HP iPAQ 5455 Pocket PC Review

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(More customer reviews)Well, let me begin by saying that I researched all of the PDAs on the market including Palm products and came away that this unit would be the best choice out there due to its 80211b connectivity. I primarily use Windows and as such though it would be a great tool to use to keep track of my contacts, Outlook messages, and to even sometimes use the IE browser capabilities remotely. After getting the unit, setting it up, and using it for several weeks I ended up returning it. Here's why, 1) The battery power is horrible if you use BlueTooth or the 80211b. I primarily wanted the unit to connect to my Outlook both at home and at work and I found the battery lifetime to be just short of two hours when using the 80211b (with BlueTooth turned off). This made it really tough to be able to attend a long meeting and rely on the 5455 for my email. Yes I could have carried optional battery packs, but I didn't want to do that. After all if this unit is supposed to be all encompassing then I shouldn't need to carry gear with me to support it. 2) The reliability of the wireless is not without its faults. Quite often I had to do soft resets - it got to the point that somewhere between 20-30 percent of the time a soft reset was required. 3) The Pocket PC operating system, particularly the aspects related to wireless connectivity and connectivity with the AutoSynch mechanism are not flawless in their implementation - you'll find problems connecting, you'll lose connections, and if you have more than one email service/account then you'll have to manually switch each time to get mail from each of the accounts. 4) I noticed the current incarnation of the Pocket PC OS have problems with slowing down in CPU speed when adding more applications to the unit. This is somewhat expected that as you add apps the OS will slow down, but adding just a handful of standard apps to the 5455 brought the peppy default speed of the unit down to almost intolerable. Again, since these were my primary reasons for purchasing the unit if the synching and wireless didn't work perfectly then there was little point in keeping the 5455. After three weeks of giving the 5455 every effort that I could make a case for keeping it I came to the conclusion that it did not meet my needs. A few weeks later I still do not in any way regret the decision of returning it. Taking into consideration the cost of the unit and the poor reliability and short battery life it just didn't make sense for me. I'll wait till HP come out with better battery technology that actually lasts with wireless and I'll wait till Microsoft come out with their next implementation of the OS which will hopefully synchronize and generally work more reliably. Perhaps by the time this happens then we'll have a version available which is built into a digital telephone - this would be an even more practical and useful real-world solution.

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Early Adopters Pick: December 2002. The first and only Pocket PC handheld PDA with integrated wireless LAN (802.11b), Bluetooth technology, and biometric fingerprint security.
The powerful HP iPAQ H5455 Pocket PC features a 400 MHz Intel XScale processor, 64 MB RAM, 48 MB flash ROM, and a Secure Digital memory slot for additional memory. Its display is a color transflective TFT LCD, 3.78-inch, low-power, 16-bit touch screen, capable of displaying more than 65,000 colors with 240 x 320 resolution and .24 mm dot pitch.
The H5455 is a ready-to-go wireless solution with universal remote control and Bluetooth technology capability, along with cool applications such as WEB, instant messaging, MP3, and online games. It's also compatible with popular Microsoft applications such as Outlook, Word, and Excel.
Programs installed on the Pocket PC include: Microsoft Windows CE, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Voice Recorder, Notes, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Pocket Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player 8 (for playing MP3 files), Calculator, Solitaire, Inbox (for e-mail), Microsoft Reader (for reading eBooks), File Explorer, MSN Messenger, Terminal Services Client, VPN Client, Infrared Beaming, Clock, Align Screen, Infrared Beaming Memory, Volume Control, iPAQ Task Manager, iPAQ File Store, iPAQ Backup, and iPAQ Image Viewer.
The iPAQ H5455 comes with a slim removable battery, a USB synchronization cable, an AC adapter, a charging adapter (tethered to the AC adapter), a quick-start user's guide, and an HP iPAQ Pocket PC companion CD-ROM (with Microsoft Outlook 2000, ActiveSync 3.5, add-on applications, and reference guide).
The H5455 comes with a one-year limited warranty.
What's in the box
HP iPAQ Pocket PC
Slim Removable Battery
Protective Cover Pack
Universal Cradle for either Universal Serial Bus (USB) or serial connection
Extra Stylus
AC Adapter
Charging Adapter (tethered to the AC Adapter)
USB synchronization cable
Quick-start user's guide
HP iPAQ Pocket PC companion CD-ROM (with Microsoft Outlook 2000, ActiveSync 3.5, add-on applications, and reference guide)

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HP iPAQ RX3115 Pocket PC Review

