Customer Reviews

HP iPAQ rx5915 Travel Companion

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(61)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

It's a GPS with all the pocket PC features, not a PPC with GPS features. This is a GPS first! It's basically the same as a TomTom One navigation system, but with the added PPC functions. I've had other GPS/PDA/PPC combos in the past and they don't stack up to this one at all!

Lets look at the GPS first:

The map issue that others are having is going to depend on where you live or where you will be using this unit. Try different GPS's software, as they aren't all the same.

Personally, I like the Magellan software for it's "Dings" when approaching a turn, as well as it's "Approaching destination on the left" notifications. TomTom doesn't tell you what side of the street your destination is on, except for the location on the screen (no verbal prompt.) TomTom however has a much better itinerary planning capability than the Magellan, one feature I liked more.

You can load your own custom POI's if you want, but the TomTom POI's are a little lacking. It's not like I found everything in my Magellan either though. It depends on how much you want to rely on the POI's. As an advantage, since this is wifi enabled and has pocket internet explorer, you can always use the internet to find the POI you are looking for.

The biggest negative I have is with the GPS fix time. It's slow. I mean really slow. Sometimes it can take a few minutes, and if you are already moving it seems to take even longer. Up to several minutes.

I wish one of the buttons was a mute/un-mute button, but it's something I can live without.

The car cradle is the best one I've ever used. It's very easy to mount, and it's even easier to insert the GPS and remove it. Takes no time at all. Since it's powered by mini-usb, this is an added bonus for me, as my cell phone charges on the same connection.

Battery life is excellent, it lasts about 5 hours for my use so far. Enabling wifi or bluetooth will of course lower the battery performance.


Onto the PocketPC functions:

As a PPC, this thing rocks! With wifi and bluetooth you have every connection you could need. I use the internet on this more than I thought I would. I check my web based email, browse the news headlines, watch streaming video and listen to online music. It's got a few hundred megs of extra space for MP3's if you want, but I use my ipod for my mp3 listening. I also use this to store my photos. I have a phone that runs pocket windows as well, and with it's camera I can take a photo and send it via bluetooth to the PPC and add a contact in no time!

Pocket Internet Explorer doesn't always work for me. I like the Opera browser more (free 30 day trial) but I've found a few sites that wouldn't work in Opera, or looked better in Pocket IE.

It came down to this or a Magellan 3050T GPS system. I chose this because it's smaller, lighter, and has a ton of options over a stand-alone GPS. You can't compare this to a stand alone GPS because it's not. It has many more options that you may or may not use. If you are considering buying a TomTom One GPS, then get this instead. It's about the same price, runs the exact same software (TomTom 6.0) and has all the PDA features in a smaller package.

I hope this was helpful, but in the end it depends on what your looking for. I travel a lot, and needed something that had all the maps built in, was small enough to take on my carry on, could travel with me and was easy to use. I think I've found it in this unit. Just try and take one of the stand alone GPS's and casually put it in your pocket, good luck getting it out!



Additional Information:
TomTom and HP are currently working on an updated map release for this product and will (hopefully) have it available on the HP support website by the end of January. TomTom is hailing this update as "The most detailed and accurate maps of the US and Canada ever produced.." This update will also be free to owners of the RX5900 series Travel Companions.

Update 02/08/07:
HP Hasn't released an updated map pack yet, however they did release a firmware update for the unit. This update improves the GPS functionality and accuracy. I now get GPS locks in seconds, where it used to take minutes. While driving, I get a lock in 10 seconds. I get a lock faster if I'm stopped. It is definitely a significant improvement and I recommend everyone that owns one of these updates the firmware.

I have had the hp rx5915 for about a week now. It is the best gadget for someone who travels frequently. The GPS is just like the dedicated units. The portability makes it useful for car and on foot traveling. Although the gps can take a few minutes to lock on, it is still very accurate. US and Canadian maps are loaded to the onboard memory. European maps need to be purchased either on cd and downloaded or on sd memory chips from TomTom.

One drawback is that the device is very MS centric. If you use an email application other than outlook, additional software is required. Having said that, transfering data to and from the rx5915 is a snap. The mobile office tools work well with Word, Excel and Powerpoint slides. You can even view the ppt animation. Calendar, task management and pda functions work very well.

