Hewlett Packard Jornada 545 Color Pocket PC

The Pocket PC OS is also responsive and well thought out--a big improvement over WinCE. In addition to the suite of powerful pocket applications (Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, PIM, and scheduler), the Jornada can also serve as a digital voice recorder (to capture those spur-of-the-moment thoughts), an MP3 player, Audible content player, and even an e-books reader.

The standard 16 MB of memory is expandable using standard CompactFlash cards. The product ships with a synchronization cradle (which supports USB or conventional serial interfaces), an extra sync cable (so you don't have to take the cradle everywhere), an AC power adapter, and earbuds. A microphone and a small speaker are built in. For MP3 use, we recommend expanding your RAM to 64 MB with a CompactFlash card to provide an hour of near-CD quality music.

Most Windows users should be able to run through the setup Wizard and start using the Jornada and its applications without cracking the manual. Learning to use handwriting recognition, which is integrated into all the applications, requires mastering a few special stylus strokes, but you should be writing smoothly within half an hour. In comparison to Palm's Graffiti system, the Pocket PC system is fully on par.

In our tests, setting up a connection to a desktop PC for synchronization was simple. Within 20 minutes, we had installed the ActiveSync software, hooked up the supplied cradle to the AC adapter and a USB port on our PC, and established a connection. If you have an older PC or laptop, you can also synchronize using a slower serial connection. Synchronization is automatic and file transfer is simple using the Windows Explorer-like interface.

The only real caveat is that Pocket PC works best in a Windows-centric world. At launch, it appears that there is no support for synchronizing with non-Microsoft e-mail and scheduling applications. (With an optional modem or network-interface card, you can send and receive Internet POP mail directly via your ISP.)

The choice between Pocket PC and Palm comes still comes down to tradeoffs. Palms are still lighter, smaller, and cheaper, and they do the basics beautifully. The Jornada 545 is slightly bigger, 5 ounces heavier, $100 more expensive, but vastly more powerful and flexible. The choice all depends on what you expect your PDA to do. --Thomas Mace

Pros:

• Handsome, compact design
• Superb color screen
• Large application suite
• Easy setup and intuitive interface

Cons:

• No support for synchronization of non-Microsoft e-mail and scheduling applications
• 5 ounces heavier than Palm V

The HP Jornada 545 offers a variety of user interfaces including an onscreen keyboard, four customizable keys, two quick keys, and handwriting recognition. Input and output connections include an RS232 serial port, a USB port, and an infrared port for fast transfer of data from one infrared-equipped device to another. Although the built-in memory is plenty to support most users, this pocket PC also offers a CompactFlash card slot for removable memory, making it easy to view digital images or listen to MP3s downloaded from other devices. Some of the audio highlights of the HP Jornada 545 include a speaker, voice recording capability, and a headphone jack.

The HP Jornada 545 features a stylish yet durable metal alloy case with a removable flip-up cover. It runs on a built-in lithium-ion battery with an approximately 8-hour life. In the box come the HP Jornada 545 Pocket PC, a USB synch cradle, a serial cable, a worldwide multivoltage AC adapter, a removable cover, one stylus pen, earbuds, and a user's guide to get you started. You also receive a CD-ROM with additional programs to further optimize the HP Jornada 545's features and CD-ROM with the full standard PC version of Microsoft Outlook 2000.

Hewlett-Packard backs the HP Jornada 545 with its one-year Customer Care warranty on parts and labor.

What's in the box

• Jornada 545
• Stylus
• AC adapter
• USB cradle
• Serial cable
• Removable cover
• Earbuds
• Quick Start Guide
• Jornada CD-ROM
• HP documentation pack
• HP Jornada Accessory Guide
• Microsoft ActiveSync CD-ROM and Getting Started with Microsoft ActiveSync booklet

Lo mejor es su capacidad para expandirse de 16MB ram a 32MB y el puesrto de expansion, lastima que es solo un puerto, ya que 2 como la serie 48, seria excelente.

Entre los accesorios he visto hasta una cámara fotografica.


Almost bullet proof!!   July 11, 2001
N. Rojas (Heredia, Costa Rica)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

This one is not the fastest. Doesn't have the nicest screen, but it's the only one I would take to war, and I mean it... I have two kids, 6&3. I have dropped it, sat on it. You name it. It has the best price and the controls (wheel, snooze, screen off, record, etc.) are placed in the right places, except for playing games. But that's not what I bought it for. The cover is not pretty, but it will really protect the screen. I didn't even bother to buy a case. It will do okay inside a jean's pocket. I bought a 128 meg viking card and screen protectors. I am all set. Next buy will be a car charger so I can play wma's with no limit. Right now the 548 is the best buy.


So much potential, yet...   May 17, 2001
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I've had my 545 for about a year so far, and it's currently serving as a $ mp3 player and not much more than that. We're not a Microsoft Exchange/Outlook shop, so I can't synchronize my mail or calendar out of the box (well, not without ponying up the extra cash for a third party add-on). For a while I was able to synchronize off-line webpages and other web content, mostly through Avantgo, which allows you to catch up on reading 'The Guardian' on the plane or in the waiting room at the doctor's office. The color display is adequate, although any bright sunlight immediately hoses legibility.

The built-in media player does let you listen to mp3's; however, you'll need to invest in a good sized compact flash card to make any use. And even at that, you'll probably need a USB card reader, as the sync cradle (even though it's a USB device) lets you transfer about 1MB a minute. Not the snappiest throughput rate when you're waiting to load an hour's music onto your player. Anyway, the media player also seems to have problems with vbr mp3's encoded thru Musicmatch (cuts them off short and then goes onto the next track) and begins every track with a very audible click. On the plus side, the audio output (especially through headphones) is strong and clear.

The battery life is sufficient to let you take the 545 with you on a long weekend getaway (again, reading Avantgo and listening to mp3's), although you may want to pack an extra AC adapter/recharger just in case.

For the amount of money spent on the 545 and the additional compact flash memory, you may get a better bang for the buck on a Handspring Visor Deluxe and a Rio 500. I think they'd turn out to weigh a bit less than the 545. That said, I'm listening to mp3's on my 545 as I write this review, so I'm definitely getting mileage from my purchase(s).