HP Jornada 545
Hewlett-Packard's base Pocket PC model, the HP Jornada 545, earns points for its sleek, rugged design and competitive price. But with just 16MB of memory, the Jornada 545 simply doesn't have the overhead to handle the Pocket PC OS, especially its multimedia applications such as digital audio, and like the Jornada 548, its display only supports 12-bit colour.
The entry-level device in Hewlett-Packard's Jornada 540 series, the HP Jornada 545 is the only Pocket PC-based handheld that ships with 16MB RAM, which severely limits the amount of free storage. That is the only design flaw in an otherwise excellent handheld. Perfectly sized and balanced, the Jornada 545 rests comfortably in hands large and small. Its brushed-charcoal aluminum case, which is protected by a removable flip-cover and surrounded by a band of black rubber that helps to prevent accidental slips and spills, feels like it could take any beating you could dish out.
HP has long stood behind Microsoft's attempts to produce a worthy handheld OS, and for the first time Microsoft gets it right with Pocket PC. A full-colour miniaturisation of Windows 98, Pocket PC comes preloaded with such handy features as Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, and Pocket Money. The drag-and-drop interface, complete with pop-up Start menu, will be immediately familiar to anyone who's used a PC in the past five years. The ActiveSync software that comes with all Pocket PCs lets you synchronise contacts, appointments, and email between Microsoft Outlook on the desktop and the Jornada 545.
Because of the limited memory, opening large documents with these applications takes forever since the Jornada 545 has to constantly juggle blocks of active memory to find free space. That also means there is little room left over to install any additional applications beyond the standard Pocket PC ones.
But that hasn't stopped Microsoft and HP from including plenty of extras. The bundled CD-ROM also has an image viewer, MP3 player, golf game, Yahoo! Messenger, and half a dozen other handy utilities that you can load on your Jornada 545 or desktop PC. Most are quite useful, especially the MP3 player, although the 16MB of RAM onboard doesn't really leave any room for big MP3 files, so you'll have to invest in a CompactFlash card to increase the amount of storage. The tiny built-in speaker is really only good for making that familiar, annoying ding when you've done something wrong; if you want CD quality sound, you'll want to use the headphones HP thoughtfully included in the package.
In fact, there's not a lot that HP didn't include with the Jornada 545. The AC adapter, while a bit cumbersome with its three separate pieces, is a universal adapter capable of running off 110v or 220v AC, eliminating yet another wall adapter those international travellers need to carry. The desk cradle connects both the data cable to your mother PC and the power adapter all in one cord. (Oddly, our test unit came with a pokey serial cable cradle, not the zippy USB connection promised on the side of the box. HP says a USB cradle is standard equipment on the entire Jornada 540 series.) In addition to the charger and cradle, HP also includes a portable data cable.
Unlike similar products from Casio, the Jornada 540 series ships with a clearly written and informative Quick Start Guide. Its diagrams clearly explain the functions of the four hotkey buttons at the base of the screen (all of which are reprogrammable), as well as the proper care and feeding of the nonremovable battery, a lithium ion unit rated for up to eight hours of use. We put the Jornada 545 through its paces and consistently got four to five hours of hard use, but this included frequent MP3 playback that eats up battery power. A red record button on the left side of the unit is perfectly placed for thumb activation while you dictate short messages into the Jornada 545's memory (keep them short because each one is treated like a high-quality MP3 and will therefore eat up storage space in no time).
A lighted button on top of the Jornada 545 glows red while the unit's charging and green when it's finished and will flash to remind you about upcoming appointments. A scroll wheel under the record button allows fast scanning of long documents or address lists. Aside from the memory, the biggest disappointment with the Jornada 545 is the TFT colour screen, which only supports 12-bit colour (4,096 colours), not the 16-bit colour (65,536 colours) originally advertised. HP recognised the goof early on and has graciously offered to provide refunds to any dissatisfied customers. We found the screen a bit streaky but otherwise fine, and snapshots display clearly enough to show off baby pictures to coworkers.
In this age of cheap RAM and huge MP3 files, it seems pointless to us to even produce a handheld capable of playing portable music with less than 32MB of memory. Yet HP mysteriously continues to push the Jornada 545 right alongside its better-endowed brother, the Jornada 548. In our opinion, the extra cost for the additional 16MB is money well spent for even the most casual user, so if you like the design of the Jornada 540 series, opt for the Jornada 548 instead.
HP Jornada 545
Company:HP Australia
Ph:13 13 47
Price: AU$899
Rating
8%
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