Product Reviews

With stunning products like the iPAQ H5550 and the H1940, it's no surprise that HP rules the Pocket PC roost. With the H5550, you've got Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 128MB of RAM and even a fingerprint reader - perfect for company rollouts. At the other end of the scale, the H1940 is an ultra-slim, ultra-compact device that offers a great screen and respectable performance - the ideal choice for an undemanding user. But both these products are under threat, all thanks to HP's new wunderkind: the H2210.

The chief wonder is that HP has managed to squeeze a Type I and II CompactFlash slot into such a tiny device. Not only does it measure a slender 15mm thick, but also tips the scales at just 145g - compare that with the 18mm and 196g of the Dell Axim X5 Performance (see issue 100, p129).

Fans of the Microdrive will be delighted to hear that it's supported, but it isn't just extra memory storage that's available. You could use the slot to add Wi-Fi, a V.90 modem, digital camera and even a VGA output for presentations. The only problem could be drivers, as the H2210 uses Windows Mobile 2003, also known as Pocket PC 2003 (see issue 106, p74), and not all software written for Pocket PC 2002 is compatible.

There's even more expansion potential thanks to the SD slot. Unlike many of the H2210's competitors, this supports SDIO (Secure Digital In/Out), meaning compatibility with expansion cards, not just Flash memory. One obvious example would have been a Bluetooth card, but HP sensibly integrates Bluetooth into the H2210 anyway.

It gets easier to make Bluetooth work as each year passes, but we still wouldn't claim that it's straightforward. This is despite HP providing its own Bluetooth Manager, with Wizards for connecting it to your mobile phone, for synching with a PC or notebook, or hooking up to a Bluetooth network. Once you've successfully partnered with your device of choice, however, the benefits of cordless connection - say, browsing the Web with your phone still in your bag - make it all worthwhile.

Integrating Bluetooth into the H2210 means there will almost always be a slot free for adding memory, and in the iPAQ's case this is no bad thing. Although HP provides 32MB of ROM rather than the 16MB of the H1940, there's still only 57MB free from the 64MB of RAM. And we wouldn't recommend filling this too much anyway, as all Pocket PCs run faster if there's plenty of memory to play with.

That said, the H2210 is a stunning performer - by far the fastest PDA we've seen. It sliced through our synthetic benchmarks, completing almost three times as many tasks in the same time as the previous fastest device,

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the Toshiba e750 WiFi (see issue 105, p87). In practice, this means superb speed no matter what you're doing, be it everyday tasks, browsing the Web or even playing back video.

The 16-bit screen comes into its own here, with realistic colours and a 3.5in diagonal both adding to its attractions. There's also the option to raise the brightness to an amazing level, but beware that this will suck the battery dry all too quickly. And the iPAQ doesn't need it anyway: the low-to-medium levels were absolutely fine.

Providing you don't have the brightness set too high, you should be happy with the iPAQ's battery life. We found that half an hour's use consumed around 15 per cent of the battery, and leaving it overnight dropped the levels by 3 to 4 per cent. We were also pleased to note that switching on Bluetooth had a negligible effect - the 30 minutes of life to 15 per cent of battery again held true. The good news is that even if you do run out of juice, up to 3MB of your vital data can be protected by storing it in ROM.

Fortunately, the battery is removable and HP sensibly integrates a battery-charging slot into the bundled docking cradle. There's also a travel charger adaptor in the box, so you don't need to carry the cradle with you on trips. The only mild disappointment is that HP isn't selling an extended-life battery.

Some people might also mourn the loss of the jog dial, which can be a convenient way of scrolling down pages and activating programs. You can use the five-way directional pad, but this is less precise; I found myself accidentally closing emails, for example, when trying to scroll to the bottom of the message. Nevertheless, the rubberised sides make the iPAQ easy to hold, and the lack of a jog dial or voice recorder button is far from a fatal blow.

A more notable omission is support for the iPAQ's expansion jackets. These provide an easy way to add GPS systems, a PC Card and much more besides. However, it's clear that HP designed this iPAQ from the ground up, and expansion jackets are arguably less relevant with the advent of SDIO, Bluetooth and the integration of the CompactFlash slot. What's more, as HP sticks with the same power/input connector at the bottom of the H2210 as with all recent iPAQs, existing power adaptors and bottom-connecting peripherals - most notably the folding keyboard - should all work.

There's a handy collection of software too. ClearType Tuner is on hand to adjust Pocket PC's ClearType settings, iTask allows you to quickly switch between open applications and head directly for settings, while Nevo, the universal remote control, takes advantage of the infrared port at the top of the unit.

Despite these extras, and the inclusion of a case to protect the screen, the H2210 is no match for Dell's Axim X5 Performance when it comes to value - it costs just £255 including VAT and delivery. But the iPAQ leaves the Axim looking like a relic when it comes to design, weight and size; plus, it has integrated Bluetooth. For these reasons alone, it dislodges the X5 from the A List. That said, you should also consider the cheaper Palm Tungsten T2, while HP's own H1940 is more attractive if you don't need CompactFlash or the fastest processor.