Hewlett Packard Jornada 540 Color Pocket PC

Average customer rating:

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!

Bigger improvement

Too much fun

HP = "Happy People", or, Every Customer is Satisfied

The Best in Handheld computers

Hewlett Packard Jornada 540 Color Pocket PC

Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

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Accessories:

Viking 64 MB CompactFlash Card

RhinoSkin RhinoPak 1100 PDA Case

Hewlett Packard Jornada 520 and 540 Series AC Adapter

Hewlett Packard Jornada 520 and 540 Series Spare Stylus Pens (3-Pack)

Hewlett Packard Jornada 520 and 540 Series Car DC Adapter

Product Features:

Sharp 12-bit color LDC screen, 4,096 colors

Includes MP3 player for listening to digital music, audiobooks, and news

Check e-mail and surf the Web

Manage your schedule with Pocket Outlook and your finances with Pocket Money

What's in the box: Jornada 540, Stylus, Hardcover, Serial cable, AC adapter, Quick Start Guide, Jornada CD-ROM, HP documentation pack, Microsoft ActiveSync

ASIN: B00004TCF3

Product Description

As a busy professional, you know every day can be a challenge. Meetings, appointments, projects, and deadlines - sometimes it's hard keeping it all together. But now there's something that can help you handle it all with ease - the HP Jornada 540 series Pocket PC. It has everything you need to gracefully juggle the details - and have fun while you're doing it. All in a slim, lightweight PC companion that's a perfect fit for your lifestyle. And, with its strong enterprise manageability and security features, a perfect fit for your corporate environment!Synchronize with your desktop PC at the touch of a button. Then carry and access your contacts, tasks, calendars, memos, and e-mail anywhere. Even view e-mail attachment files. Review and act on your e-mail - including your AOL e-mail - and surf the Web. Send instant messages to online friends and stay up-to-date with the latest news, sports scores, and stock information. Efficiently review and revise your documents and spreadsheets. Download digital music, images, and other multimedia files from your desktop PC with the cable. Instantly find the information you need with quick launch screen icons. Listen to your favorite audio books and articles from leading newspapers and magazines. Hear popular MP3 and WMA music and compile your own digital music playlists. Read best-selling e-books. Even create a digital photo album to share with friends. Designed to fit the way you live, the slim HP Jornada features a rubber protection strip to make it easy to grip and carry anywhere. Its elegant alloy casing allows you to project style and professionalism in any environment, while its sleek metal cover provides durability and protects the screen from scratches. You can also personalize it to fit your needs with a variety of accessories.

Amazon.com Review

Windows PDAs have long fought an uphill battle. Users have flocked to the highly functional Palm Connected Organizers and tended to ignore the more powerful, more expensive, and bigger Windows PDAs. The release of the new HP Jornada 540, among the first of the new Pocket PC devices to hit the market, may finally turn this around. The Jornada is still a bit bigger, about 5 ounces heavier, and a little more expensive than the Palm Vx. But it is sleek, robust, highly functional, and the color screen is beautifully sharp. The "wow" factor is definitely there.

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 memory is expandable using standard CompactFlash cards. The product ships with a synchronization cradle (which supports USB or conventional serial interfaces), a serial sync cable, and an AC power adapter. 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 with 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 cable to the serial port, plugged in the AC power, and established a connection. An optional USB synchronization cradle is also available. 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 still comes down to tradeoffs. Palms are still lighter, smaller, and cheaper, and they do the basics beautifully. The Jornada 540 is slightly bigger, 5 ounces heavier, a little 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

Amazon.com Product Description

If you are looking for a high-powered Pocket PC that contains everything you need to organize your life and entertain you in your free time, the HP Jornada 540 Color Pocket PC is the machine to have. You can check your e-mail, review Word and Excel documents, surf the Web, read electronic books, and listen to digital music. It is slim enough to fit in your pocket or carry in your hand. The HP Jornada 540 also comes with many software titles from Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and more.

