The HP iPAQ 110 and 210 are widely considered to be the top standalone PDAs currently available and have garnered quite a bit of attention from mobile enthusiasts since their release in late 2007 and early 2008. Also referred to as the iPAQ 111 or 114 and 211 or 214, they are the first PDA-only devices to be released in the U.S. in almost two years.
Strengths
• 110 is very light and thin: only .54 inches thick and one of the lightest available (3.7 ounces)
• 210 has the largest and clearest display available (4-inch VGA)
• 210 has largest capacity standard battery on the PDA market today: 2,200 mAh
• 210 has both a mini-USB port and a 24-pin connector for charging and connectivity
• 210 is rated to withstand five-foot drops
Both iPAQs
• Updated PXA310 624 MHz processor that is faster than the older Intel 624 MHz processor
• 32 GB expandability available with SDHC/IO card. The 210 also has a CF card slot.
• 256 MB of flash ROM built in
• Solid and durable
Weaknesses
• The Up button on the 210’s D-pad can be difficult to press due to a design flaw.
• Some reviewers have complained about the lack of volume and clarity of the external speaker on the 210.
• Some CF cards may cause a battery drain in the 210.
• Users complain about poor battery life on the 210.
Limitations & Solutions
• Neither iPAQ has dedicated soft keys; however, the Calendar and Messaging hardware buttons can be remapped to serve as the left and right soft keys under Start >Settings >Buttons, which aids one-handed use.
• The 210’s touch screen requires a little more force to be applied to it to enter commands than on other devices, which can cause some initial annoyance. With time, however, this issue proves to be less noticeable as you get used to it.
• If both iPAQs are turned off or automatically go into suspend mode with Wi-Fi on, they take substantially longer than other devices to turn back on (2-4 seconds). If you want to avoid this, turn off Wi-Fi before you turn either device off; this way they shouldn’t take as long to turn back on. Also note that when both iPAQs do come on after the brief delay, tests have shown that they are immediately available for use (as opposed to some devices that power on immediately but have a delay before responding to screen taps).
• Some have found that the 210’s battery life is less than desirable, since it may wear down before a full day’s usage of Wi-Fi, e-mail, and media playback. An extended battery (with twice the capacity) is available for the 210 from lionbattery.com and other online vendors. An extended battery for the 110 is also available. Note that using an extended battery will require a bigger back panel; the larger battery and panel extension will add size and weight to the devices.
Tips & Tricks
• Remember that under Start >Settings >Buttons, both iPAQs have the ability to remap the three hardware buttons to perform up to six functions, three with a standard press and three more with the secondary pressandhold function.
• Both iPAQs have a light sensor that automatically adjusts screen backlight settings to the ambient brightness, which saves battery life. To enable this setting, go to Start >Settings >System tab >Backlight >Brightness tab and select the Auto Sensor On checkbox.
• Enabling the ClearType option on the 210 (Start >Settings >System tab >Screen >ClearType tab) makes a noticeable difference in smoothing out the pixilation of text.
• Both iPAQs have a Voice Notes hardware button that will open a new Voice Note when pressed, which adds the convenience of being able to quickly record something with the use of one hand. The Voice Notes button is located on the left side of the 210 and on the right side of the 110. Note that the microphone aperture is located on the bottom side of both devices to the left of the connectivity port(s).
• Both iPAQs have a built-in BT Phone Manager application that allows you to connect to an Internet-connected cell phone via Bluetooth and use it for connecting to the Web. Go to Start >BT Phone Manager, and your device will load the Configuration screen (tap Yes when the prompt pops up). On the next screen, there is a list of cell phones that you can choose from. After choosing one, directions will be provided on the following screen to connect to the specific phone.
Odds & Ends
• The 110 and 210 (as well as accessories) can be purchased directly from HP at shopping.hp.com/handheld for $299 and $449, respectively.
The iPAQs are also available from other online vendors like expansys-usa.com and amazon.com. They are also carried by electronics vendors such as Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, and others.
• Both iPAQs ship with a leather slipcase. If you want a different case, there are a number of online vendors, including ipaqcases.com, pielframa.com, and pdair.com.
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by andy, on 02.01.09 @ 7:16 am
Anybody know if you can use a bluetooth headset and windows mobile 2.5 beta for skype to make phone calls on the device?
by Pda Phone Hp, on 03.03.09 @ 2:44 am
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