Pocket PCs

I-mate K-JAM GSM/GPRS pocket PC/ Mobile phone

I-mate which was founded in the year 2001 has been a leader and specialised in designing, manufacturing, and customizing a broad range of high performance Windows Mobile wireless devices such as GSM/GPRS mobile phone hardware/ software solutions and related peripherals that meet the mobility needs and services of the world’s most demanding users. Combination of the value-added solutions and world-class support, the I-mate offers huge device specifications and innovative designs which makes the mobile device of choice for consumers and businesses seeking both functionality and stylish appearance. I-mate’s robust device management system sets it apart and provides users with a reliable and secure solution for complete device personalisation. I-mate K-JAM was a successful outcome from the get-go; it combined a small form factor pocket PC with a phone feature set. To make it humorous, we can say I-mate has just added a letter ‘K’ for keyboard to the JAM to make the “K-JAM”.

K-JAM from I-mate was one of the most awaited and anticipated handset to date. It is one of the branded devices of I-mate which was created with the point of view to present numerous functions and facilities in Windows mobile powered mobile phone devices to consumers with easy way of handy and compact operating system. That is why it is known as Pocket PC. Let us discuss about the device in detail in the following review.

Looks similar to the previous model:

Those who have used other I-mate products, most notably the previous I-mate JAS JAR model will not be too surprised to find the K-JAM. It hides a QWERTY keyboard, there is no facility to spin or flip the screen; instead simply slides out on the vertical axis, like some kind of slider phone experiment. Like the JASJAR, the visual design of the K-JAM is on the plain side, which is presumably meant to entice IT departments into buying shed loads of the things. With its bulky shape and fairly hefty carrying weight of 160 grams, this is not a phone to bring out to impress your pub mates, although it is conceivable that you might get the odd envious glance from within the corporate boardroom while wielding one.

The keyboard itself is understandably very small in size, fitting into a dimension of 108 by 58 by 23.7 (H x W x D) millimetre frame does not afford a lot of key space to begin, but reasonably responsive and certainly good enough for typing out messages quickly, responding to emails or simple document editing and more. The rear of the K-JAM deal a 1.3-megapixel digital camera, the battery casing which is locked into position and the stylus which fits at the base of the K-JAM body, next to the USB port which serves double time the duty as a data and charging port.

A stylish appearance- its Design:

Silver in colour and outlined with a black trim, the solidly constructed I-mate K-JAM Pocket PC PDA can, no doubt, survive a bump or two. The slightly raised buttons, rounded corners and large LCD display ensure the style conscious user will not be embarrassed. The I-Mate K-JAM, on first glance, appears to look much like any other touch screen smart phone; a simple set of dialling buttons surrounding a five-way selector underneath a 2.8-inch, 240×320 pixel display, which would lead you to suspect that it utilises a naff touch screen for all of its typing activities.

Size, weight, accessories, display and keys:

A slide-out keyboard, 2.8″ QVGA screen, dual band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 support are just some of the many features you will find on the quad band I-mate K-JAM Pocket PC/GPRS/PDA Phone. The accessories set include the same set of things such as the keyboards, expansion packs, cases etc. I-mate has also offered a wide range of expansion possibilities, but they prove to be very costly. For example, JARJAR pocket PC does not have support for CF slot and hence, the additional socket on offer will be the solution.

We were pleasantly surprised when we first held the K-JAM PDA Phone. It is not small, but it is not terribly large either. In fact, the K-JAM is almost perfectly shaped, but rather thick due to the keyboard. You can fit it in a pocket, but at 160 grams, you will feel a noticeable weight, though we soon enough got used to this. It feels solid and chunky and in a space of (H x W x D) 108 x 58 x 24mm that is a fair weight. The K-JAM strikes a neat balance between the excessively large JASJAR, which will be too large for most and the tiny sized JAMIN, which perhaps is not as suited to PDA functionality. Furthermore, because there is a keyboard included, you will not end up using the onscreen keyboard, which is a huge bonus because it frees up so much space on the screen. The K-JAM features a 320 x 240 pixel resolution display, thus the screen is bright and clear as required.

The biggest plus with this unit is the undoubtedly keyboard. To put it simply, With the K-JAM however, messaging was a breeze as we simply slid the keyboard out and got to work. This also makes typing up long documents, emails or URLs a much more practical affair. When not in use, the keyboard slides back under the screen and does not consume any space on the front of the unit. On the K-JAM however, the stylus is positioned at the bottom right of the unit and it is retractable, and when you pull it out, it automatically extends to its full length, which we found very odd.