If you ride the bus or train home from work or school you can listen to popular MP3 and WMA music and compile your own digital music playlists. You can also listen to or read your favorite books and articles from leading newspapers and magazines. You can even create a digital photo album to share with friends. With the stereo-quality audio system and vertically aligned pixel color screen, you can listen, read, and relax wherever you may be.

The HP Jornada 540 allows you to synchronize data with your desktop PC easily and quickly. Then carry and access your contacts, tasks, calendars, memos, and e-mail anywhere. You can even view e-mail attachment files or review Microsoft Excel and Word documents. Download digital music, images, and other multimedia files from your desktop PC, and capture your thoughts with the built-in voice recorder. As far as connectivity is concerned, the HP Jornada 540 is fully capable. You can review and act on your e-mail, surf the Web, send instant messages, and stay up-to-date with the latest news, sports scores, and stock information.

Designed to fit the way you live, the slim and sturdy HP Jornada 540 features a rubber protection strip to make it easy to grip and carry anywhere. Its elegant alloy casing projects style and professionalism in any environment, while its sleek metal cover provides durability and protects the screen from scratches. You can also personalize it to fit your needs with a variety of accessories. Stay in touch, get online, do more in less time, and do it all in style with the HP Jornada 540 Color Pocket PC.

What's in the box

Jornada 540
Stylus
Hardcover
Serial cable
AC adapter
Quick Start Guide
Jornada CD-ROM
HP documentation pack
HP Jornada Accessory Guide
Microsoft ActiveSync CD-ROM and Getting Started with Microsoft ActiveSync booklet

Customer Reviews:

DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!.......2001-10-19

I, too, thought I had a great product. Until just after my warranty expired. My PPC decided one day to short circuit itself, and get so hot I could not even pick it up. It warped the leather of my carrying case, and could well have started a fire if I had left it near papers on my desk. Now, it only works when it wants to. HP's response is too bad. Of course, they would be willing to fix it for $200. My advice, DO NOT BUY THIS DEVICE! Best case, you get poor customer support and a sub-par product. Worst case, it burns your home or office to the ground!!!

Bigger improvement.......2000-12-18

Pocket PC O/S is a bigger improvement over WinCE version. Drawback is that there is no Microsoft Powerpoint available yet for Pocket PC version so you'll have to convert presentations to HTML format. Furthermore, unless you use a 3rd-party software, you'll lose transition & animation effects from the original Powerpoint presentation you made.

I also own a Palm IIIc and find it easier to use compared to the Pocket PC version. The Palm platform is almost idiot-proof, unlike Pocket PC which has a higher learning curve for ordinary users who are not so computer-literate. I didn't even need to read the manual to use my Palm Pilot.

Also note that there are more software available for download onto the Palm platform.

Upside is that Jornada 540's screen/display is great, you can work on Word & Excel documents, unlike in Palm Pilot, memory is expandable, you can play MP3's, record voice messages, and plug in your earphones if you want to listen to music. Compared to Palm Pilots currently in the market, Jornada has more features and better display resolution.

Too much fun.......2000-11-24

I got my Jornada and it really blew me away. As an owner of a Palm VII and V, my Jornada really just made them look stupid. It comes with Word, Excel, Money, Outlook...and that's just scratching the surface. It can play MP3s and, with the right software, even movies. Granted its short on memory; I strongly recommend buying more. I bought a 128MB CompactFlash card (maybe an overkill) and it doubles as an awesome MP3 player. I always have it in my pocket, so I just plug in my headphones and I walk around campus with music.

I downloaded Microsoft Transcriber (which is free) and I can't say enough about it. 10 times faster and easier than using graffiti, you just write as normal. When you're done it converts your writing to text. It even reads cursive! I have pretty mediocore penmanship and it can read things that even other humans cannot.

It has a built-in microphone and speaker. It comes with PeaceMaker to exchange contacts and business cards with Palms. It has Internet Explorer so it can view regular web pages; not just preformatted AvantGo pages. I like the flat stylus better than the skinny Palm one...its wider, so you can grip it more like a normal pen than a toothpick.

