Hewlett Packard IPAQ h1945 Pocket PC

I have owned the HP iPaq 1945 since November of 2003.

After six months of ownership, I have good things to say about this handheld.

In the Box:
When you open the box you will get the handheld, battery, stylus, audio cable adapter (more on that later), a charging cable, and a synch cable. The unit does NOT come with a cradle in the box, so to charge the unit you plug it in via the included charging cable. An adapter that plugs into the end of the charging cable, and let's the user charge the unit directly, OR you can use the same cable (with the adapter plug removed) to charge the unit in a cradle. Keep in mind though, that the cradle is an accessory, and is available for $49 in stores.

The OS:
The Windows Mobile OS, versus Palm OS, seems very well suited for synchronizing seamlessly with MS Outlook. All my contact information, categories, etc. are shown right on my handheld, which I like better than my Palm m505.

Another plus is the ability to work with Word, Excel, Adobe / .pdf files, and Internet Explorer right on the handheld. Other operating systems need 3rd party software to do this, so that's a nice touch.

Using the 1945:
The iPaq 1945, and all iPaq's for that matter, are really easy to use. They come with the standard four buttons on front, and include Calendar, Contact, E-Mail, and Today / Home button. There is also a recording button on the side that let's the user record voice memo's, etc.

The navigation is done through a four way button (up, down, left, right) which also has a select button in the middle. It is a little firm sometimes, but fairly easy to use. Those who have used the scroll wheel on a Sony PDA might miss that ability, but it is not such a big deal (or necessary thing) for me.

One really nice touch is the removable battery feature on the unit. Unlike my previous three handhelds, this one let's the user swap out the battery when needed. In the case of these high resolution screens, this is a good thing.

The screen itself is easy to read indoors and out, and I have used it under every imaginable lighting conditions. No problems to report. I have to admit that the resolution is quite nice too.

The battery life on the iPaq varies with many different factors. The biggest one is how bright the screen is during use. It comes with five different brightness levels. However, the lowest brightness level turns off the backlight completely, which makes the unit impossible to use. At medium brightness, which is the one I use most typically, the iPaq can last between 5 – 8 hours non-stop. That is playing games, reading, looking at pictures, etc. without stopping. Otherwise it lasts 3-5 days during intermittent use. This may still be a bit short for some who travel or are not close to power outlets all the time, so a spare battery can be a lifesaver. If you like to listen to mp3's on a handheld, then a spare battery will ensure uninterrupted enjoyment.

On the subject of music now, I have to mention the audio jack. It is not the standard size audio jack that works with almost every known type of headphones, mp3 players, etc. I believe that "standard" jack is a 3.5 mm. This model iPaq comes with a 2.5 mm audio out jack. The included audio adapter let's the user connect the iPaq to a standard pair of headphones, etc. but that is one more thing to carry around (or lose). The trade off is that the unit costs $150 less than a more expensive model (2215) that includes a 3.5 mm audio jack.

Keep in mind though, that most people will buy SD cards that are 128 MB, 256 MB, or maybe 512 MB in size. As they get larger (duh) they get more expensive. Even worse, even 512 MB won't hold too many songs as compared to a typical mp3 player today. When you think about something like the iPod mini, which is $249, has 4 GB of memory, and is smaller than the iPaq, it is clear that the iPaq is not the most economical choice for a music player. However, it can serve that purpose to a limited degree (or unlimited if you don't mind spending lots of money on memory cards!).

My favorite feature of the 1945 is Bluetooth wireless connectivity. I can send pictures from my Sony Ericsson camera phone (also Bluetooth enabled) directly to my handheld. The handheld can also transfer files back and forth between my PC, which also has a Bluetooth connection.

Using the Bluetooth connection, one can use a Bluetooth phone as a modem and do web browsing. This can be done from anywhere there is a cellular signal. For me, that is more convenient than finding a Wi-Fi hotspot. The trade-off is that Bluetooth is slower than Wi-Fi though, so don't expect to watch a movie preview or anything. However if you want to buy movie tickets (which I have done) using the iPaq, it is easy enough.

What I might change:
The things I would change about the 1945 are (1) that it does not come with a cradle in the box and (2) that it does not have Wi-Fi.

The cradle costs $50, and is available at places like CompUSA, and Microcenter.

Wi-Fi would be nice to have, and it is available for those who want to spend an extra $150 (for a different iPaq model). For some users, Wi-Fi on a handheld is not a huge deal, unless you want to browse the web quickly, or transfer large files REALLY fast. In that case Bluetooth just won't cut it.

For my purposes though, Bluetooth is convenient, and the 1945 is a great PDA for the price. The screen looks great, and this model works well for all of my needs.