The front of the K-JAM Pocket PC PDA is available with controls. At the bottom of the unit is a 2.5mm headphone jack, a mini USB socket and a small switch used to open the battery compartment. Availability of numerous shortcuts to web browser, calls, emails and more has been an added facilitation as normal in previous models.

Camera and Audio quality:

At one end, the K-JAM was in the topmost group of phones in terms of specifications, but on the other hand whereas this unit is availing at 2.0 megapixel cameras only, so can suggest, do not buy K-JAM for camera. But it is well suggested for taking short MMS videos or longer videos which are recorded in the H.263 format, but the quality is impressive only at the increased level of the megapixel.

The audio quality from the speaker is excellent and the quality is above average for a PDA hybrids. The MP3 playback is great and the sound recorded in the built-in mike sounds great too. The headphone outputs do not stand behind. The user can experience clear and undistorted audio even at the high levels of volume. Perhaps the reason we found the sound quality better on this particular model is because unlike many simpler units, the K-JAM actually has two speakers, placed on either side.

Wired/ Wireless Connectivity:

I-mate K-JAM Pocket PC cum PDA Phone is also having a wide range of communication features to keep you in touch. Synchronization of data with PC can be done with the help of the USB and serial communication. Bluetooth is also available which has a data transfer speed of 20KB/sec. Actually, the Bluetooth functionality works much faster but here, the speed is limited due to the way the technology has been implemented. The Bluetooth support also extends to OBEX transfer and support for human interface devices. The K-JAM supports 802.11b, Wi-Fi. The interface on the Wi-Fi side is fairly basic, but functional. Compared to Bluetooth Wi-Fi requires much more power, to that end the Wi-Fi controls in the communications manager allow more detailed settings for Wi-Fi power management.

Memory, Processor and Horsepower Performance:

Let us begin by saying this: “we are yet to see any mobile device running the new Windows Mobile 5.0 at a speed that we would classify as ‘fast’”. K-JAM has a standard non volatile memory on Windows Mobile Devices and also accepts only mini SD cards. I-mate committed a big blunder by not optimising the system and applications to be operated by the processor and hence, even though HP included the fastest processor, the overall speed of the PDA is average. And you have no option of controlling the speed of the processor as everything is automated. The CPU is a 195 MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 850. It is Intel X-Scale / ARM compatible and reasonable in operation despite the unusually low clock speed. It was most noticeable while using the camera functionality whereas the most camera phones are mainly built for opportunity-based snap shot; the four to five seconds have to wait for the camera to fire up will render most such opportunities with the K-JAM wasted. On the application side, the K-JAM performed at an acceptable level for a smart phone, but compatibility and the processor struggled with multiple applications open.

The K-JAM is currently available at street price lower than the JASJAR, the previous model- that is  hardly unbelievable, given somewhat lower specification screen, lack of 3G support and much less  processor, and for what it is been offered is good value in a very competitive smart phone deal.

Battery and Battery Life in K-JAM:

One last improvement that appears in the K-JAM is the battery compartment, the previous model was a little flimsy but the new model incorporates a recessed 1250 MAH Lithium Ion battery which is solid. Another bonus is that the K-JAM supports USB charging from your PC or laptop, so that can have it hooked up and charging away, without the necessity to carry the adapter along always. Some of the devices offer a backup battery that protects your data for weeks even if the pocket PC is kept completely switched off for weeks. The removable battery is the same size as the previous JAM; battery life is predicted to be between 3.5 and 5 hours of talk time with a standby time of between 150 and 200 hours.

Warranty:

I-mate K-JAM GSM/ GPRS pocket PC comes with one year warranty period

Verdict:

I-mate K-JAM GSM/ GPRS Pocket PC offers a good package of business features at an acceptable price, although if you want top-notch performance, look elsewhere. It is one of the perfect gadgets in the market. The display and audio are excellent. Thus, K-JAM, a high rated pocket PC by the customers is thus recommended for its potential and compatibility. This is a great phone and we recommend that all will have to have a try for it. It is a great choice for a PDA. Also it will be the ultimate choice for those who want something different in pocket PC.