Here are the downsides: like every color screen, its hard to see in daylight, though there are preset brightness settings to help you out a bit. It needs more memory, so get a compactflash card. The serial cable is a bit slow; a USB cradle or cable will save you a LOT of time, especially if you transfer a lot of MP3s or web pages. It WILL crash every once in awhile. Its really not a big deal. All you do is take your stylus and tap the button on the back. 3 seconds later its up and running again.

HP = "Happy People", or, Every Customer is Satisfied.......2000-11-16

The HP 540 Color Pocket PC is great if you need a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or if you just want to have the latest, coolest, and the most neatest gadjet around. There is one CON: -Not Enough Memory- I recommend buying the HP 545 Color Pocket PC if you are looking for something with more power, but if you are looking for something with a low price and ~OK~ power, get this! It's great to have! If your looking for a PDA, get the HP series, they're the best! I only accept HP and nothing else! Go With HP!

The Best in Handheld computers.......2000-11-11

..I first bought a handspring ..but found it ate batteries like they were comming out of style. ( had to replace them every other day) I was getting angry as I need this to keep track of the three jobs that I have. Then one night I bought this wonderfull thing. I can actually read it..Use it every day without having to replace the batteries. It keeps track of evcerything..time..tasks..phone numbers ...lets me have some fun as I can play games and read a book. It has made my life better as I can schdeule my life to fit everyhting I do.

Hewlett Packard Jornada 547 Color Pocket PC

Average customer rating:

HP Support not there for me.
Not so much a review.. as a "What the?"
Quick shipment, but now there is a problem w/no response.
HP Jornada 547/548
No Pocket PC 2002

Hewlett Packard Jornada 547 Color Pocket PC

Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

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Accessories:

Product Features:

Same features as Jornada 548--32 MB of memory, CompactFlash expandability
Sharp 12-bit color LCD screen--over 4,000 colors
Includes MP3 player for listening to digital music, and audiobooks
Manage your schedule with Pocket Outlook and your finances with Pocket Money
What's in the box: Jornada 547, Stylus, AC adapter, Quick Start Guide, HP documentation pack, Microsoft ActiveSync CD-ROM, USB cradle

ASIN: B00005KB1Q

Customer Reviews:

HP Support not there for me........2006-01-08

I bought my HP 548 in good faith. Paid good money. When it came time to buy a battery, I got shuffled around the planet talking to the folks (support) in India whom were polite but didn't provide any answers. The result was, I was to the forced to buy (on my own) a questionable battery from another source which doesn't work (it seems to be counterfeit). I'm glad Carly is gone from HP.
HP: How about supporting your products from now on ? Only thing is...I won't be among your customers. Ever.

Not so much a review.. as a "What the?".......2005-12-16

in the description for this device, Amazon says
"Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973"
wow.. I mean, I didn't know Amazon was even around then, let alone using their time machine to beam products from the future to their catalog that shouldn't even exist then..
BRAVO!!

Quick shipment, but now there is a problem w/no response........2003-10-22

The product was shipped quickly. But now I cannot get the Pocket PC to connect to any PC. I have emailed the seller numerous times about this and they will not respond to me. Amazon is abolutely no help either, they will not do anything to help me. If I ever do get the problem fixed, I will change the bad rating for the seller.

HP Jornada 547/548.......2003-02-19

Great PDA, beats out any palm type device by a longshot in capability expandability. Only draw back is ever shrinking selection of aftermarket goodies for it due to the processor.

No Pocket PC 2002.......2003-02-03

For its day the 548 was a stunning piece of equipment. I have been a Jornada 548 owner since week 1 of its release. I am disappointed to report, however, that the older Jornada models have been left in the dust by the Compaq-HP merger. Ipaq'ers get an upgrade from the Pocket PC OS to the newer, marginally better Pocket PC 2002 OS. Although the OS is only moderately more useful, it is aesthetically more pleasing and is symbolic of the fact that the 548 will receive little attention or support from HP/Compaq ever again.

Also, the lack of back up batteries is quite a nuisance when you lose all drivers and software because you forgot to recharge the 548. Furthermore, and this may be my error, I never found a car charger for it which would have been useful given the adequate, but not stellar battery life.