Would recommend purchasing the additional memory for use as an mp3 player or if you are going to use it as a secondary PC. Audio quality is excellent from the headset, the speaker on the back is only ok.

Battery life is very good (taken recently on a 7+ hour plane flight).

Was initially pricy, but even a week after release, the price has dropped on $100 Amazon. When you consider the cost of a PDA, GPS and an MP3 player, the price is a bargain. I Highly recommend it.

I travel frequently for business and recreation, and I've been carrying this device on a daily basis for the past couple of months. Though the iPaq rx5915's GPS may be slightly inferior to Garmin, Magellan, or other top end dedicated GPS receivers, this is the perfect device to meet my daily needs. I consider it to be a viable option for most users. Instead of listing the features, I'll describe what I use it for, and list the pros and cons based on my two plus months experience with it.

I've been carrying this device on a daily basis so I can listen to music (replaced my ipod) during my commute to work. I spend a lot of time traveling domestically, and many times I would be surfing the Internet or reading work-related documents at the airport. I would watch movies or play games while flying, and I would use the GPS feature to help me navigate to my hotel/client site once I arrive. Other features I use frequently during business travels are: alarm clock (purchased Spb Time application), check-and-update weather (Worldmate comes pre-installed), read various e-books and e-magazines, and keep track of my finances. During my free time, I enjoy going hiking and backpacking. I purchased the National Geographic Topography map and last week was the first time I used this device to help me navigate in the back country. It works great in the outdoors, but could be a bit difficult to read in direct sunlight (despite that it's coated with anti-glare reflection and I have an anti-glare screen protector). I also have to baby it when I'm in the outdoors since this device is not waterproof and "drop-proof" like the dedicated outdoor GPS.


HP iPaq rx5915 Pros and Cons:

Pros:
* Integrated SirfStar III GPS chipset with an mmcx port (for optional external antenna) - For those of you who are not familiar with SirfStar III GPS chipset, it is probably the best chipset currently available. Many high-end dedicated GPS devices such as the Garmin Nuvi uses Sirf Star III.

* Pre-installed TomTom Navigator 6 (supposedly one of the best navigational software)

* 2 GB Flash ROM (1.5 GB used for TomTom) - this is probably the largest available ROM space available

* Wi-Fi and bluetooth makes communication easy

* Comes with a sturdy window mount

Cons:
* Some inaccuracies with the GPS - Note: I've already updated the GPS firmware. I'm not sure if it's a bug with the GPS receiver or with TomTom, but ocassionally (usually in congested cities such as NYC and DC) TomTom will think I'm on another street and starts re-routing and/or sometimes it thinks I'm heading the opposite directions and ask me to make a U-turn when possible. I haven't experience this glitch outside of the city.

* The time-to-first-fix (TTFT) is relatively long for a Sirf Star III chipset. It takes probably 2-3 minutes for the initially satellites lock.

* Only have SD card slot. I wish they have CompactFlash slot as well so I could either get more memory or use it for other IO devices.

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TomTom Navigator 6 Pros and Cons:

Pros:

* Extremely easy and intuitive to use - I figured out how to use it without reading any instruction manuals

* Uses very updated map

Cons:

* TomTom is really big in Europe, and supposedely the brand name TomTom is synonomous to GPS over there. I think it's a great software, but I personally don't like the POI feature. Other navigational software has POI broken down by sub-categories. For instance, Under "Food and Drink' POI category would be broken down to "American, Asian, Cuban, etc". It's just my personal preference.

* I've been testing it in location where I know where I am, and I don't really like the route TomTom takes me. I'm really just nitpicking here since chances are all GPS takes you to a less-than-ideal route. The most important thing is you get to where you need to go.

Conclusion

Although this device might have a few minor issues here and there, overall, it is a device with good value for your money.

Without trying to sound like a cheerleader, I'm thrilled with the purchase of this IPAQ Travel Companion, and I think you would be, too.

I upgraded from an IPAQ 3635 PDA for several reasons; I wanted longer battery life in a technologically superior device--and I got it. I wanted wireless connectivity to the Internet for times during travel--especially at airports-- when I wanted to check email, but didn't want to have to pull out my laptop--and I got it; I've seen some amazing results since purchasing the unit.