I-mate K-JAM Pocket PC/PDA Phone - Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	I-mate
Model Name	K-JAM
Device type	Pocket PC
Dimensions (W x H x D) inches	4.25 x 2.28 x 0.93
Weight	160 gm
Display size	2.8″
Display type	Transflective TFT colour LCD
Colours supported	64,000 colours
Screen resolution	240 x 320 pixels
Processor	Intel XScale
Processor speed	200 MHz
Input method	Qwerty Keyboard,5-Way Navigation Pad, Touch Screen, Microphone
Talk Time	3.5 Hours
Standby Time	200 Hours
Memory	Installed 64MB
Battery Type	Proprietary Lithium
Built in speaker	Yes
Mic	Yes
Digital Camera Resolution	1.3 Megapixels
Digital Camera	Built-in Optional Digital camera
Stereo headphone jack	2.5 mm
Voice Recorder	Yes
Windows Pocket Media Player	Yes
OS	Pocket PC 2002 operating system
Microsoft Pocket Office suite	Pocket Word, Excel, Internet Explore and Outlook, MSN Instant Messenger for Pocket PC, MS Reader and Voice Recorder as well as handwriting recognition.3rd party software: IBM ViaVoice
Communication	Wireless
Wireless Capabilities	Built-in Modem, Built-in Wireless, WLAN 802.11b, WLAN 802.11a, WLAN 802.11g, Bluetooth, Infrared irDA, iPresention Mobile Converter LE, WordLogic Keyboard, Quick view plus, MARGI Presenter-to-go.
Software Included	Callex Pocket PC with ETPlayer Voicemail, Flash 5, Bust’em, RealOne Player, Jeode Java runtime, F-Secure FileCrypto for Pocket PC Personal Edition, Afaria, Pocket Watch World Clock, Acrobat Reader, Nevo A/V remote control, and several additional trial programs.
Expansion	1 SD slot, 4 bit data bus, supporting SDIO I-mate K JAM, a cradle with a USB and serial connector, a pseudo-jacket, charger.
Package contents	reduction, a spare stylus which has become a standard, CD-ROM, user guide, a warranty card and a leaflet with a code
Warranty	One year

There are quite a lot of gadgets that are longing to be the most expensive thing in your pocket. Said that, iPaq has managed to do it consistently for quite a while. For over two decades, people have been having “Windows mania”, and all that strikes us when we hear the word PC is a desktop with small icons and task bar with start button. Word and excel were the only apt examples of applications and everybody must have almost forgot the fact that solitaire was actually played with real cards. Compaq now offers all of these favourites of yours in form of the pocket PC, Compaq iPAQ H3970.

Looks similar to the previous version:

Design wise, Compaq iPAQ H3970 is a mirror image of its previous version. With the display being switched off, they both look virtually the same. Though the enclosure looks like metal, it is actually plastic. The black slot of top of the Pocket PC with the speaker and power buttons makes it look like a crown on its head. The metallic buttons go well with the overall design features of the PDA. As you can see in the image, the H3970 is relatively wide having its dimensions to be (W x H x D) 3.3″ x 5.3″ x 0.6″. With this dimension, even the thinnest available jackets makes the device look big. Being wide is not a disadvantage to the device as it is the width that gives a good grip to the user. The designers of Compaq have done a great job by including a bump near the thumb area and this is an additional advantage for the grip factor.

Large, bright and an excellent display:

The architecture of iPAQ H3970 Pocket PC is dominated by its 96mm display. This TFT tansflective display is not only huge, it is bright too. The display has a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and supports up to 65K colours. All the display factors such as colours, brightness, and contrast are all up to what is required. The display is just the ideal one for the gamers. This is one of the major areas where its predecessor suffered with too much of darkness and H3970 is just the perfect solution. The touch sensitiveness of the display is also very good. Even the edges can be manipulated accurately. They are sensitive to the right proportion and this feature is what even the most expensive gadgets lack. Either they are highly sensitive or they simply refuse to respond, the H3970 must be taken as a reference model for this issue. Setting the display is very easy and apart from the backlight adjustment feature, iPAQ also offer you with smooth manual adjustment for battery and mains operation. Overall, the display features of Compaq iPAQ H3970 are simply the best.

