I have had my Jornada for a month now and I have been nothing but pleased. It has exceeded my every expectation. The color (12-bit) is wonderful, the sound from the built-in speaker (and headphones) is surprisingly good, and the functionality is astounding. Make no mistake, you are not buying an organizer --you are buying a COMPUTER. 133 mhz processer, 12-bit color, 32 mb of ram --is it just me, or wasn't that a top-of-the-line desktop computer 5 yrs ago?
Well, I won't go into the basics -other reviewers have done a good job doing so --let me focus on other areas.
Buying extra memory is a must if you download a lot (MP3s or books). (I filled up my memory within 2 weeks after downloading 9 books, 2 songs, and 5 extra games... Books seem to be 500k to 1 mb, MP3s are 4-6MB and games are less than 1MB) I'd recommend going with the maximum upgrade of 128 MB flash-card --you could put 2 hours of MP3s on that card! This is great if you always wanted an MP3 player, as I did, now I can just roll the functionality of my Jornada into my portable music station.
For downloading books I recommend checking out the great FREE selection on Amazon.com. (Another good place is, egads!, Barnes and Nobles.com) There are some great books just worth keeping in the memory in case you are stuck somewhere with time on your hands.
I highly recommend getting the FREE Pocket PC expansion pack offered by Microsoft --it contains some games (Chess is great, Hearts is great, Pac Man is alright --but is meant to be played with a joystick), but more importantly, offers a lot of other great software, free. There is a "paint" program -it offers simple drawing in many colors (but no paintbrush or sprayer), the e-book reader program (allows you to display e-books), a great "slide-shower" program (I put family pictures in here in 5 minutes) --there is a full screen mode which allows you to page-through slides, and is really impressive. There is even an ADOBE ACROBAT reader --quite amazing, though I wonder how documents will look on a small screen.
The best thing about the Jornada is that it is very intuitive. The internal file system is set up just like your home PC -with a version of "explorer". This allows you to open an "explorer" menu (when your Jornada is "synched" with your computer). The advantage of this is you can just open folders on your big computer's screen and drag and drop PHOTOS, E-BOOKS, MP3s, and M-PEGS just as easy as that. One of my best comments about this product is that I didn't need the instruction manual.
Other highlights --the COMPLETE synchronization with Microsoft's products is absolutely wonderful. Outlook is FULLY synched --alerts, contacts, and tasks to remember are added to your home computer (after you've added them to your Jornada). (By the way, you receive the FULL version of Outlook 2000 for free when you purchase your Jornada). Word and Excel allow you to open e-mail attachments as well as create new documents. Microsoft Money requires a separate purchase of Money 2000 (or newer) and is really cool. It keeps your whole checkbook, basic stock information, and lists of Payees and Expense categories available at your fingertips.
The Jornada can be extensively customized, I found THAT very attractive --a variety of sound, backlight, password, and hotkey settings can be changed quickly from the internal menus.
Surprisingly, the calculator is one "widget" that I've used more than anything else. It really feels natural, and gets a LOT of use in restaurants...
The weight is nothing you can't handle, but is noticeable --it is heavier than it looks, and I wouldn't want to put it into a shirt pocket, or try to squeeze it into a pair of jeans. If you drop it on a hard surface, good luck, because it looks like it'd shatter --it is heavy.
The cover is very nice. It is sleek metal, which is great protection. One drawback is that it is not something that is easily removed (though you can --with care), and doesn't move back more than 90 degrees when opened.
I like the stylus. It is very easy to pull out and use, and stores very well.
The best program is the built-in "NOTE taker" function. You write on the screen and your strokes are captured exactly as written--no "graffiti" or "keboard" needed here (though these ARE an option). This is the fastest way to take notes --basically just drawing on a touch-pad. Also, another neat function is that you can press the red button on the side and RECORD voice messages that are saved with specific notes--really cool! You can even record messages when the machine is off --just press the button and you can record for as long as you have memory!
