
- Mobile Media Companion
- Integrated WLAN/ 802.11b/g
- Samsung 400 MHz Processor
- 2.8 Inch Transmissive QVGA TFT Display with 64K Colors
- 0.20 Lbs (WxLxH) 2.50" x 4.02" x 0.69"

I was looking for small inexpensive pda (Windows pocket PC) that I would use for reading books, playing few games, and keep my contacts. There are only few like that available in US. IPAQ RX4200 just came out and I decided to give it a try. My previous PDA was Dell Axim X3.
It is smaller than most PDAs, especially a screen (only 2.8 inches) but it is well build and very comfortable in hands. Reading books on rx4200 is very comfortable (I use Haali Reader excellent free program for reading books). Screen is bright IMHO better quality then Axim X3 and PDA is very comfortable in hand, especially in landscape mode. The stylus is good size, the only issue is it is placed in the bottom left corner (if you hold PDA in landscape mode) and it is a little difficult to take out.
Overall I like it a lot due to its size and build quality. For people who want to play games on it there might be an issue there is no directional pad at all on this PDA, so basically only games that can be played on it are those with stylus.
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Got my PDA right when it came out. Windows makes it easy to use. Used it during my internal medicine and pediatrics rotations so far. Downloaded Harrison's, Harriet Lane etc. for it and it worked well. I have yet to have a single problem with it. Slim design fits right in my shirt pocket during rounds. Added a sweet 1 GB card for it, because its not like a LifeDrive, and it holds everything i need, including some mp3's for listening while reading or playing games on it. Battery life is good. Very impressed overall
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The 4200 has worked well for me.
I have downloaded several medical reference books and software packages that are easily retrieved and read on the go.
Swapping files with my home computers has been as simple as any other external thumbdrive. Drag and drop.
I purchased the device for it's weight and size as I had not wanted to be bogged down running from call light to call light as a patient care technician or during clinical training as a nurse.I have to go fishing for it in my multi pocketed cargo pants, as it is light enough not to notice.
I installed a 2gig card and loaded some music to de-stress and have been pleasantly suprized by the sound quality. The few pictures I loaded are impressively clear and sharp.
The wireless hooked up without any problems at home, at school, and at the hospital. I like the way the emails are summarized so I can view who is writing without worrying about having bits added.
I use the calendar,and it sinks with Outlook without any problem. I also use notes.The ability to quickly jot something down(or voice record a thought) has solved the thicket of post-it notes I use to contend with.
The touch screen has worked very well. Letter recognizer gets it right most of the time, which is impressive given my handwriting.
The ability to surf the web has been the least satisfying, although a fast check of the weather, sports scores, or news has been useful.
I downloaded a free map program that works really well for a quick check on directions around town.
I understand that many phones are now capable of many of the same functions, but I'm glad not to have the distraction of the phone on me while at work or school. This is a tool for productivity. I find the phone a tool for wasting a lot of time.
So now i'm dependant the rx4200 which is a good thing.
If I must have something to critize it would be an inability to really personalize the today screen. There are commercial software readily available to change it but I haven't bothered as the navigation works well enough for now.
What's very cool is that you can whip it out anywhere.
I think I'll go play with my IPAQ now on my hammock.
Perhaps read about last nights NBA game,review some concepts from yesterday's lecture, look over the upcomming weeks events, write my sister a quick note, look up my mother in laws latest complaint, listen to my new music, add a few sentences to the word doc paper I'm writing, and the kids well think I'm out there playing games. I could do that to if I had the time.
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I love my new mobile media companion. Previously I owned a Handspring Visor Deluxe and boy was this an upgrade! The color screen is very bright and easy to see, all your programs, system settings, etc are easy to find and use. I keep all my medical information on it for my doctor appointments.
I would recommend this unit to anyone considering a PDA, just make sure you put a large memory card in it 1GB or larger.
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This HP iPAQ is designed to be a cheap, entry level Windows Mobile PDA, but actually does almost everything its more expensive non-cell phone PDAs can do.
SCREEN
This is probably the biggest sticking point. You'll likely only pay $250-300 for the rx4240, but the reason it's cheaper is because its highly compact design only has a 2.8 inch screen. Most "normal" sized PDAs have 3.5 inch screens. The screen is noticeably smaller, but the color and picture is crisp as it still sports a 320 x 240 pixel resolution. So while it is smaller, the screen is still high quality. I recommend drawing rectangular boxes on a piece of paper with 3.5" and 2.8" diagonal lines to get an idea of the size difference. If the larger screen size is important to you, don't buy this unit.
OTHER HARDWARE
The rx4240 has built in 802.11 b/g WiFi that works great with my wireless routers. This iPAQ has a relatively speedy processor inside. It has Bluetooth 2.0, but I do not think it works with Bluetooth stereo headsets for music listening purposes (I haven't tried). The unit also has a headphone jack, USB 2.0 type B jack, and built in voice-recorder. They all work well.
BUTTONS/INTERFACE
The touchscreen's responsiveness works as expected. There's nothing special about the stylus, although it is a bit more difficult to remove compared to my Palm PDAs I've had in the past. You can input with the stylus using a virtual, on-screen touch keyboard (preferred method) or write grafiti-like handwritten letters. The rx4240 has a button on the top to activate the voice-recorder. There are also 4 buttons on the side that can be user-assigned to do anything, like lunch email, or Windows Media Player. Unfortunately, since the unit is so compact, it does not have a directional pad and instead relies on a scroll wheel. The scroll wheel is a little stiff at first, but once you break it in it works well for scrolling through internet pages. The screen also has a removable plastic cover, which gets the job done, but if you're carrying the device with you at all times I'd recommend a case.
SOFTWARE
The rx4240 comes loaded with Windows Mobile 5 OS, Mobile Word, Excel, and Power Point as well as other Microsoft staples like Internet Explorer, Media Player and MSN Messenger. It's easy to sync to your computer and move files back and forth. The Office programs work great, however, I feel that the Internet Explorer is too slow. I would instead demo Opera's web-browser for better results. The email program syncs with Microsoft Outlook easily enough. You can also check hotmail and other web-based emails.
STORAGE
After everything is preloaded, you have about 70-80 MB worth of free program storage space in the unit. There is also an expansion slot for SD cards to load up with programs, music, and video. I find that the unit is great for watching TV on it via my SlingBox Sling Media Slingbox PRO ( SB200-100 ).
PROBLEMS
The screen might be too small for some users, but for me it's fine for light office use, quick internet browsing, email checking, and watching SlingPlayer TV. I do miss having a d-pad, but the scroll wheel is actually more useful for webpages. I also wish that HP would offer a USB thumb-keypad for the device.
Overall, if you're looking for a highly compact non-cell phone, non-GPS PDA for a variety of light to moderate uses, you can't beat the price/performance value of the rx4240. However, for heavy PDA users I'd instead recommend a smartphone with a built in thumb keypad.