HP iPAQ H2210 Pocket PC

The trend of HP machines is to reduce size and weight. With the series iPAQ h1910, h1930 and h1940, light machinery and ideal size, HP has decided to depart from the traditional format of the iPaq. But these machines set h19xx had two drawbacks: the presence of a single SD slot, difficult to accept for those who have invested in Compact Flash card and a processor a bit light for some applications such as GPS. While the proposed HP iPAQ h2210  users keen to have a small two ports, a processor at 400 Mhz and a possibility of wireless link   Bluetooth. This is a detailed review of this model, after several weeks of use, which offers thoughts I have shared with you here.

Unpacking, first impressions
The box contains the PDA battery, a fabric liner, a charging cradle / sync processor, a CD application and several documents. We find among them a manual quick start and a warrant to purchase 5 points for software on the site www.ipaqchoice.com.These five points are a good idea will get a free or two additional software of your choice.
The first impression on opening the box is striking, this PDA is initially very successful, with rounded curves, its small size and directional button that shines like a jewel. The grip is striking because the device is light, even when the battery installed.
The docking and recharging
The iPAQ comes unloaded and needs a good charge before being used. Here’s your chance to test the docking station. The PDA is quite difficult to implement, it must force a little, it is the catch that it carried the same resistance. By cons, once installed, the machine is well maintained and do not fall. If the transformer is connected, an LED on the machine indicates the   charging current. We remark on the base location for recharging a second battery simultaneously, an LED disposed at the bottom of the dock then indicate charging in progress.
The station is very stable, not too heavy, for cons form again will not lead to travel rather prefer a cable sync / charge USB (test to come on xda). The cable for connection to PC is a good meter and will be sufficient in most cases, we find at its end a USB standard.
The alternative to recharge the PDA, if it does not bother with the station, is to use the mouthpiece provided with the transformer and plug directly into making synchronization of the iPAQ. We note that the nozzle is very cleverly attached to wire the transformer by a rubber strap, it will avoid losing it. We regret any of the same transformer is a standard size and therefore not at all suited to travel from its bulk.
The stylus
Before entering the heart of the matter and to use the machine, take the time to review the included stylus. It is entirely plastic but weighing ensuring good grip. The tip is fine and allows routes and specific support. The tip is smooth and shows no sign of mold that could scratch the screen. The size of the tip can be used to perform a reset of the machine.
The cover
So here, let’s be clear, it could not be more disappointing. It is rigid fabric closed by an elastic band, all black scratched the HP logo. No problem of aesthetics but to deplore … the machine very difficult to fit in, not talking about trying to highlight.

The machine
Now proceed to the scrutiny of the machine. First observation, the four application buttons are present, they are quite small and do not exceed their home, no risk of unwanted activation when the PDA is stowed in a pocket. By cons, they are relatively difficult to press due to their size, their draft in their homes and their hardness.
The directional button is her beautiful, shining hope and exceptional comfort. This is actually a mini joystick very easy to handle, neither too rigid nor too soft. By cons, there is no activation button, this action is achieved by driving the mini joystick. This is very annoying but may disable some games. In line with this button, below, is making the connection for synchronization and charging the iPaq.
The top of the machine, just above the screen is occupied by the button of start,   we would have preferred it to be down for easier access but the size reduction would undoubtedly make some choices. The HP logo is centrally located and on its left are two elegant elongated LEDs, one amber for charging and the other blue to indicate activation of Bluetooth.