Every morning I plug it in and it automatically downloads 500 web pages for view later --it takes less than 5 minutes on a 28.8 modem. This is the best part --I was astounded how fun it was to read news on the metro on my handheld. (Every time you "synch" outdated web pages are deleted, and new ones stored).
Go to Avantgo.com, and you can choose a variety of web sites to be AUTOMATICALLY downloaded to your Pocket PC --this is just the ultimate in usefulness. I entered my zipcode and now articles are more relevent to me. Just an example --I said I wanted to see Hollywood.com, and now I get all the movie summaries, locations, and movie times downloaded to my Pocket PC --no more looking through the paper... You can download book reviews, news, business, sports, and weather. You can also get ALL of your articles on your MY YAHOO site (if you have one) --this was a REAL plus. The New York times offers a LOT of features, as does MSN.
One last thing --you can download MAPS -this blew my mind -there were maps of all major cities available --you just drag and drop the ones you want onto your Pocket PC. When viewing a map, just click on the spot you want to see, and you can zoom in. You can get to individual streets, and it looks stunning in color --I really love this feature. No more carrying outsized maps with me (and looking like a tourist) when I'm in the city. Wonderful!
More to say, but not today. I am one satisfied customer. A purchase for someone who wants more than just an organizer... a LOT more.
Having had extensive experience with both WinCE and Palm handheld devices, I have to say that in the past I continued to lean heavily toward Palm -not because it offered anything particularly cooler or better, just that it met my requirements: 1) must be stable hardware & software; 2) battery had to last up to 8 hours at a time; 3) had to have applications that met my needs (now and in the future!); and 4) it had to be "sexy" (yes, I'll admit I'm shallow). To date, WinCE handhelds & palm-helds have had a hard time making inroads in my mind on several of these key requirements.
My new HP Jornada 548 Pocket PC has changed everything for me. The color is sharp and clean (yes, even with the notorious 12-bit vs. the advertised 16-bit technology), the software seems to be extremely stable, and the look of it is way sexier than even the Palm V! But probably the biggest change is the software availability that comes with the Pocket PC and from 3rd party developers. Including Pocket Word, Excel, Money, AvantGo (can't live without it!), Pocket IE, Reader (I'm in the first half of "Timeline"), and support for POP3/IMAP4 email in addition to the included Outlook Inbox -and still leaving me nearly all 32MB of memory I started with is AWESOME!
Notice my focus on applications? That's no coincidence ... a palm-held PC has become more and more important to me, and it MUST do more than just show my contacts and appointments (something I hear a bit too much from other Palm users). My Pocket PC has become an integral part of my computing day; and will continue to be even more important over the next few years. So having top-notch applications available that are fast, user-friendly (still getting used to the new spot for "Start"), and seamlessly integrated with my desktop PC counterparts is critically important for me.
My heartfelt congratulations & thanks to the teams at HP and Microsoft ... way to go!
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The Jornada 548 is not perfect, but for me its the best mix of features so far.
I've had several color palm-sized Windows CE and Pocket PCs. I've had 2 Casio Cassiopeia E-105's, a Compaq Aero 1520, and a Cassiopeia E-10 and A-11. I've also looked at the Compaq iPaq.
The iPaq is fast and light and its display is easily visible outdoors. But once you add a CompactFlash card sleeve it's bulky. And you still need a case to protect the screen, adding further bulk. (Screen protection is important to me because I've broken the display on my Cassiopeia E-10 twice!)
The HP Jornada 548 has a built-in metal screen protector and CompactFlash slot, and a metal case. It looks sleek and its display is very nice indoors (but hard to see outdoors). Since I need screen protection and I always use a CompactFlash memory card, it's the perfect Pocket PC for me.