Initial sync of material was flawless; everything--in every file--from the old IPAQ transferred to the Travel Companion with no errors. I opted to add a 2 MB SD Card so that I could add all my Power Point Presentations, copies of documents, etc., to my specific file mix. The calendar, contacts, and notes features work very well.

If there is a negative, I've found that I have to be "two fisted" when it comes to removing the stylus. The stylus exits the machine on the left underside of the unit, and I'm right-handed. If you're left handed, you'll find the unit perfect; if you're right-handed, like me, you'll find that you learn to cope!

The brightness is good--even in daylight, I don't have trouble reading the screen; bright sunshine in the tropics isn't it's friend, but how often are you going to be in bright sunshine and trying to view the screen? I don't have the best eyesight, but I'd say you'll find it--like I have--easy to read the screen. The "night" mode for the GPS is excellent, and works like a charm.

I've found that I use the Travel Companion in "landscape" mode more than in what I would consider the standard IPAQ "Letter-orientation" mode. Landscape seems to be the way that IPAQ designed the Travel Companion, because the front panel controls are labelled for a "landscape" design. You do have the option of moving the viewing window 360 degrees in 90 degree increments, which is a nice option to have, too.

Before you even think to ask it, my first question was/would be in battery life. My previous IPAQ ate it's battery in a short time frame--the old unit normally died within three-four hours of charging. Even battery replacement didn't solve that problem, and I found it to be very inconvenient on long airplane flights...and even on coast to coast flights, I'd be running into the terminal to find an electric outlet and give it a shot of "juice" until the next longer layover.

Conversely, I've found that the battery on the Travel Companion--which is removeable, so you can have an extra battery charged and ready to go--lasts me all day. I don't normally leave the Travel Companion on all day...but I do sometimes leave it connected via USB when I'm doing a full day of work on my laptop.

The GPS function is good, and has a variety of options programmable, from the voice you choose, to saving a trip if you'll make it again. It's what I believe is the basic Tom Tom program, so if you're acquainted with this very stable and reliable platform, you'll appreciate the GPS function is a good one. Drilling down to the target address takes some getting used to, but once you think that way--as opposed to simply keying in an address--it becomes second nature. The volume of the GPS "voice" is more than sufficient for normal use in a car with the built-in speaker in the Travel Companion.

I did some extensive research to be sure this was what I wanted before purchasing the Travel Companion, and I'd suggest you do the same. It has bluetooth as well as WLAN facilities, and I viewed the GPS as a value-added feature.

I had read in several reviews during my research on this device that some users had trouble with the unit initially finding where they were located. Not me. Mine "spun up" within 30 seconds, giving me the number of satellites it saw and the relative latitude and longitude of my location--which it found, it seems, within a few feet. I was using it the first day..it works right out of the box. Nothing additional is required. They even send along a neat multi-axle adjustable holder for your car. Great idea.

On balance, what are its drawbacks? All I've found is where the stylus is stored, and if that is the only drawback, I'll take it, left hand down, so to speak.

If it sounds as though I like it--let me correct the assumption--I love it! It's the perfect blend of functionality for my lifestyle and travel--and I can't imagine anyone purchasing this and not being thrilled with it. More than just a "big boy's toy," it's truly a dream machine.

Excellent choice for a new generation. HP has outdone themselves.

ag

I owned it only a few days and been testing it around the area this the best thing that came for travlers in years. The Tom Tom GPS work great coem with everything you need to hook it up to a rental car and when you not using the gps it's also great in picking up my email and doing my spread sheets in excel. Then when all done you can relax with the window media when play your mp3. Only thing I wish is came with a better case to pack all the plugs and bracket for traveling and I think a good idea to buy a big SD card and extra battery. But over all great unit you won't reget it.

I was concerned at first of the reception from this device considering it had an internal antenna. I was even prepared to buy an external antenna to boost reception. I am happy to say there is no need for this since my reception has been excellent. I have not used it in a city environment but in the flat lands of florida, I have had no problems. Tom Tom is also an excellent GPS software providing clear directions. I have experienced one misdirection on Los Olas Blvd in Ft Lauderdale so tourists beware...

The PDA is great and I have successfully connected my Motorola cell phone to it for internet access. With this connection, I have had it sync with my company's exchange server for email etc. Overall, a great package. Some minor bugs but I have been pleasantly surprised at the great integration of WM 5 and Tom Tom GPS.

