness for user-friendly display (nice to extend battery life and it includes a light sensor to adjust automatically).
Speaking of battery life, I did some tests: fully charged, I left it off for several days and found it lost about 6% of the charge - not bad. I also tested to see how long it would run Wireless before it ran down (almost five hours). I did have to use a 3rd party app to change the close 'X' from background to actually closing running programs, which improved battery time as well.
Something I find really cool about the 210 is the ability to use a mini USB cable for both charging and sync. The proprietary adapter HP ships with their AC charger is not needed if you have a laptop or desktop to plug into.
Expandability-wise, the SDIO and CF slots offer plenty of options too depending on what kind of goodies you want (GPS, camera, etc, none of which is built-in to preserve space and power). The audio is nothing to write home about from the external speaker, but with headphones it is a pleasure to listen to.
Overall I'd say if you're looking for a well-designed, stocked unit that has a strong (but not over the top) suite of processing power, expansion, connectivity, and battery life, the HP iPaq 210 Enterprise is definitely worth your time and money. Granted I had to spend an additional $200 by the time everything was upgraded and customized(for a total cost of $650) but it seems to be just what I was looking for and I now carry it everywhere. I was not disappointed and for purists who don't need a phone this is about as close to a real computer in your pocket as it gets.
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by 60894965 (see profile) -
March 1, 2008
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great device. Its about time someone came out with a new PDA for us non smartphone users.
I am glad I purchased the new IPAQ 210. Even though the size is big it is worth it to ...
I am glad I purchased the new IPAQ 210. Even though the size is big it is worth it to have a device that does it all and to have one with such a great screen. Not everyone in this world likes to work off a one inch square screen.
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by amaxted (see profile) -
April 28, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
3 out of 10 - Poor don't buy this if you need it outdoors!
I had high hopes for this after using the old hp's pda with a vga screen but I was ...
I had high hopes for this after using the old hp's pda with a vga screen but I was really disappointed with this screen outdoors. In bright sunlight it disappears. They claim it is transflective, but it clearly isn't. I could barely read it in brightsunlight. I had to shade the screen to see anything. What is going on with displays in this business--the old pda's are far better outdoors than anything I've seen in the last two years. I guess "mobile" computing means walking through airports and not going outdoors!
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by tpavlis (see profile) -
March 31, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Great Product with just a couple quirks
The iPaq 210 is definitely a great device. The large, VGA screen is wonderful for viewing pictures, watching movies, and ...
The iPaq 210 is definitely a great device. The large, VGA screen is wonderful for viewing pictures, watching movies, and surfing the web. The fast processor and 128mb of RAM make for snappy performance, while the dual memory card slots (SD and CF) let you have tons of storage. And with a 2200mah battery, it can keep running for hours. It does have a few drawbacks, though. For one thing, the plastic casing it's made with feels creaky (that's not to say it isn't solid, though; it is solid and should hold up to wear and tear nicely). The catch for the stylus is also a little weak and lost styli could be an issue with this device. Finally, for some reason CF cards cause un-warranted power drain even when the device is in standby. There is an option in the settings menu to fix this, but it doesn't seem to work. But all in all the iPaq 210 is a wonderful device.
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by Da Cheez (see profile) -
March 7, 2008
Asset Viewer,
Adobe Acrobat Reader,
Microsoft Office Mobile,
IPAQ Wireless,
File Manager,
HP Setup Assistant,
HP Photosmart Mobile,
Bluetooth Manager,
Today PanelLite,
Voice Recorder,
Calculator,
HP Help and Support,
Windows Media Player Mobile,
Microsoft ActiveSync,
Certificate Enroller,
Microsoft Internet Explorer Mobile,
Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile,
MSN Messenger,
Games,
Wireless Manager
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