Buttons and controls in H3970:

Just below the display, this Compaq iPAQ H3970 Pocket PC PDA has the navigational pad along with the usual four soft buttons. The above mentioned black crown of the PDA sports the speaker, 2 LED indicators, light intensity sensor, mike and the main switch. The light intensity sensor automatically adjusts the backlight of the display according to the brightness of its surrounding, the transition is not sudden, the transition is slow, smooth and gradual. Though the backlight adjustments are not accurate, it is still a great upgrade. The green and orange LEDs indicate the status of the PDA such as charging or calendar event notification etc, and the blue LED indicates the PDA’s Bluetooth activities.

Ports:

The right side of the pocket PC has been left empty whereas, the left side sports a sound record button. This button can also be customized to have your own shortcut. The top part of the Pocket PC has more happenings as it includes a stereo headphone jack, stylus shaft and a SD slot. The bottom part of H3970 has a reset button and two connectors out of which the smaller connector is used to connect cables, external keyboard, cradle and other accessories and the bigger connector acts as a system bus connector that connects with various types of jackets. The bigger connector offers a wide range of expansion possibilities. Overall design of the device gives us the clue that it has been mainly designed to be held in left hand.

Accessories:
Having the similar dimensions as that of its predecessor, the iPaq H3970 Pocket Computer PC has the same set of accessories as the older version. The accessories set includes the same set of things such as the keyboards, expansion packs, cases etc. HP has also offered a wide range of expansion possibilities, but they prove to be very costly. For example, H3970 pocket PC does not have support for CF slot and hence, the additional socket on offer will be the solution.

H3970 -A feature rich pocket PC:

Coming to the features, the HP Compaq iPAQ H3970 belongs to the H3900 series which inherited most of its features from its predecessor the H3800 series. Compaq has include several new and innovative applications on the device’s ROM. The task manager which is usually called as iTask looks the same as the predecessor but has four points higher. The backup utility offered works slightly better than the one previously available. The user will be able to select backup options from a very extensive list such as databases, individual files, registry, place of backup etc. Options are also offered to choose if the file has to be compressed or encrypted, whether to exclude executable and DLLs and even whether to store backup info in a .LOG file. Most importantly you get to choose backups once, daily or weekly, a very appreciable feature. A simple picture viewer with slide show feature is available. Another unique feature of the pocket PC is a neat infrared control that is compatible with home appliances such as TVs, DVD players etc.

Processor:

Coming to the inside hardware of Compaq iPAQ H3970, it came out with the best possible technologies that were available at the time of its release. It runs using the Intel PXA250 processor which is also known as the Xscale that runs at a speed of 400 MHz. But HP committed a big blunder by not optimising the system and applications to be operated by the processor and hence, even though HP included the fastest processor, the overall speed of the PDA is slow. And you have no option of controlling the speed of the processor as everything is automated. The device has a flash ROM of 48MB and hence an upgrade in the OS can be expected for sure.

Establishing a connection:

HP iPAQ H3970 Pocket PC PDA is also having a wide range of communication features to keep you in touch. synchronization of data with PC can be done with the help of the USB and serial communication. In order to eliminate the fuss of cables, the infrared option can be used to connect with desktops, mobiles and other devices. The Infrared has a speed of 115.2Kbps which is more than sufficient for most of the basic functionalities. Bluetooth is also available which has a data transfer speed of 20KB/sec. Actually, the Bluetooth functionality works much faster but here, the speed is limited due to the way the technology has been implemented.

Audio quality:

The audio quality from the speaker is excellent and the quality is above average for a PDA. The MP3 playback is great and the sound recorded in the built-in mike sounds great too. The headphone outputs do not lag behind. The user can experience clear and undistorted audio without even a hiss, even at the high levels of volume. The HP has equipped the Compaq iPAQ H3970 with an option for bass and treble adjustment for the headphone output, which is again new and a unique feature for a Pocket PC. The microphone is one of the most sensitive ones that we had ever encountered in any PDA. When you record the iPAQ H3970 produces excellent results, which is not only because of the high quality of the microphone but also because of a utility known as the AGC (Automatic Gain Control), which automatically adjusts the level of recording.

