Hewlett Packard Jornada 545 Color Pocket PC

• Sharp 12-bit color LCD screen, 4,096 colors
• Includes MP3 player for listening to downloadable music and audible.com spoken-word content
• Read electronic books, view vivid color photos, and play realistic 3-D games
• Check e-mail and surf the Web; keep up with latest news, sports, and stocks
• What's in the box: Jornada 545, Stylus, AC adapter, USB cradle, Serial cable, Removable cover, Earbuds, Quick Start Guide, Documentation pack, CD-ROM software

I have looked at Windows CE devices before and found them under powered, over priced, and inadequate in several respects. After months of scrutiny and research, I was finally ready to buy a Palm Pilot. At the last minute, I looked at the Jornada 545 and bought one on the spot.

Its handwriting recognition is like nothing else I've used. In a couple of hours I was entering data quickly--something I didn't think was possible considering the high marks the Palm OSs Graffiti earned, but never worked well for me.

The color screen is great. I bought the Pretec modem and was able to surf the web. In the morning I download all the new web pages I typically read and review them throughout the day when I have a little time.

I needed a PDA to keep in sync with email and my Internet site, but the Palm's "Web Clipping" technology just wasn't worth it. The Pocket Internet Explorer is great.

The Jornada 545 is also fast. It boots instantly, and the syncrhonization between my Microsoft Outlook is GREAT!

This elegant collaboration between HP and MS is a must have product!

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I'm a long-time Palm user I've bought three different versions over the last three years. Overall I think the Palm's are ok but there always seemed to be something I wanted to do but couldn't. I managed to get a new Jornada 545 from a friend at HP and absolutely love it. It's simple to use and it does so much more than my Palm. The browser is very good given the constrained screen real-estate. The color is great. The media player is great. The only thing it lacks that I'd like is built-in wireless support. If I could connect to the web/email directly I'd probably use this instead of my laptop for many situations.

All in all I highly recommend the Jornada.

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Well I have found a product that is not only a gadget but actually works just the way I would have made it myself (if only I could). The HP545 is the best "thing" I have come across for many years. It has, at a stroke, replaced two items I habitually carry and another that I was going to buy. These are my organiser / Tape player / MP3 Player.

I habitually spend (too) many hours of my life stuck in hotel rooms and airplanes (down the far back and up the very front) and I love the concept of the "talking books" / audio cassette that are now available it saves my eyes and helps me sleep. What I do not like is having to pay almost as much for postage as for the cassettes and waiting 4 weeks to get them. Then having to hump around all those cranky cassettes and the battery eating player.

Yesterday I changed my life. Using my HP545 and Audible.com I brought 5 new audio books, downloaded them on the internet and uploaded them to my 545 in the space of an hour. This cost me 25% of what it would in cassette format + postage. It would have been less than an hour too, but I was still fumbling the software a little. My goodness why could it not have always been this easy...

I now have in my 90MB FlashMemory card (buy it and plug it in) 8 printed books (lots supplied classics but still I haven't read that many of them), 10 MP3 favorites and 25 hrs of audio book programming. And there is still space to spare.

Transfers to and from the PC are a snap and the USB connection is very fast. Don't even think of doing these file sizes on the serial though. No USB think about another solution or you will grow old waiting for the files to move.

The included apps are just GOOD. OK the screen is fairly small but the 65K colours and crystal clarity help. Everything works and the cutdown versions of Outlook / Work etc are very functional.

I have saved the neatest for last. The script / handwriting recognition WORKS. Even my scruffy scrawl gets the job done and with a little practise at being neat with the pen and not trying to use the very bottom of the screen you can gallop along.

Well done HP and MS A nice job well implemented.

Caveats : You need a decent sized memory card. Budget for 64MB and you will not be disappointed. For the numerically inclined an average "printed book" is 200K, audio books are 2MB per hour and high quality MP3 is 1MB a minute. These figures are deceptive though. I would never carry 25 hours of taped book around normally and it is so easy to move stuff in and out of the 545 that I am being a hog. Still what was that phrase about expanding to fill the space available....

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I'm a die-hard Palm user, and I still keep my Palm VII around for wireless Internet access; but the Jornada really is a great device. The backlit screen has great color; there's a slight problem with vertical banding when there's a variety of different color brightnesses on the screen, but it's still extremely readable, much more so than the Palm screen.

The Microsoft Reader application is wonderful; I can't wait until some more eBooks start coming out. A number of good public-domain books are included with the package, though.

I have yet to have it crash, but that could be because I'm very conscientious about closing applications I'm no longer using--something that's easy to do from the HP Settings screen, which is called up by one of the hardware buttons. (Most of the crashes I've heard about seem to revolve around having a fairly large number of applications running, until the poor thing finally runs out of memory and keels over.)

If you're a creative type like me, the built-in voice recorder is a wonderful touch; you don't have to switch applications, or open the Jornada's cover, or even turn it on--just press and hold the Record button on the side and start talking. You can later easily review the notes or transfer them to the PC. If you plan on making extensive use of this feature, though, you might want to buy a 32MB CompactFlash memory card along with the Jornada, though, as voice recordings made on the high-quality setting can use up memory in a hurry.

The email capabilities and pocket Internet Explorer are quite nice; you'll find these features much more useful if you're already using Outlook as your desktop email program, or if you're willing to switch. (Gee, two Microsoft products working much better with each other than with third-party products? What a surprise. :) )

In conclusion, I don't regret the purchase for a moment, and I'm already looking for a compatible cellular phone so I can start making full use of email and the Web while on the road.

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Well... the folks at UPS made me a very happy guy when my Jornanda 545arrived this morning. I bought it at Amazon.com . . . It arrived lessthan a day-and-a-half later.

I was so excited about this new model, but was totally unable to find them here in San Diego. Amazon.com to the rescue.

I've upgraded from a Jornada 420, so I feel I can provide an informed side-by side comparison.

The first thing you notice is just how frickin' cool the 545 looks. It carries none of the "purple plastic brick" visual baggage of the 420. The 545 is a sleek dark-gray wedge. Very sexy -if this sort of thing CAN be sexy.

Granted, the placement of the 545's stylus is a bit cumbersome, and the shape a bit odd, but I'll get used to it. Even if the stylus where stored in a slot of the side of the unit, I'd still want the cover. Having the cover makes me feel quite a bit more likely to carry this with me from one meeting to the next.

As far as size, and yes, as in most cases, size DOES count -the 545 seems quite a bit smaller than the 420, but upon further inspection, and a not-so-accurate side-by-side eyeballing it really doesn't seem to be. I think it's the more comfortable wedge-like shape and rounded edges that make it appear more svelte. Unlike the 420, I'll have no hesitation pocketing the 545.

On with the show -or screen that is. The screen on the 545 seems quite a bit brighter. Now, most people won't notice this until they go into the HP Setting function and select the 'Outdoor' mode. It may be that the 545 has more useable brightness because the contrast is better. Now, to be fair, I've never had a problem being able to read my 420's display, but the 545's does seem a bit better.

As far as the UI, it is quite a bit easier to use -but does require a little getting used to. As far as the OS, the speed is greatly improved -very impressive considering that it is running on essentially the same hardware.

They audio quality out of the 545 is VERY impressive. It will serve as a portable MP3 player quite admirably.

The new 'Transcriber' handwriting recogntion is fantastic. I couldn't belive the job it did recognizing things I was certain it would choke on. We should require all medical doctors to use these in order to prevent perscription errors!