The sides will be quickly described as occupied only by slip bands of good size, they provide a perfect grip. By cons, those familiar with the jog dial or scroll wheel and another button the side will understand, they do not have on this machine.  Personally I do not feel it very useful but it still prevents such rapid enabling voice notes. As for the wheel, the iPaq 19xx series has one, despite a smaller, why not the 2210 …
Then examining the back of the machine where  battery is located.  It is removable and can be replaced without loss of data through an internal battery recharged at the same time. Note the presence of the speaker located, is exceptional at the back. This could interfere in some cases, but personally I found the volume far enough to not be a problem. The top is occupied by the location of the stylus. It is very easy to access and remove easily. Two small notches are cut into the case, they serve to fix the machine on a support, for example in a aluminum case or in a bag . We finally found a hole to perform a soft reset of the machine, simply with the stylus.
The top of the case reveals headphone jack, a standard 3.5mm jack (the iPaq h19xx have a 2.5mm jack requires an adapter) and the micro grid. The SD slot is clearly visible while a hood extracting mouth port access Compact Flash. This is type II and therefore can accommodate larger devices in this format (eg micro drive). The dark plastic of the package   concealing an LED transmitting / receiving infrared
As for weight, it is 143 grams with battery. It certainly exceeds the weight of 1910 (124 g) but is very competitive compared to other Pocket PC comparable in terms of possibility of extension (Dual), including the Dell Axim X5 (196 g).
The verdict on the overall appearance of the machine, its ownership and its ergonomics are generally very positive, but what a pity he had not proposed a wheel side.
Starting and software
From the start, the beauty of the view is striking, the colors are faithful and bright. The display, TFT,   can be observed from side and remains legible. It is so light that a decrease in brightness will be necessary atmosphere a little darker.
The system software is installed with the latest version of the Microsoft OS, namely Windows Mobile 2003.It therefore found a slightly improved version of Pocket PC 2002. Details of the proposed software is classic: Pocket Excel, Pocket Word, Pocket Outlook, MSN Messenger, a program manager, Microsoft Reader for reading eBooks, but they retain a version of Windows Media Player9, a new image management tool, screenshot-cons and an improved version of Pocket Internet Explorer including management of animated gif.
For software side, one immediately notices the presence of an icon at the bottom of the home screen, it is the Bluetooth Manager. And yes, the iPaq h2210 is the faithful companion of your donggle Bluetooth, your phone or your Bluetooth GPS. The proposed software allows among others to manage profiles, manage file transfers or discover other devices on the wireless network.  The set is provided by Widcomm, a well known sign of quality.
The Infrared proposed is a boosted version to allow use of the iPAQ as a universal remote. To this end, the Nevo software is provided, it is graphically very successful, has many configurations in memory and can be customized in terms of look but also signals via an apprenticeship. The performance of the infrared is correct, a maximum decline 4 to 5 meters proving its limit. The comparison with a Jornada 568, known to have an infrared port already powerful comparison shows the advantage of 2210.Screenshots of software nevo below:
Among the additional applications provided by HP, found the iPaq Launcher, a Quick Menu for Change program and access preferences, iPAQ Image Viewer (image above), a program for displaying images very practical and the fabulous, the essential incomparable iPAQ backup, your life insurance, which allows a few seconds to save the entire machine on a memory card. It can also schedule backups to fixed period.
On the CD, a complete version, in English, which feels rough translation done more quickly than, a world clock that displays a planisphere area with day / night hours and many cities of the world: Pocket Watch
Regarding performance, they are simply bluffing. The processor at 400 Mhz, although used by the 2003 version of the Microsoft OS gives a sense of immediacy to the interface.They remain in this test in the subjective, but playing a video that turned to 16 frames per seconds on a 206 Mhz ARM runs at 25 frames per second without problem. The test of a game-intensive computing and display, flight simulator Leo’s flight simulator is again revealed a gap between performance and framerate achieved compared to the same program on ARM to 206 Mhz.
- Brightness at maximum continuous playback of AVC video Windows Media Player: 3 hours, 57 minutes
- Screen out, MP3 playback: 8 hours 35 minutes
- Maximum brightness, using standard test: 5 hours 39 minutes
- Maximum brightness, Blue-tooth enabled, not of use: 5 hours 54 minutes
The onboard memory is 64 MB but only 54 MB is available to the user, it goes without saying that this is largely sufficient for a user of standard features calendar and phone book and that, as the great Most machines (except perhaps the rare 128-MB memory), a CF or SD expansion will be necessary for users wishing to multimedia: music, video or still image storage. Prices for these extensions are steadily declining and would thus be theoretically not too budget. In addition, large users will benefit from additional memory slot Compact Flash Type II to use a micro hard disk drive several gigas if necessary.
Autonomy
The machine has a rechargeable Lithium Ion 900 mAh. This is not the largest type of batteries in this Pocket PC but it provides a range of one week using the machine for sync and about an hour of daily consultations.If it starts to play or watch videos in divx, autonomy is of course undermined and may slow to 2 or 3 hours. Note that a backup system can be activated (that is configurable) when the battery falls below a certain threshold (30% default). A battery with four times more power (3600 mAh) is now marketed by HP, as saying that in this case autonomy will not be a problem.

Conclusion
I hope you likeHP iPAQ H2210 Review .This machine is definitely a success, it will satisfy users looking for a dual capacity in terms of expansion cards or simply the Compact Flash, this for a weight and a very small footprint and a box to the successful presentation. By cons, details may hinder some of the regulars Pocket PC platform as the absence of lateral wheel and trigger button for voice notes. The rest both in terms of performance and readability of the screen is a major success story and justify the investment, including h1940 face a less powerful processor. The lack of WiFi may be remedied by adding a Compact Flash card while allowing the use of an SD card which is storage. The machine is scalable.
For those wishing to take the plunge, know that you find here to compare prices among a dozen Internet merchants to help you choose the best offer and few days after this review, more tests this time both they affect many accessories for the iPAQ h2210 (they are also often available for other types of PDA): Cable Retractable sync / charge USB Proporta aluminum case and Proporta leather case and Bluetooth GPS Holux GM 230.