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(More customer reviews)My Palm Zire 31 recently died of a traumatic screen impact. I had every intention of replacing it with another of the same, but after poking at handheld display models around town, I decided to upgrade from my Palm to a Pocket PC.
I found the Pocket PC to be aptly named. It really is a pocket sized mini-computer. There's a fossil PC in my basement with less memory, less storage, a slower processor, and absolutely no multi-media capabilities. It cost over $3000 in 1996. The iPaq rx3115 cost 1/10 the price and delivers so much more. I am really impressed.
I chose the rx3115 over the rz1715 because the rx3115 has built in wi-fi and bluetooth. You can buy a wi-fi card for the rz1715, but it costs about $80 and takes up your only SD slot. The rx3115 is $100 more than the rz1715, so it seemed more efficient to just spend the extra $20 on the better model. If you never expect to need wi-fi, go ahead and save the $100. Me, I like being able to access my husband's amazon.com wish list from a Panera Bread parking lot.
The rx3115 starts with the same basic features as any handheld: an outlook compatible calendar, address book, and task list.
In addition to those basics, you get pocket versions of Word and Excel. The built in print manager allows you to print wirelessly from network ready printers.
On top of basic workhorse programs, the rx3115 adds built-in Avantgo software, which allows you to select free news and entertainment channels then download those pages onto the handheld. This means you can read this morning's Wired while standing in line at the DMV.
Then, it takes the multimedia capabilities to a whole new level. You can stream video, music, and photos from a desktop or laptop to your handheld, so if you want to listen to your MP3's from the basement, you don't have to bother copying them onto your SD card. If you want to load an album onto your iPaq, you can do it wirelessly on the way out of the house - no messing with the USB cord needed.
It also acts as a universal remote control, usable on any device with an infrared control. This is a mixed blessing, to say the least. Try to use your powers for good instead of evil, people.
The built in one-touch voice recorder works surprisingly well for (so far) unlimited voice memos. You can manually set the sound quality, so you can get incredibly crisp sound if you're willing to take up a lot of space. The built in speaker is very loud and clear for a device this size.
I like a lot of little details about the rx3115 - namely, the fact that it is slim enough to fit into my tiny little purse when in its hard case, the full size screen (no graffiti area unless you call it up), the ability to flip the screen sideways and back at the push of a button, the very responsive mini-keyboard which is a breeze to pull up or shrink whenever needed, and the one-touch voice memo button.
Finally, it's easy to download additional programs ranging from Age of Empires to ListPro (a very useful and highly recommended program!)
Incidentally, if you don't like the goofy multimedia home screen, you can download other free Pocket PC themes from Microsoft.
Cons:
All that said, this is not the most intuitive device I've ever used. The walk-through is beyond useless. (It tells you things you can do without showing you how.) Finding files can be surprisingly complicated. It looks a lot like Windows XP, but doesn't follow the same well established rules, which can result in some initial confusion.
Some features do not have a back button, so there can be an awkward amount of closing the program and starting over.
Because HP assumes people want this handheld for the sake of watching TV and listening to music, none of the buttons take you to normal handheld destinations, such as calendar, address book, and tasklist. You can reprogram the buttons, but it takes some digging to find how.
The Close and OK button are in the same place, so it's very easy to have half a dozen programs open, all hogging your memory, without realizing it. Separate screen buttons would go a long way to clearing this up.
Basically, you have to spend a little time learning the quirks of the system, but when you do, I find it well worth the time investment.
Other:
Some useful links for additional software include:
illiumsoft.com - makers of listpro
handango.com - quality Pocket PC and Palm pay downloads
pocketgear.com - more quality pay downloads
audible.com - audio books and magazines to download and listen to on your palm or PC.
There are free download sites out there, but I find you get what you pay for. While there are some free gems, but you have to dig pretty far to find them.
Finally, BUY A HARD CASE! Handheld manufacturers all include awful cases and HP is no exception. The screen is much more fragile than you think. One impact and you're out $350 for a handheld - and trust me, once you get hooked, you'll NEED a new one. Amazon sadly lacks good rx3115 hardcases, but I found an excellent one at styluscentral.com. You can find plenty of other cases through Froogle.

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HP's new iPAQ RX3115 enables you to access digital content anywhere in your home, as well as edit, share and print photos directly from the handheld. It features both Bluetooth and wi-fi 802.11b wireless connectivity, a fast 300 MHz processor, 56 MB of user-accessible memory, and an integrated speaker and microphone (as well as a headphone jack).
HP's iPAQ Mobile Media software transforms the RX3115 into the ultimate digital entertainment media device by eliminating the need to stand in front of a TV or PC to browse and access media content. Using the deviceÕs integrated wireless capabilities, you can stream content from a PC to play on the HP iPAQ or to a TV or stereo to share and enjoy in any room of a home. You can also wirelessly download music libraries, movie collections and vacation photos from PCs to the HP iPAQ.
The HP iPAQ RX3115 also includes Nevo Home Control software, allowing control of most home and office audio/video equipment with a single device. With the ability to control hundreds of consumer electronic devices, the RX3115 is the only universal remote control you'll ever need.
Powered by the Professional Edition of Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition software for Pocket PC, the RX3115 enables you to easily manage personal information--from your calendar and appointments to your contacts and inbox--while on the go. Additionally, you can easily transfer files to, or access files from, Secure Digital and MultiMedia Cards via an integrated SD slot. Sync the iPAQ with a PC at home and photos and videos are automatically transferred between your PC and handheld using HP Image Transfer with ActiveSync.
Featuring the Microsoft Windows Media Player 9, the iPAQ RX3115 allows you to watch and hear your favorite video and music on the go. The ability to view content in landscape mode on the 3.5-inch transreflective LCD (in addition to portrait mode) ensures a wider screen for playing favorite videos and games.
What's in the Box HP iPAQ RX3115, AC adapter, USB sync cable, stylus, carrying case, stereo headphones

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