Battery and Battery life:

Having mentioned that the display is very bright and the battery is the same 1400mAh that was available in the previous models, you might be thinking that the battery life will be extremely low. Fortunately, that is not the case, the battery performance is excellent too. Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC H3970 is capable of playing a full MPEG movie on a loop for about three hours. Some of the devices offer a backup battery that protects your data for weeks even if the pocket PC is kept completely switched off for weeks. But, iPAQ lacks one. It rather uses something else to protect and retain the data. That is, if the battery drops beyond a level, the Pocket PC does not switch on and makes use of the remaining power to secure the data until a recharge is done. Though this is a common feature that can be found in all the devices that do not use a backup battery, the difference Ipaq has made is that, it allows the user to set that critical level. If the critical level is decreased, you will be able to use the very last drop of battery.

Applications that come in the CD:

As in the case of the other Compaq PDAs, the iPAQ H3970 also has got a set of applications on an accompanying CD. Apart from the demo version applications that can even be downloaded from the web, some of the other applications included are, iPresentation Mobile Converter LE, WordLogic, Quick View Plus, Bust’em game, Conduits Pocket Watch and F-Secure FileCrypto.

The box contents:

The package mostly remains to be the same as H3800. The package contents include the HP Compaq iPAQ H3970, a cradle with a USB and serial connector, a pseudo-jacket ,  charger, reduction, a spare stylus which has become a standard, CD-ROM, user guide, a warranty card and a leaflet with a code. The pseudo jacket offered is to protect the display, it is a jacket with a transparent flap which we feel is quite inconvenient, leather case would have done a better job. A reduction is included for charging iPAQ outside the cradle. The cradle has got traditionally two connectors, USB and serial respectively.

Warranty:

HP Compaq iPAQ H3970 comes with one year warranty.

Verdict:

The HP Compaq iPAQ H3970 Pocket PC is one of the perfect gadgets in the market. This PDA has no notable weaknesses. The display and audio are excellent. The iPAQ is just on the correct path. Some minor tweaks made in the PDA have made it a high end device. It has something to offer everybody. We at pocketpcs.org.uk certainly recommend it.

Compaq iPAQ H3970 Pocket PC  - Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	HP
Model Name	HP Compaq iPAQ H3970
Device type	Pocket PC
Dimensions (W x H x D) in inches	3.3 x 5.3 x 0.6
Weight	6.5 oz
Display size	3.8″
Display type	Transflective TFT colour LCD
Colours supported	65,536 colours
Screen resolution	240 x 320 pixels
Processor	Intel XScale
Processor speed	400 MHz
ROM	48MB
RAM	64MB
Built in speaker	Yes
Mic	Yes
Stereo headphone jack	Yes
Voice Recorder	Yes
Windows Pocket Media Player	Yes
OS	Pocket PC 2002 operating system
Microsoft Pocket Office suite	Pocket Word, Excel, Internet Explore and Outlook
Software included	Pocket PC 2002 operating system. Microsoft Pocket Office suite including Pocket Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, and Outlook. Also, Terminal Services, MSN Instant Messenger for Pocket PC, MS Reader and Voice Recorder as well as handwriting recognition.3rd party software: IBM ViaVoice, iPresention Mobile Converter LE, WordLogic Keyboard, Quick View Plus, MARGI Presenter-to-Go, Callex Pocket PC with ETPlayer Voicemail, Flash 5, Bust’em, RealOne Player, Jeode Java runtime, F-Secure FileCrypto for Pocket PC Personal Edition, Afaria, Pocket Watch World Clock, Acrobat Reader, Nevo A/V remote control, and several additional trial programs
Expansion	1 SD slot, 4 bit data bus, supporting SDIO
Package contents	HP Compaq iPAQ H3970, a cradle with a USB and serial connector, a pseudo-jacket, charger, reduction, a spare stylus which has become a standard, CD-ROM, user guide, a warranty card and a leaflet with a code
Warranty	One year

As far as the pocket PCs  are concerned, HP is the most dominant one. The hx2000 series of HP has another code name called the Morpheus, which is manufactured by LG instead of the HTC. The series was a good success with an admirable product quality, which seemed to be more typical for HTC rather than LG. This series is followed the successful PDA iPaq h2210. The following review is on the HP iPAQ hx2110 pocket PC which does not break out any new revolutionary ideas, yet, it has included in itself a small, yet astute set of advances that will experience a warm welcome from a majority of the mobile business professionals.