Product Description

Add a personalized & creative touch to all your holiday celebrations! ClickArt?s new version of Celebrations & Holidays Deluxe is the perfect software to make every occasion just a little more special. Throughout the year, Celebrations & Holidays Deluxe provides you with the highest quality, hand-selected images that have each been specially crafted for all your creative projects. It?s one of the most comprehensive collections of festive images covering over 40 occasions, so there?s something for everyone. Adults and children alike easily make every project truly special and have fun doing it!

Hewlett Packard Jornada 525 Color Pocket PC

Average customer rating:

3.5 Stars
Excelent form my purpose
Jornada 525
Great model
Watch Out!!

Hewlett Packard Jornada 525 Color Pocket PC

Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

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Electronics Available for International Shipping | Specialty Stores | Electronics Features | Electronics

Pocket PCs | Windows Mobile-Based Devices | Windows Mobile | Brands | Cell Phones & Service
Accessories:

Product Features:

Compatible with the essential Microsoft programs you use the most--Outlook, Word, Excel
Capture your thoughts with the built-in voice recorder
Integrated MP3 player and e-book reader
Expandable via CompactFlash cards
What's in the box: Jornada 525, Carrying pouch, Stylus, AC Adapter, Serial cable, Quick Start Guide, UserÆs Guide, Microsoft ActiveSync CD-ROM

ASIN: B00005AWBI

Product Description

Here is a PC that fits your pocket and your life. The HP Jornada 520 series color Pocket PC lets you work where and when you need to. Not only will it help you stay organized, you'll be able to work away from your desk. With pocket PC versions of Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel you can edit a spreadsheet on the plane, work on a Word document while listening to your favorite MP3 or record a voice memo instantly when that great idea hits. Plus, it is a wireless Internet-ready solution so you can connect to the Web to check stocks, pick a restaurant, or read your e-mail when you're on the road. Even free time is fun - the vivid color display enriches reading electronic books, playing games, and surfing the Web. And when you're ready for more, HP makes it easy with the built-in CompactFlash expansion slot to add memory and accessories.

Amazon.com Review

Pocket PCs aren't known as the budget PDAs of the handheld world--these fast, high-color machines are the ones you'll usually find in the $500 range, offering TFT displays and speedier processors than their less costly brethren.

But HP's Jornada 525 sells for under $400, nearly down to the range of the basic PDAs while still offering a lot of the upper-echelon goodies. The Jornada 525 ships with only 16 MB of integrated memory--normally a sizeable amount that gets eaten into quickly by Windows CE and its multimedia capabilities (we were only able to put a couple of MP3 files on the Jornada as it shipped). But you can add up to 128 MB of additional storage with a CompactFlash card. By boosting the storage, the MP3 playback actually becomes a viable option--for patient users.

The patience comes in with the serial connection of the Jornada. This is fine for normal synchronization of notes, e-mails, and other text files, but we found it painfully slow with multiple megabytes of MP3s. Playback of the music files was crisp through the stereo headphone jack and loud even via the built-in speaker. The Jornada ships with serial connection cable, but you can pick up a serial cradle. It also offers infrared transfer, if your PC or notebook offers the connectivity.

Weighing in at only 8 ounces, the Jornada fits snugly in the palm, with indented grips on the rubber sides, and offers four hot keys for quick access to the home screen, contacts, calendar, and tasks list. There's also a voice recorder built into the Jornada, accessible via a thumb button on the left side of the PDA.

Some flaws mar the overall design package: the flimsy CompactFlash slot cover feels like it could snap off easily and the rubber pieces on the top of each side look like they're meant to peel off (they're not) and do so with little resistance. The Jornada 525 also lacks a stylus slot on the device itself (the stylus is stored in the case that houses the Jornada), and the stylus could use a bit more heft.

Nitpicks aside, the Jornada provides a lot of kick from its 133 MHz processor--applications popped open quickly and we were able to multitask with little slowdown. The bright, 8-bit color screen was easy on the eyes and is also sensitive enough to allow touch manipulation.