I have had my iPAQ rx5915 for a little over a week now, and overall I like it. It packs a lot of features into a small package and it has been fairly stable. However, the bundled Tomtom sw has been a major disappointment to me. I had mistakenly assumed that I would be getting the equivalent to the retail standalone Navigator 6 product. NOT TRUE! The sw and maps come preinstalled on the unit, and they work as expected. However, you do not get a DVD containing the sw and maps as you would with the standalone product. More importantly, you do not get a product code for the sw/maps as you would with the standalone product. The first omission means that you are not provided with a means of reinstalling the sw should the preinstalled sw become corrupted for some reason. This is not a deal breaker for me since it is possible to copy the preinstalled TomTom sw/maps to your desktop or laptop computer as backup. The second omission is the killer. It means that you are not entitled to the product upgrades offered to purchasers of the standalone product. A case in point is that Tomtom just this month released new updated maps of the US and Canada. They are making this upgrade free to all full-fledged (i.e. those that have product codes) owners of Navigator 6. iPAQ rx5915 owners do not have product codes and are welcome to purchase the updated maps for $150. The bottom line is that this product comes with outdated maps, and if you would like the most current version, plan on adding $150 to the purchase price of the unit. I wish someone had made this clear to me before my purchase.

I had to replace my old iPaq 1910 and my Navman ICN 630 GPS.

This time I tried to get only one device. The iPaq RX5915 was the device of choice combining a GPS, a PDA with wireless LAN and Bluetooth.

When I received the iPaq RX5915 the first I did was to turn on the WiFi to get linked with my home network. The iPaq immediately detect my network. I just had to click on the network name, then the iPaq asked me to enter the security key and voila in less then 35 secs I got connected.

After I installed Skype on the device. I installed quickly the CAB file on the iPaq. Logged into my account. I was able to call quickly my friends with Skype.

Last thing I did was to pair my Nokia N73 with the iPaq over bluetooth. The process was very simple. Just turned on the bluetooth phone manager on the iPaq and it recognized almost immediately my phone.

I charged the iPaq all night long because the next day I had to travel to northern california.

I installed the iPaq inside my car on the dashboard. Turned on TomTom. I less than 90 secs the iPaq acquired the satellites signal. I entered the final destination and the iPaq gave me a precise itinerary in less than 20 secs.

On my way to San Francisco I decided to check the traffic. I turned on bluetooth on the iPaq and on my Nokia N73. On the TomTom menu I clicked on traffic. The iPaq connected to the TomTom server very quickly. I noticed on the screen an accident between two exit on the 101. The GPS offered me an other itinerary that I decided to follow.

As of today I really love this device. The SIRF chipset inside the iPaq RX5915 is very precise and very fast to pick up the satellite signal. The WiFi is very good as well. Very easy to setup, anybody can do it. The screen is very nice. You can watch movies on it without problems. You can stream sirius on this device too. It's incredible what you can do with this iPaq. I highly recommend it to anyone considering getting a GPS or even to anyone considering a new PDA.

I've now used my RX5915 Travel Companion over 40 hours, including a drive from Dallas, TX to Cincinnati, OH and back, as well as another trip in Newark, NJ.

My last experience in a GPS system are the laptop based CoPilot 2000 and TravRoute's Door to Door GPS and Streets and Trips 2006 and 2007 (as well as Hertz and Avis systems). I've logged well over 100 hours of use time with those systems, so I think I have some great comparisons for you.

I'm one of those anal researchers for all things and the fact that I bought this one, means, you should too. ;-) I wanted a multi-function device, but didn't want a bulky smartphone (Treo, IPhone, Blackberry, Blackjack, Motorola Q) *AND* I didn't want to PAY for GPS which is a "free" service provided by our own tax dollars. (Ie. I didn't want to pay for TeleNav or the other cellular provided GPS systems at $10 a month! - GPS signals are free, people...)

I make lots of cross country road trips and I used to carry a laptop, a cigarette power inverter, a 3 way cigarette lighter Y-adapter and my CoPilot, Door to Door, or Streets and Trips software over the last 8 years - I wish the HP iPaq rx5915 Travel Companion existed a long time ago.