A formal design:

The design of the iPAQ hx2110 Pocket PC PDA is less strict, say, more of curved edges. The colour theme of HP remains to be the same which is a combination of both black and grey. The sides of the phone has rubber insertions. This Pocket PC gives pleasant emotions when alive and on photos. One thing that we take pleasure in admitting is that, HP’s experiments with the designs has proven to be a great success. This new model is having its dimensions slightly bigger than that of the iPaq h2210, which can be noticed only when both the handhelds are placed next to each other. It is having its dimensions as, 119.4×76.6×16.3 mm and weighs 164.4 grams. We feel that it could have been a little more lighter, but when compared to its competitors, this is fine.

Display:

The display is a transflective TFT matrix of size 3.5 inches and a 320×240 pixel resolution. It perfectly renders colors indoors and outdoors, it is good under the direct sunlight. There are 21 backlight levels, the lowest level has the quality comparable with the h2210. That means, it is comfortable to work with in the dark, the backlight does not hurt eyes, as it happens with some PDAs, those minimum backlight level is high. Being one of the best among 3.5″ 320×240 screens, it certainly cannot be compared with the VGA screens of the high end handhelds.

Built quality:

The built quality is quite good, with the plastic being too pleasant to touch. The feel is good and it is good that the sides are rubberized so that the pocket PC does not slide away from your hands. These features that were available in the iPaq h2210 Handheld PDA, but had one serious drawback, the rubber side insertions used to fall off with time, but this issue has been solved with the new model. Only when you try to squeeze it too hard in your hands, you will be able to hear a few creaks with no backlashes, which is negligible. The cover of the battery compartment ha been fixed safely. The rear of the PDA has the battery compartment, a couple of the standard stickers and nothing more.

Buttons and navigation:

When you have a look at the buttons around the main navigational pad, you will tend to get a feel that they were constructed with design in mind and not ergonomics. They consist of two excessively big and two very small buttons. But you will get adjusted to them once you start using it. There is some empty space between the display and the buttons, allocating some room for the relatively loud built-in dynamic and a mic, which records well within short distances, within a meter. Just above the display, you will find two LED indicators, a HP logo and also the power button. The left side of the PDA has a voice recorder button which is also rubberized and tight and so, it does not work on light presses, you will have to make an effort push it down. The bottom of the set has reset button along with a standard connector for the cradle which also doubles as a port for the AC adaptor. The elements of the top end have been located comfortably and they do not mix up. These connectors include a SD/MMC slot (SDIO), a Compact Flash slot, a 3.5 mm headphones jack, an infrared port and a silo. The stylus is of the same fashion as any other one in the latest HP models.

The screen cover:

It does have a screen cover that is fixed at the sides of the PDA and is very easy to remove. Since the cover is translucent, you will be able to see the screen well. The cover does not interfere much even if the headphones are plugged in and so, you can work with your handheld in the usual way. The only blot with the design of the screen cover is that, it tends to hide all the control elements except for the voice recorder button. However, the screen eliminates the need of carrying around the device in a case as the most vulnerable part of the PDA, the display is well protected.

A small comparison:

The Hewlett Packard iPAQ hx2110 pocket pc can be put well in comparison with the other models of HP such as the HP iPAQ hx2750 and HP iPAQ hx2410. The features like the processor, OS, expansion slots, availability of Bluetooth, dimensions, weight and the casing remains to be the same for all the three models. The iPAQ hx2110 has inferior features when compared to the other two in terms of clock speed, absence of a fingerprint reader, ROM, absence of Wi-Fi, battery and also the absence of a cradle with the package. But one thing that you must keep in mind is that, they are way too costlier than the model in our hands. Well, the reason for this is that, the need of a reduction in the manufacturing cost, as there was no need to redesign the casing and make a new press-form at the plant.

Features:

The HP iPAQ hx2110 pocket pc PDA comes with a single built-in adapter Bluetooth with no Wi-Fi. Traditionally for HP this model comes with time-proved Broadcom drivers. All necessary profiles are available, including the voice profile. The Bluetooth functionality works great and all the profiles work smoothly, including the internet access via the phone, data synchronization with PC, exchange of files and contacts and so on. The driver’s version is 1.5.0 Build 2900. There is the support of several simultaneous connections. The BT Phone Manager is a very useful utility as it helps in setting up the internet connection via the phone.

Memory:

The iPAQ hx2110 has 64 MB of RAM on-board and the available RAM is claimed to be 60MB, but however, the startup takes around 12MB, leaving you with only about 47MB of RAM leftover. The iPAQ File Store makes up 22 MB.

