RichBoston's Full Review: Hewlett Packard Jornada 548 Pocket PC
Should you be looking at either the HP Jornada 545 or 548 and be torn between the two, don’t hesitate to spend the extra for Jornada 548. With 32 MB of RAM, the 548 has twice the memory of the 545. The 32MB are more suited to the variety of functions this unit can perform.
To a Palm user this sounds like an enormous amount of storage capacity but the Pocket PC is not nearly as efficient as Palm. The Palm OS seems to zip each file or application when closing. Thus 8MB on a Palm works as well or better than 32MB on a Pocket PC.
Two caveats – this is my opinion based on experience; there is no scientific proof offered here. Second, the Jornada and other Pocket PCs have a lot more going on than Palms – playing MP3s, multitasking, etc. Lots of stuff that isn’t available on Palm units so more RAM is a necessity.
If you are reading this because you are considering the purchase of a Jornada, I hope you’ve considered less expensive alternatives or at least the other PDAs in this upper price range. I say this because at $600 you should expect this to make breakfast for you. When you buy any product at the high end you have a right to expect the best as they are certainly charging you for it.
The first thing that attracts people to the Jornada, and all color PDAs, is the screen. As compared to a monochrome screen, color is a real head turner. Here is where I give my speech about thinking long term. That cheerleader may look cute but do you want to spend your life with her?
You need to really examine your needs and decide what a PDA is to you. If you truly want to organize your life you don’t need to look beyond the Palm line. If you want more entertainment value the Jornada’s may be better suited to you.
HP took a lot of heat regarding their claim of a 16 bit 65,536 color screen. Here is HP’s press release from their web site:
"HP believes that its Jornada handheld computers offer consumers excellent connectivity and functionality at a great price. Nevertheless, some have suggested that the features and functionality of new HP Jornada 540 Series Color Pocket PC may have been overstated.
In particular, some materials concerning the HP Jornada 540 Series Color Pocket PC may have incorrectly indicated that they display 16-bit/65,536 colors. However, HP recently learned that a particular electronic component contained in the Jornada 500 Series limits the images that are displayed to 12-bits, or a maximum of 4,096 colors. HP has taken immediate steps to clarify the color resolution in all HP communications, and apologizes for any inconvenience or confusion that this issue may have caused.
Customers should be assured that this difference in color resolution does not compromise any other functionality of the devices or affect their reliability in any way.
HP prides itself on standing behind its products and wants its customer to be fully satisfied with them. Therefore, any customer who purchased a Jornada 500 series handheld computer in the U.S. before June 30, 2000 may return the product for a full refund of the purchase price (including all taxes) either to HP or to the reseller from whom the product was purchased. All shipping expenses relating to the return of the product will be paid by HP. This offer applies to products returned to resellers or shipped to HP on or before September 1, 2000. HP welcomes these returns for any reason whatsoever.
Any customer who wishes to return a Jornada 500 Series handheld computer to HP should call HP’s Customer Service Center at (970) 635-1000 for details on how to return the product and obtain a full refund. In addition, the customers who purchased a Jornada 500 series handheld computer are welcome to return the product and obtain a refund from the reseller from whom the product was purchased.
If you require further clarification or information, please e-mail us at or contact our support staff at (970) 635-1000."
HP is a stand up company and the problem with the screen was much ado about nothing in practical terms. However, since the messed up a bit in the marketing department they did the right thing. Consumer oriented companies that stand behind their products get bonus points from me.
Be practical and consider what your needs are and what a PDA can do for you. Do you want a status symbol adult toy that....oh yeah....can keep appointments too or do you want an effective and efficient tool?
Don’t get me wrong, the Jornada does a good with basic PDA functions and adds USB and IR ports. Microsoft came a long way with the Pocket PC OS even if it still isn’t up to the Palm standard.
For the extra money you are getting the color screen (excellent but not up to the level of the Cassiopeia or Compaq iPaq 3650), MP3 capability, a thinner and more pocket friendly case than the Cassiopeia, a jog dial for easier scrolling, a rechargeable battery and expansion capabilities via the CompactFlash.
The CompactFlash is particularly useful if you plan to use this extensively to play your MP3s. Plan to use headphones though as the tiny and tinny speaker is worthy only of playing back voice dictation. For music it’s useless.
For purposes of this review I've assumed you to be familiar with the basic functions of this and other PDAs (scheduler, address book etc.)and will not repeat them here. The HP Jornada web site will give you this information better than I can.
http://www.hp.com/jornada/products/540/prod_spec.html
What I CAN tell you is that this is a fine piece of equipment and will serve you well. However, if you have more basic organizational needs you can save yourself some serious money. Have you considered a Palm IIIxe or a Visor Deluxe? If the price of the Jornada doesn’t phase you however, go for it and enjoy!
As always the case, I will gladly answer any questions you may have via email.
Sharp 12-bit color LCD screen, 4,096 colors Includes MP3 player for listening to digital music, audiobooks, and news Check e-mail and surf the Web Man...More at Amazon Marketplace
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