A word about Pocket PCs vs. Palms: If all you need is an electronic organizer, a Palm is sufficient. It's easy to use, it's convenient, and its organizer functions are simple. But look at one of the Pocket PCs if you need an organizer that's FULLY compatible with Microsoft Outlook (including all contact information fields). Look at a Pocket PC if you want the power of a multimedia PC that you can carry in your pocket. To me there is no question the Pocket PC is the right choice for me. It won't be for everyone.
You can get a color Pocket PC for not much more than the color Palm IIIc. If monochrome is enough for you, the Compaq Aero 1550 Pocket PC is thin and sleek. It's in the same price range as a good Palm, and it's more capable.
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Notwithstanding that the ipaq has 206 mhz vs the HP's 133, that the ipaq's TFT LCD screen is a little sharper outside, that the ipaq can take PC cards and flash cards (with the help of add-on jackets) vs the HP that can only take flash cards, that the ipaq weighs 6.3oz vs the HP that weighs 9.1oz, that the ipaq's has a 12 hour Lithium Polymer battery vs Hp's 8 hour Lithium Ion battery, and that the ipaq has wireless capabilities, I would still, and without hesitation, choose the HP Jornada 548!
Why? Because of the following1. the HP looks and feels better (good old HP quality) 2. the HP, being slightly heavier, and together with rubber linings along the sides, fits snugly and safely into your hand 3. the ipaq's silver/aluminium finish looks cheaper than HP's black finish 4. the record button on the ipaq is reputed to be badly placed 5. the ipaq's internal housing for the stylus could become troublesome 6. the HP comes with a 'built-in' hard cover for the screen essential for a PDA 7. the HP's flash-slot is integrated much easier than carting extra jackets around 8. the shape and size of the AC adapter for the HP is far superior to that of the ipaq compaq have forgotten that the whole motivation of having a PDA is its size defeated if you need a briefcase to carry the AC adapter! 9. both do the same tasks, one slightly quicker, but the difference is academic; 10. the ipaq's jackets (pc cards and flash) do not clip in tight this could lead to the PDA sliding out and ending up under feet is it worth the risk? 11. the plastic wallet that comes with the ipaq does not close properly another potential disaster So hardware spec-wise the ipaq wins hand down but quality, finish, appeal and design awards must go to the HP my ultimate choice.
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I love my Pocket PC. I use this thing more than any device I have ever owned. From the moment it arrived it became much more than a gadget. I have owned lots of gadgets, including the palm. They were great to carry around and show off but the pocket PC is the most useful thing I have ever owned. Here is an example of how I use it through out my day. 5:00 AM: Wake up to the alarm. It plenty loud enough to rouse even me. 7:00 AM: Listen to MP3,s or sometimes audio books on my drive to work.
8:00 AM: Pop it in the cradle and sync with my Outlook at work. All my email, Calendar, task, web pages, files, etc... 9:00 AM: go to daily morning meeting with nothing but my Pocket PC. I have all my status reports in MS word. When we discuss an email someone sent out with an attached excel spreadsheet I just open it on my pocket PC and review. I open up the note pad and take notes through out the meeting.Oh yea, sometimes I get bored and play games with the sound off. It look like I am taking notes. 10:00 AM and throughout the day it goes with me to all meetings. Taking notes on it is a breeze. It is as close to actual writing as you can get. 12:00 Noon: Take it to lunch. If I am alone I read through the days news on Pocket Internet Explorer. Its updates every time I sync so I always have the latest news and movietimes, weather, etc...If it is a business luncheon I exchange contact info with partners and clients via infrared. I can exchange even with Palm owners thanks to Peacemaker. 6:30 PM: Go home and listen to MP3's on the way. 8:30 PM: Read books using the MS Reader. So far I have read. Tom Sawyer, Timeline, Fredrick Douglas, a good portion of the bible, part of the Koran, Thus spake Zarathustra' Albert Einstein's Quotes, Shakespeare's Sonnets and Digital Times.
I own the Jornado and it is in my mind the best. The Ipaq and Casio are great in many respects but no one beats the form factor, styling and slickness of the Jornado
