iPAQ'd it in (HP iPaq Pocket PC H5550)

Member Name: LegendaryMrDude

Product:	HP iPaq Pocket PC H5550
Date:	13/06/04 (808 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Massive memory, Fingerprint scanner

Disadvantages: Price, Size, Stability

There comes a time in the life of every committed gadget fan when they start to ponder their next purchase. These are usually precipitated by meeting soneone who happens to own/use a really neat piece of kit, one that you wouldn't mind having for yourself... and so the process begins. In this particular case, I was getting a lift with a colleague and he had an iPAQ based sattelie navigaton system which, I have to say, left me gobsmacked with it's turn-by-turn directions. Suffice to say, 45 minutes and a flawlessly guided journey across London later, I was convinced that such a device would be mine. Saving promptly began and some time later an order was placed with www.discountgps.co.uk for an HP iPAQ 5550.

As others have mentioned, the 5550 is the current top-of-the-range model Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) from HP. It runs the most current version the windows PocketPC operating system (2003 premium) and comes complete with a CD full of goodies, including an upgrade to your standard Microsoft Outlook mail client that delivers richer functionality that the Outlook Express. The list of features is impressive indeed. When lined up with the "lesser" iPAQs in the range there doesn't appear to be a model that can stand up to it. I won't go into the full specifications (they can be found at http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/sm/WF06a/2167 5-21679-21679-21679-21679-117689 9.html if you are interested), but will focus on what differentiates it from the rest.

The first thing on the list is the inclusion of a fingerprint scanner. Replacing the need for passwords this is probably the single neates bit of kit on the iPAQ itself. Spend a couple of minutes "enrolling" each of your index fingers and then, instead of having to remember another password to unlock your PDA, you simply swipe either one of the enrolled fingers. Simple and brilliant, with the only worry being that too many incorrect swipes and you end up formatting
the iPAQ). The exact number of attempts is user specified and you always have the option of using a password as well/instead.

Next on the list of features is the screen. THe literature informs you that the screen is the biggest in the range, which is true but don't be fooled, it's only bigger by about 1-2mm in either dimnension. Even so, the screen is excellent, bright and contrasty and stands up for itself well even in sunny conditions. Another neat feature (that saves the battery too) is variable screen brightness levels. A light sensor on the face of the device detects the ambient light levels and adjusts the screen brighness to the minimum needed. What looks like a gimmick at first actually works well and goes some way to extending the battery life.

Next up is the amount of memory. At 128Mb, the 5550 is miles ahead of the competition when it comes to the amount of memory available. This is an interesting point as the iPAQs work on a principle known as "Execute In Place" (XIP), so programmes are run in the same type of memory that they are installed in, negating the need for hard-disk and memory as in a conventional desktop computer. Having 128Mb of storage space means that not only can you install more applications, you can also have more applications running at the same time. 128Mb is actually so much memory that I gave up trying to fill it either from stored or running programmes. With the ability to add SD memry cards of up to 512Mb, storage on the 5550 will never be a problem.

The connectivity provided by the 5550 is also impressive. Boasting both BlueTooth and 802.11b wireless access it is possible to connect to almost anything. The wirless is well integrated and simple to set up, in fact it will alert you whenever you come into range of a new wireless access point. Provided you have all the relevant details you can be up and surfing within seconds. This includes web access and basic email from a standard

POP3/IMAP account (as provided by most ISPs). Bluetooth is just as good, providing a multitude of modes, including Personal Area Networking, wireless serial, media gateway and many, many more. I only ever used the PAn and ActiveSync functions.

Speaking of ActiveSync, it's probably best to mention it at this stage. ActiveSync is the application that is used to install apps and synchronize mail between a host desktop and the iPAQ itself. It works well, allowing for synchronization between the iPAQ and up to two other machines (although only one host is allowed to sync mail information). It works well for syncing up notes and calendar appointments between home and the office. The installation of apps onto the iPAQ is easy-peasy thanks to ActiveSYnc. Just run the installer on the host PC with the iPAQ connected (either by BlueTooth, USB ore Serial) and ActiveSync will copy it across to the iPAQ and you are ready to go in no time.

So that's pretty much the pros detailed, surely there are some down-sides? Unfortunately they answer is a resounding yes and, in my case at least, they were so bad that I ended up sending my iPAQ back and trading down to the smaller (and sleeker) 4150. While there were only two real issues, they were enough to render the device impractical...

Frequent crashes/reboots/formats. From time to time my 5550 would crash, requiring a soft reboot before it would start working again. I couldn't find any specific circumstances under which this would happen and towards the end of the second week it was crashing up to 15 times a day, which became more than an inconvenience especially when you are in the middle of London and reliant on the device for directions. To make things worse it started to format itself, returning back to the default configuration and needing a complete reinstall of all applications and recovery of data, not exactly an improvement to productivity.

Size matter too. When you put the 5550 a

longside some of the lesser models you quickly realise what a behemoth it actually is. Whereas the 4150 will comfortably fit in a shirt-pocket without a fuss, the 5550 is around half as big again, making it less than discrete. Couple that with the stubby rubber antenna that protrudes from the top corner and it really is considerably bulkier than its relatives.

So the device was wrapped up and sent back from whence it came. The chap on the support line intimated that problems with the 5550 were not at all uncommon and suggested that rather than get a replacement, I traded it in for the 4150. His recommendations were backed up by the number of reconditioned 5550s available for sale compared with the number of recon'd 4150s so I took his lead and my 4150 arrived only 2 days later. In summary it has less memory (64Mb) a marginally smaller screen, no brightness auto-adjustment and no fingerprint scanner. Apart from that it's a far superior device for everyday use. Construction is far more solid, I have only had about 5 crashes in the space of two months compared with over 100 in two weeks and it is far easier to carry.

SO if you want my advice, unless you need the extra memory or the external expansion capability of the 5550, save yourself about £70 and go for the smaller, sexier, more stable 4150.

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