So far every list that I thought the laptop based GPS systems beat the rx5915 were my own ignorance and after using this for many business trips thus far, I love this device. In Streets and Trips - you could choose a hotel and get the phone number and call them and make a reservation or see if there's vacancies (this has come up a few times). In the rx5915, you definitely get Points of Interest (POI) but the phone number to the hotel (or restaurant, etc) does not appear until you choose to Browse Maps - Find POI. I'm not expecting it to act identical to all other GPS systems, but at least it has the same features, just in a different, not as intuitive place. (We had to use this at Yosemite National Park, while searching for an inexpensive hotel with vacancies, what a blessing it is to call in advance while you drive and you keep your passenger busy)

One of my complaints with Streets and Trips was that if a street was immediately after your next turn, a lot of times, you'd drive past the next turn, by the time you got to hear the instruction (that scenario will make sense if you've used a lot of GPS systems)

The Tom Tom Navigator 6 software in the rx5915 is awesome in that it tells you at least 2 instructions if they are relatively close to one another, "In half a mile, turn left and then keep in the right lane." Or it will tell you "In one quarter mile, turn left, and then immediately turn right" Streets and Trips and other GPS systems would say "In half a mile, turn left" and after you turn left, you may miss the next turn while it then tells you "Turn right" since the next turn may be half a second after you just turned left - thus you have to turnaround with the "competitor" systems.

Also, many roads have multiple names and may gently fork left and right - the Tom Tom will tell you to "stay right" or "stay left" while other GPS systems may just say, stay on I-20 for the next 180 miles. Tom Tom helps keep you alert for those mysterious road name changes and forks in the road. Also, say you are going 80mph in the left lane, Tom Tom will tell you to get in the right lane when you have 2 miles to go as opposed to telling you to take the next exit and having to cross 3 lanes of traffic to get there to make your exit as I've experienced with other GPS systems (slight exaggeration, but you get the idea)

One complaint is the whole Finding a GPS Satellite thing - in Dallas, TX I have no issues, but in cloudy days in Cincinnati and then in New Jersey, it can take as long as 3 minutes to even find a signal. I definitely did not experience the 45 minutes other people reported, but it was a little disappointing. I usually kill that time by turning it on whenever I am getting ready in the hotel or leaving the office and by the time I get to the car - it found a satellite. Also, I never leave it plugged in the car - if I did, the satellites would always be ready, it's the whole power off thing that takes it awhile. (Yes, I have the GPS update and maps update from hp.com - which was easy to do after I did a soft reset, but I was initially frustrated because I could not get the maps on since the app was already running. I went to Hp.com Live Chat support and he said that a soft reset would allow me to get the maps on - and this was all free support and took less than 5 minutes to find an agent with a heartbeat) Also, the suction cup mount is excellent and I use it on the flip down door in the center console of my Honda CRV and it's a perfect fit. You can put an adhesive disc for the suction cup anywhere and you can then choose when you want to "suction cup" your GPS in or if you want to take it down and hide it, I think the windshield is too far away for me to suction it to there.

So GPS is just HALF of it. The other half is the fact this is a POCKET PC. This means you can use it for any of the hundreds of Windows Mobile 5 games out there and I WATCH MY TV SHOWS on this that I download off the web. Whether you're waiting at the car dealership, doctor, dentist, airport, travelling solo - you can watch a saved DVD movie or tv show with 4+ hour battery life. This is actually the biggest factor in buying this - it basically replaced those functions of my heavy laptop. BEWARE - the Windows Media Player doesn't play AVI and WMV can be jittery, however there is a freeware app called TCPMP that plays AVI and WMV without jitter and you can easily watch full length movies!

It gets better, this has bluetooth (and regular headphone jack) so you can wirelessly watch your movie and listen with headphones without disturbing anyone.

What about storage? Well it's basically infinite - it has a SD memory card slot. I purchased a 2gb because that's the only official literature I could find, but I have read only ONE review where someone put in a 4gb SD card - but who cares, before my trip I can get all the movies or tv shows and mps on a couple of 2gb SD cards that I know will work.

Okay, so you used GPS, you watched your movies, listened to your MPS, now get back to work - well again this is a POCKET PC - so I practiced my Powerpoint slides since it runs Microsoft Office! (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)

Excel on this is useless, but ok for looking something up, since you only see 3 columns and a few rows, but yes...it works fine to view almost any spreadsheet I've needed.

