HP iPAQ 214 Pocket PC
Posted by Notcot on Apr 19, 2010 in Handhelds & PDAs |
- HP iPAQ 214 Series Enterprise Handheld
- Processor: Marvell PXA310 624 MHz
- ROM: 256MB
- RAM: 128MB for running applications
- Display: 4-inch VGA TFT with touch screen portra
I bought the iPAQ214 to replace my iPAQ1940 which I dropped (boo hoo). It’s an impressive looking piece of kit with all the functionality you’d expect from an HP product. The screen is excellent and remains useable even in bright sunlight. The 214’s wireless connectivity is a big step up from my old PDA and seems to work well (it’s interesting to see just how many unsecured networks there are out there!). There are some negative points though. The first thing that struck me was the size; it’s a lot larger than the 1940 and doesn’t fit in the hand as snuggly (and I’ve got monster hands!). It also won’t fit in my shirt pocket. The second thing is the touch sensitivity of the screen. My old PDA responded to even the lightest touch but the 214 seems to need quite a firm press which can make entering lots of text a bit of a chore. Lastly, the battery seems to run down quite quickly.
Overall though, it’s useable and reasonable value for money.
Rating: 4 / 5
The iPAQ 214 has its quirks. The buttons I find too low in the device. If they were a little prouder it would be easier to change pages while reading e-books in bed at night. It is also not so comfortable in the hand as my older iPAQ h1930 running windows CE 4.20. I have only had the iPAQ214 for a few days but one thing that does irritate is the seemingly missing ability to scroll to the next page in a large documents. It scrolls to the next highlighted word, but that is not the same thing.
I tried a 4gig SD card to view the 3.3 gig Wikipedia I purchased but it would not work. But on the compact flash card it works a treat, so I am very pleased, as my old h1930 could not see anything over 2 gigs.
The larger screen is a nice bonus, and makes it suitable for night reading. The battery life is impressive, after reading for an hour and a half I still had 85% power left, way better than my old PDA.
Windows mobile 6 take a little getting used to, but I am sure it will be fine. Internet connecting could not have been easier. It is a nice bit of kit, not so convenient to handle as the 3.5 inch, but worth it.
I thought long and hard before buying this, and I am glad I did. Amazon were incredibly quick to deliver post free. It arrived the very next day after ordering. Apart from the low profile buttons which make it a little difficult to hold and manoeuvre the device without it slipping, I am well pleased. It does not feel as sturdy as my iPAQ h1930, and the back case is not so rigid. Also the stylus is a pain, the end piece that slots so neatly into the case when done, sticks into your finger when you write. Summing up. 7 out of 10.
Rating: 4 / 5
Have recently puchased this IPAQ 214 from another source after a long wait for this item to come into stock. so far after 4 days of use I am pleased with this device. I purchased this t replace my IPAQ 2790 that needed re-setting at least twice a month after freezing and would not run. This Pocket PC is much better, although there have been times when it would not turn on, and required a soft re-set. Syncing with Outlook 2007 was simple and without problems. Have used Messenger on the 214, and the contacts on windows live were addedd to the contacts log on the pocket pc, but these did not sync with Outllok on the Desktop which I liked. The screen is nice and bright and the extra space allows you to place more on the home screen. The device also feels thinner in the pocket of my suit jacket. My only grip is that it doens not come bundled with a sync cradle, and the slip case could be better. the price on Amazon is reasonable, but surprised that amazon have not managed to get it in stock sooner. This was a long awaited device and so far I am quite impressed. I would have givre it 5 stars if there was a cradle and it didnt require a re-set in the morning to boot up.