Running Windows for Pocket PC and shipping with Microsoft Outlook 2000 also means that your Word, Excel, and e-mail files transfer to the Jornada seamlessly. The Jornada also runs on a rechargeable battery (although we didn't quite get the promised eight hours of life), saving on the cost of battery replacement.

While a redesign would definitely add to the Jornada's appeal, as it is it's a respectable Pocket PC for an excellent price. --J. Curtis

Pros:

Inexpensive for a Pocket PC
Light and sleek
Bright color screen

Cons:

Some design flaws
Slow serial connection

Amazon.com Product Description

If you are looking for a high-powered Pocket PC that contains everything you need to organize your life and entertain you in your free time, the HP Jornada 525 color Pocket PC is for you. It enables you to check e-mail, review Word and Excel documents, surf the Web, read electronic books, and listen to digital music. And it's slim enough to fit in your pocket or carry in your hand.

The HP Jornada 525 has everything you need to gracefully juggle appointments, schedules, and to-do items as well as keep you entertained with music, photos, and more. You can review and act on your e-mail, send instant messages, and stay up to date with the latest news, sports scores, and stock information.

The HP Jornada 525 allows you to synchronize data with your desktop PC easily and quickly. Then carry and access your contacts, tasks, calendars, memos, and e-mail anywhere. You can even view e-mail attachment files. It comes with 16 MB of RAM and 16 MB of ROM.

You can listen to popular MP3 music and compile your own digital music playlists as well as listen to or read your favorite books and articles from leading newspapers and magazines. You can even create a digital photo album to share with friends. With the stereo-quality audio system and vertically aligned color screen, you can listen, read, and relax wherever you may be.

The slim and sturdy HP Jornada 525 features a rubber protection strip to make it easy to grip and carry anywhere. Its elegant alloy casing projects style and professionalism in any environment. You can also personalize it with a variety of accessories to fit your needs.

What'

HP Jornada Accessories Guide

HP documentation pack

Microsoft ActiveSync CD-ROM and Getting Started with Microsoft ActiveSync booklet s in the box

Jornada 525
Carrying pouch
Stylus
AC Adapter
Serial cable for connection to a desktop PC
Quick Start Guide
Jornada CD-ROM

User

Customer Reviews:

3.5 Stars.......2003-12-31

this is my first pocket pc that i purchased it to replace my handspring visor. the metal case is very sleek, matched with the color screen, it definitely is a head turner. the rechargeable battery is a nice feature, although the life span is rather short. the serial sync cable included works fairly well but a usb cable would have been better. the infared sync works well with my laptop, but it's much slower than the serial cable. one thing that does annoy me is the fact that you can not store the stylus on the pda itself (like on the palm or visor) rather it stores in the protect sleeve instead. if you get this device you will soon find that the built-in memory is not enough, so i highly recommend getting an additional compact flash memory card. i have used it as an mp3 player but since i store the music on the expansion cf card, reading from the cf slot drains the battery pretty quick. i have also done some light editing of word and excel documents while on the go which works out great.
i also have a cf analog modem and cf wireless card to access the internet, it's not very fast but gets the job done when i need to chek my email. color depth is not all that great, you cannot view pictures or video very well but that might be expecting too much.

Excelent form my purpose.......2003-05-10

I`m from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I bought my Jornada 525 on november 2001 and I`m realy happy with this unit.
It is really elegant for business and it has the basic programs that a business man need.
Unnluckily, it was discontinious.

Jornada 525.......2003-03-16

The item itself was fine, but there was not a syncronization cable with it. I had to contact HP to have one sent. I would think that any pocket pc would automatically come with it's cable

Great model.......2002-12-03

This is a great model. Just add a CompactFlash card for more space and some great programs and you've got a great palm! (not that it isn't without all that stuff!)

Watch Out!!.......2002-08-16

Don't get this one. It is the old model and is not upgradeable to the new Microsoft Pocket PC 2002. Unless you just want to use this as an electronic address book get the new 560 series.

