HP Jornada 430se

The usability of palmtop Windows CE devices has increased dramatically since Microsoft introduced colour to its palm-sized OS. It's almost inconceivable that a mono Windows CE device would have been used as gadget in a James Bond movie, but the colourful Jornada 430se has this honour in the new Bond flick The World Is Not Enough.

HP can claim to be a pioneer in the dynamic colour palmtop market, thanks to its early release of the Jornada 420 (reviewed issue 62, p87), but the first product on to the market isn't always the best. By the time the Jornada appeared in our Pocket PCs Labs (see issue 62), it was looking distinctly outdated and outclassed when compared to the palmtop Labs Quality award winner, Casio's Cassiopeia E-105 (reviewed issue 62, p64).

HP has since boosted the 32-bit Hitachi processor's speed from 100MHz to 133MHz, and doubled the RAM from 8Mb to 16Mb. The only core specification to remain unchanged is its 8Mb of ROM. Despite these improvements in the battle of the big numbers, Casio's Cassiopeia E-105 is still the clear winner, with 16Mb of ROM, 32Mb of RAM and a 131MHz MIPS R4000 processor.

Just like their desktop counterparts, different processors running at similar speeds don't always produce similar results, so don't be fooled by the Jornada's 2MHz advantage. Using the Casio and the HP palmtops side by side, the Jornada was noticeably slower at launching applications. However, the HP reclaimed some honour when it came to our application tests. In a 37,000-word document, for instance, a search and replace command demanding 1,420 changes took 240 seconds, compared to 247 from the Casio.

Another important area of performance is battery life, and HP quotes seven hours for the lithium ion battery included in the Jornada 430se. This compares to six hours from the Casio, but in use there's unlikely to be much difference between the two. In fact, the most important factor is how brightly you light the screen, but even if you regularly draw on the Jornada's resources it should last for two or three days away from base.

Where the 430se doesn't compare at all favourably with the E-105 is with its screen. The Jornada relies on CSTN (Colour Super-Twist Screen) technology and, although it's bright and has a good horizontal viewing angle, it can't match the bold colours provided by the Casio's TFT display.

At 250g, the 430se isn't particularly heavy when compared to other colour Windows CE palmtops, but it remains the thickest colour palmtop we've seen. Its ease of use is boosted by the four function keys on the left-hand side of the machine that allow you to quickly access the Start menu, voice recorder, exit button and scroll through drop-down lists. There are also four customisable quick-launch screen icons, which by default activate Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Calculator.

Build quality was one area where we heavily criticised the Jornada 420, and although little has changed - most notably the plastic purple fascia and the annoying hinged screen cover - HP has at least addressed a couple of our concerns. The CompactFlash slot cover no longer flaps about, but is connected via plastic hinges. It's also taken the unstable docking station out of the equation altogether. Instead, HP wants you to charge and synchronise the 430se via a travel adaptor, which slots on to the bottom of the unit. This appears to be a rather drastic solution, as we had few problems with the docking stations provided by other manufacturers, and the natural tilt provided by a docking station makes it easier to see the screen while sitting at a desk.