Hewlett Packard IPAQ rx3115 Pocket PC

Lets face it: if you dont care about all that Megahertz and megabyte talk, you probably are like a lot of people I know, who just want to know why certain PDAs have happier and more satisfied users than others, right? I just wanted a nice looking, easy to read PDA and I got more than that at a real nice price. This is what I like and dislike about it, and I hope this is useful for you:

BASIC INFO: Samsung SC3 2440 at 300Mhz proccessor (quite fast and powerful), reflective QVGA 3.5 inch color screen that supports vertical/horizontal visualisation, Integrated WiFi (802.1 1b) and Bluethooth, running the MS Windows Mobile PocketPC 2003 second edition operative system, also a SD slot that accepts SD/MMC and SDIO expansion memory cards, integrated microphone, speaker and stereo headphoe plug. Ah! It also plays multimedia files in WMA, MP3, MPEG1, WMV and MJPEG format. Finally, I must say that 56 MB of USER memory is more than plenty. Quite a bundle, huh?

LIKES:

- NO DIGICAM. I dont need a camera on my PDA, and in several companies I visit it is PROHIBITED to bring in a cell phone or PDA with integrated cameras, so...I love the fact that you can get the SAME PDA minus the camera for almost $100 less. For good pics I use my Canon G5 camera.

- Lightweight. This is always a great plus if you carry your PDA along with you everywhere you go, just like I do.

- Excellent color display, bright and adjustable. The Palms just dont stand a chance here.

- Stereo headphone jacks: who needs an ipod? The sound quality is Excellent, and if you toss in some premium headphones, it gets even better. I can get as many as 50 songs in my 256 MB SD card, and since my Desktop is also a HP Pavillion with integrated multi-card bay, transferring files is INSTANT.

- The voice recorder is a BIG plus for my job, and it even lets you do it "hands free". However, the button to activate it is a source of complaint, as you can see later below.

- The Windows O.S. is better that before, and in some instances is much easier to use than the Palm O.S. (providing you are a XP user, of course). If you add a task manager like the SPB Pocket Plus it gets even better.

- Wireless connectivity: HERE is the part that I like most about this iPAQ. If there is a WiFi source nearby this baby will smell it and tell you right away. When you fiund yourself in the middle of several hotspots, the connection manager gives you detailed descriptions of each one, so you can choose on which to log-on. All this with just the push of a button. I travel quite a lot and This iPAQ has a speedy and realiable way of going trough, and since I installed the SPB Pocket Plus software now I can even open multiple navigator windows at once, chat on Messenger and fetch my mail. WONDERFUL. And the beauty of all this: I have not needed to adjust, configure, install, modify or even setup anything! Im no tech nerd and if my PDA cant do many things on its own, then it is not for me.

- Multimedia. Your pictures can be arranged and viewed at the push of a button. The Software bundle adds a MPEG viewer (load movies on your SD card and enjoy) and of course the Pocket PC Media Player by Microsoft, which is not bad at all but I would suggest upgrading it later for one of the many second-party sources on the web. It is so much fun (not to mention practical)when your PDA can play movies, music AND navigate on the web!

- Instant integration with Outlook. If you use it, then you will love this feature.

_Software bundle. Really nice. You get a bunch of programs in this iPAQ, the ones I like most being the Pocket versions of Word and Excel. I use a third-party Power Point presentation manager. Other programs included are: 2 games, Avant Go. HP Image zone (for pics), Microsoft Pocket Messenger and Explorer, the PocketTV Pro, Print Manager, or the Nevo R/C substitute (this one comes quite handy as it can "transform" itself into a remote control for virtually ANY TV that uses IR remote).

- Battery life: I can squeeze a full 5-6 hours or so of heavy use (backlit screen and WiFi enabled) but it varies a lot depending on what you have been doing.

Gamers: This is better than a GameBoy Advance minus the great button placement. Some games available are really cool and visually impressive, so if you like to play games on your PDA, you will not be dissapointed.

DONT-LIKES:

- Navigation and function buttons are REALLY small for my fingers.

- The voice-recorder button is too easy to push involuntarily, and record whatever is being said at the time. Careful here.

- Its powered by MS Windows software. Expect to soft reset the PDA a few times a month, specially if you install third party software. This is so far the nastiest problem with this iPAQ.

- Battery life may be "low" by ex-Palm users standards, but you can get an extra power cable and then you will never suffer on the road.

In all, I am very happy with my iPAQ3115. Great performance and WiFi AND multimedia for under $300? Yes, you can have it. Tech junkies forgive me, but I didnt mean to displease you for the lack of tech specs. I dont care for them too much, but I know this one is faster, more fun and versatile than my former Palm V.