Rating: 4 / 5
The iPAQ 214 has a beautifully clear screen, and please ignore those reviews which say that screen tap response is poor: if that was once the case, it no longer is. With Windows Mobile 6, the iPAQ 214 can seamlessly integrate with MS Outlook calendar and contacts. The built-in Windows live software gives excellent seamless communication with a Hotmail (or similar) e-mail account via wireless collectivity. The built-in Office Mobile gives similar seamless functionality with Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and other documents. Like all new pieces of kit, it takes a little while to get to know its quirks, some of which irritated me at first, but now that I’m going with the flow, I enjoy this PDA. The predictive text is quite impressive, but, especially if you work in a secure or sensitive environment, it would be good to be able to selectively delete words you have used, rather than all or nothing.
Ironically, the Microsoft ActiveSync software is one of its greatest weaknesses. It does not deal well with conflicts in Outlook — for example, making an update on your desktop, and also an update on your PDA: you have to choose in advance, which one is going to overwrite which — and how annoying is that? (Compare with Palm software, which will create duplicates if necessary: there are no duplicates with Microsoft ActiveSync!). And as for getting this device to synchronise using the wireless (as opposed to Bluetooth or USB) connection, well, don’t even start me on that! The manual and help text are as good as useless on this front. Connecting via your wireless router to other computers is fine, it is just the synchronising that is the problem (unless you have a Masters degree in networking, which I do not).
It is no ‘slim Jim’, but I think the build quality and functionality compensate for that. It is hard to call this a Pocket PC and keep a straight face!
Okay, so there are a few criticisms here, but none of them for me were showstoppers. I still give this five stars, and would recommend anybody looking for a high quality PDA, which could interface well with their desktop, to use this device.
Steve
Rating: 5 / 5
This is my first PDA so I do not have any prior experience for comparison. However, if like me you were/are on the lookout for a standalone PDA (without phone) then this is the product for you. Below I have highlighted a list of pros and cons from my perspective.
Pro
* SCREEN (4″ transflective TFT, 260K colours, 640 x 480 pixel touch panel display with LED backlight) – fabulous, I love it! …this is definitely one of its best points. The colour is very good and image is sharp.
* Battery life – It is better than other PDAs out there. Personally I use it a lot and find it isn’t enough (2200 battery) so I am upgrading to the monster 4400 battery.
* Set up + installation – easy enough.
* Operating System- Windows Mobile 6
* Expansion – both a CompactFlash and a separate SDHC card slot allows this device to use a 32 GB memory card in each slot for a maximum total of 64 GB of storage……now that a lot of memory!
* Connectivity (Integrated Wireless Integrated WLAN 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR)- I have only used WLAN, which was easy to setup and use.
* Cables and Connectors – AC adapter and mini-USB Port. The AC adapter allows you to both sync and charge the device.
Cons
* Speakers (audio) – poor volume. There are two speakers, but they do not work together at the same time. I hope iPAQ will fix this issue, as it is a major disadvantage of this product. As far as GPS goes, you can forget about (IMHO).
* No cradle
* D-pad -some have commented this is poorly designed. Personally, I do have an issue with it.
* Compatibility issues – It has come to light on many forums that CF cards put a huge drain on the system and some people have gone as far as not even using CF cards and only using SDHC cards. Also, others have found problems with software. Personally, I have not had any trouble with the software I have installed.
* Slip case – this will do if you just want something to protect the product while not in use. However, I prefer something that opens out, so I had to invest in a PDAair case.
* No handbook – minor point but for something that costs this much I would have liked a hard copy. You have to go to the HP website to download the handbook
* Cost of other products – for the first timers among you, remember in evaluating the overall cost you need to account for things like software (in my case medical software, backup software e.g. Sprite, today screen e.g. spb pocket plus (the one installed is very basic), Styletap (so one can use Palm software, as a lot free medical programmes are in Palm format, although many are now doing windows), Opera software if you do not like internet explorer…etc…the list is endless and the sky is the limit); ? new case; screen protectors…etc. The cost of things soon adds up.
Overall, I would recommend this product to others. It is a top of the line standalone PDA, where the strengths outweigh the weaknesses (apart from the audio that is!!). I hope this review helps other novices like me.
Rating: 4 / 5