Hewlett Packard Jornada 545 Color Pocket PC

Average customer rating:

Wonderful gizmo
Excelente equipo
Almost bullet proof!!
So much potential, yet...
Protect your Jornada screen -- it's fragile

Hewlett Packard Jornada 545 Color Pocket PC

Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

All Handhelds & PDAs | Handhelds & PDAs | Computers & Add-Ons | Categories | Electronics

Pocket PCs | Windows Mobile-Based Devices | Windows Mobile | Brands | Cell Phones & Service
Accessories:

Product Features:

Sharp 12-bit color LCD screen, 4,096 colors
Includes MP3 player for listening to downloadable music and audible.com spoken-word content
Read electronic books, view vivid color photos, and play realistic 3-D games
Check e-mail and surf the Web; keep up with latest news, sports, and stocks
What's in the box: Jornada 545, Stylus, AC adapter, USB cradle, Serial cable, Removable cover, Earbuds, Quick Start Guide, Documentation pack, CD-ROM software

ASIN: B00004SGD3

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Windows PDAs have long fought an uphill battle. Users have flocked to the highly functional Palm Connected Organizers and tended to ignore the more powerful, more expensive, and bigger Windows PDAs. The release of the new HP Jornada 545, the first of the new Pocket PC devices to hit the market, may finally turn this around. The Jornada is still a bit bigger, about 5 ounces heavier, and about $100 more expensive than the Palm Vx. But it is sleek, robust, highly functional, and the color screen is beautifully sharp. The "wow" factor is definitely there.

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 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

Amazon.com Product Description

The Hewlett-Packard Jornada 545 color pocket PC is the first PDA to fully embrace Microsoft's new Windows CE Pocket PC system. Synchronizing the HP Jornada 545 with your computer requires just the touch of a button. Slim enough to fit in your hand and light enough to carry in your pocket, the HP Jornada 545 can replace a bulky laptop computer and still keep a busy person on top of tasks and appointments. The HP Jornada 545 features 16 MB each of ROM and RAM and a 240 x 320 pixel color LCD screen. Its built-in software bundle includes Pocket PC versions of Microsoft staples such as Word, Internet Explorer, Excel, and Outlook. It allows users to store thousands of addresses and years of appointments, check e-mail, review Word or Excel documents, and surf the Web. It even enables users to listen to digital music and read electronic books.

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

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful gizmo.......2003-05-03

Sweet gear, highly recommend. So far I have had no trouble, except in finding accessories. Jornada works great and there is much compatable freeware. I was initally worried about storage space and ability to play music, but it can hold plenty and playback is great. Very satisfied!

Excelente equipo.......2001-07-22

HP lo hizo de nuevo al poner en las manos de nosotros los usuarios un producto de tan alta calidad, es bastante práctico ya que su siftware calculadora emula la típica caculadora HP.

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!!.......2001-07-12

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..........2001-05-17

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).

Protect your Jornada screen -- it's fragile.......2001-03-28

I have thoroughly enjoyed my HP Jornada 540. The various software programs are all the essentials needed (Word, Excel, Explorer, etc.). There are two recommendations I have though. First, buy the screen protectors and use them. The screen is not as scratch resistant as I would have thought so you'll need those soon. Their inexpensive and last about a month each. They pay for themselves quickly. Secondly, be very careful to not bump the screen against something or to press hard on the screen. After six months of very active use my screen developed a crack in it and that rendered it unusable. Herein lies the issue. When I contacted HP they were very polite and sent the FedEx truck out the next day. Within three days I received a letter stating that the screen was not covered under the warranty because "all screen damage is considered customer inflicted". I talked with several people, but that is HP's policy and they don't negotiate on it. It [was expensive] to get it fixed and they didn't send mine back, but a replacement (refurbished) because that is HP's policy. It was defective and so was the second one I received (bad screen -- burned in images) after I sent the first one back. I'm still waiting on resolution. Morale of the story...Take Good Care of That Screen! I am a big fan of HP's products. I own several and have had excellent success. I turly may have damaged the screen, but for the life of me I don't know how. I believe they will work this to my satisfaction, but I was surprised with the poor service provided in the beginning.

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