HP iPAQ H1940 review

HP is on an iPAQ spree at the moment - this is the third device to appear in PC Pro in as many months. Both the H5550 and the H2210 emerged with awards, but this pared-down machine - in terms of size and features - can't quite make it a hat-trick.

This is despite a fantastic design. At 124g, you'll barely notice the iPAQ in your shirt or jacket pocket, especially as it measures just 12.8mm thick. Yet HP has still found room for a large TFT screen, an SD slot and integrated Bluetooth.

The SD slot also supports SDIO, so it can be used for adding luxuries such as 802.11b and digital cameras, as well as expanding memory. If you start using this PDA to its full potential, though, it's worth buying more memory anyway. Although it generously includes 64MB of RAM, 56MB of which is usable, that space will quickly disappear once you load up a few photos, PDFs or MP3s.

As with the H1910, there's a set of earphones to take advantage of Windows Media Player 9. They're good quality, but beware of the 2.5mm jack - your own headphones won't work unless you use the supplied 2.5mm-to-3.5mm audio adaptor.

That's about the only thing in the bundle as well, unless you count the obligatory USB connection cable. There's no carry case and no docking cradle, both of which are expected in a £250 PDA. The lack of a carry case is particularly worrying, as it encourages people to endanger the vibrant, 16-bit TFT. This is brightly lit, even at the medium setting, and in general it's great. The only problem is the colour purity, which is actually better on the original H1910's screen.

With the brightness set to medium, and Bluetooth only on when needed, we generally got around three hours' use out of the iPAQ. This isn't a huge amount, but you can always buy a second battery to replace the removable 900mAH unit while on the move.

So far, with the exception of integrated Bluetooth, it's much like the H1910, but there are a couple of key differences. For one, it's quicker. Thanks to a 266MHz Samsung processor, and the speed advantage of Pocket PC 2003 over Pocket PC 2002, this PDA barely hesitates over any task. There's also 32MB of ROM as opposed to the H1910's 16MB, which means there's 13MB of Flash ROM to use for backing up your vital data.

As the H1940 uses the so-called Professional version of Pocket PC 2003, though, certain apps aren't included. For instance, Pictures has been stripped out and instead you get HP's own iPAQ Image Viewer, but this doesn't have any editing facilities. There isn't a huge amount of exciting software supplied on the accompanying CD either, but as with all iPAQs you may spend five 'iPAQ points' at www.ipaqchoice.com, where you can choose from a wide range of software, including games (such as the excellent iGolf2), utilities and business apps.

These added extras help the iPAQ's value-for-money rating, but bear in mind that a USB cradle costs another £29 and you'll have to add a few pounds for a jacket too - one obvious choice being the Proporta Aluminium Case for £21 (www.proporta.com). This lack of completeness counts against the H1940, but if you want a Bluetooth-equipped PDA that slips unnoticed into your pocket it's the best - and arguably only - choice.

Author: Tim Danton