Processor:

This pocket PC is powered by the Intel XScale PXA270 312 MHz processor. This processor is not lightning fast by today’s standards, but is enough to get the job done. All the built-in applications work fast enough. Even with multiple applications running, there is very little noticeable lag. Switching from the portrait to landscape mode takes just 1.5 seconds. Though the clock rate is 312 MHz the PXA270 processor keeps up with the previous generation processors featuring 400 MHz. The synchronization speed of the new PDA by HP is high and is just slightly lagging behind the leader. The total speed of the pocket PC, makes it a best among the QVGA PDAs.

The operating system:

HP iPAQ hx2110 makes use of the Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Second Edition. Which means, it can make use of the persistent data storage. In most other PDA devices, user data was stored in RAM which requires power to function. This meant that if the unit lost power, for example through a dead battery, these files would be lost. However, Windows Mobile 5.0 can store user files on ROM, so a dead battery does not mean lost data. Let us have a look at the non-standard built-in applications. The HP Mobile Printing utility prints files from the PDA by means of Bluetooth or infrared port. HP Protect Tool protects info and data encoding and gives protection from any unauthorised access. iTask is a task manager to switch among the programs and close them and with the help of this application, you can rotate or switch the screen off. The HP Image Zone is the traditional application by HP to view photos. The iPaq Backup is a functional utility for the data backup, one of the best in its class. It can run backups on the schedule, store the data of the organizer in the iPaq file Store.

Security features:

The second key feature on HP iPAQ hx2110 Pocket PC is the inclusion of security which has long been a flaw in PDAs. With the help of the ‘HP Protect Tools’, you can set a password or PIN to lock the device and encrypt your mail and documents. Thus if your PDA is lost or misplaced, you can at least retain some degree of confidence that your data will not be freely available to all and sundry, at least, not without some effort. The whole process does not take more than a few minutes and soon, your pocket PC will be protected with a PIN.

Audio:

The audio out of the headphones are of great quality and o, they could also be used as an MP3 player.

Battery:

The HP iPAQ hx2110 Pocket PC runs on a removable lithium ion battery having a capacity of 920mAh. Though its performance cannot be said to be as fantastic, you always have an option of buying an extended battery. Under maximum mode, that is, with the highest backlight level, video playback and wireless adaptors on, the battery lasts for around two and a half hours. In the MP3 player mode with the backlight off, the handheld lasts for a good eleven hours. The two extended batteries available are, of 1440 mAh and 2880 mAh.

Package:

The package contents of the HP iPAQ hx2110 pocket pc includes the HP iPAQ hx2110 pocket pc PDA, a charger, a plastic screen cover, 2CDs with software and users manual.

Warranty:

HP offers iPAQ hx2110 Pocket PC one year limited warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

The HP iPAQ hx2110 has completely replaced the iPaq h2210 on the market and the latter has already been taken out of production. The price is also very affordable. The major rival to the iPAQ hx2110 is the Dell Axim X50, which has an addition of two slots for extension and Bluetooth but no WiFi. The major shortcoming with the HP iPAQ hx2110 is its  short battery life. Besides that, a VGA screen would have been better instead of QVGA. But the screen’s resolution of 640×480 pixels resolution is a great advantage and can be seen only in expensive, top Pocket PCs. Another minus here is a poor standard kit and the set of preinstalled applications.

HP iPAQ hx2110 Pocket PC - Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	HP
Model Name	HP iPAQ hx2110
PDA type	Pocket PC
Dimensions (W x D x H)	3 in x 0.6 in x 4.7 in
Weight	5.8 oz
Colour	Grey
OS provided	Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Second Edition
Installed RAM	64MB
RAM technology	SDRAM
Installed ROM	64MB Flash
Processor	Intel 312 MHzXscale
Input device type	Stylus, Touch-screen, 5-way navigation button
Digital audio standards supported	MP3
Audio input type	Microphone
Audio output type	Speaker(s)
Voice recording capability	Yes
Wireless connectivity	IrDA, Bluetooth
Connectivity	1Headphones, 1USB
Connector Provided	Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm
Free expansion slots	1 SD Memory Card, 1 CompactFlash Card Type II
Cable included	1 x USB cable
Battery installed	1 Lithium ion
Package contents	HP iPAQ hx2110 pocket pc PDA, a charger, a plastic screen cover, 2CDs with software and users manual
Warranty	1 year Limited warranty Parts and labour