Word works fine and the window-wrap of text makes it easy to read, but I love this for my Powerpoint slides - practice your slides anywhere, without having to lug your laptop.

I haven't used it, but you can download Mobile book software and basically use it for reading an electronic version of a book, but I would rather just listen to it - which you can with TCPMP or Windows Media Player. It keeps track of where you left off, which is very nice.

Wow, what a device, but I haven't mentioned WI-FI access through your existing cell phone data plan or a Wireless hotspot (like inside of Starbucks) you can surf the Internet or use Live Search Mobile and find movie listings and phone numbers, etc, or read MSN Mobile for news.

I have my Home Wireless profile stored on it so I can take it while getting ready for bed and check email, Instant Message, etc. or check tomorrow morning's weather.

It has a universal design mini-USB charging and connection adapter, so none of this proprietary connectors - I use the same one for my phone for my rx5915.

I got this device because I wanted all those things, BUT I didn't need it everyday (ie, a smartphone) - I wanted a small, tiny phone that I use frequently through out the day, but then, a nice pocket PC device for when I know I'll need it and not have to deal with a laptop.

In summary, I am very happy with my purchase, which costs about the price as GPS only systems (Garmin, even the Tom Tom 910), and it does so much.

I had some initial frustrations trying to get an update on it, but HP.com live chat support helped me, and I thought it couldn't play any action movies until I found TCPMP that handles movie playing better than the built in Windows Media Player. Since I live in Dallas, my satellite signals are fast, but I understand some locations are not that great in locking into a satellite. Turning this on in advance while travelling (walking out to the car) takes care of the satellite finding for me (which so far has never exceeded 3 minutes)

So that said, yes, it does everything I need it to do and much much more!

As a newbie truck driver, I was a little apprehensive about going over-the- road with just a map. After seeing this little gizmo advertised on HSN, I decided to do a little research on it and found it cheaper on Amazon. HSN's price was $599.99 I purchased it here for $459.99 big difference.

I decided to go with this GPS as opposed to a GPS specifically for truckers because it offered more than just GPS tracking. It offered me internet access, MP3 and mobile powerpoint, excel, word, and outlook. My orignal plan for traveling was to buy an iPod for my music, bring my laptop for internet connection and to buy a separate GPS unit for travel directions. I got everything I wanted in one very small unit; and saved money because the iPod would have cost me $250.00 alone for the model that I was going to buy. Not to mention the pc card for my laptop. With this I can just use my cell phone for my internet connection. Oh, and one very important factor in my decision to buy this unit was that other GPS units are bulky, I like this unit because when I'm done driving, it comes with me and I can listen to the MP3 player, watch movies on it or streaming videos from the internet.

The GPS is really strong on this unit. I have found that I can pick up at least 3-5 satalites while sitting in my bedroom to pre-plan trips. It does take a couple of minutes for the sats to pick up, but once they are on, they're on. This device is also very accurate. when I am on the road, The GPS shows the exact information as displayed on the street signs and also the exact speed that I am actually traveling. The voice command is nice and loud but I like to use my cd car kit tape thingy to make the sound come out over the car speakers and control the vol. through my car's audio system (I like the vol. nice and loud when the voice is giving me directions , because I am always nervous when I have no idea where I am going). You can also listen to your MP3 and hear the GPS navigation at the same time.

When I first used the GPS I was so nervous that a couple of times when it would say turn in 25ft., I jumped the gun and turned to quickly, but it automatically re-routed me. When planning a trip, if toll roads are detected, it will ask if you want to avoid these road I then use my truckers map to ensure that a truck can be traveled on the new route.

NOTE: For those of you who want to transfer your iTunes to this device, it can be done, just convert the protected itunes (M4P's) to MP3's and as stated earlier this has saved me a lot of money in not having to purchase an iPod for the iTunes that I already owned. To transfer the MP3's or files from my laptop, I use the iPaqs built in bluetooth I have a MAC so I could not use the ActiveSync program that comes with the unit.

Internet access is very fast and the screen is a good viewing size. The Tom Tom GPS will use your Outlook contacts as address destinations, which saves you from re-typing address information; this is also good for truckers because you can store the shipper/receiver information as a contact for future use. Also if you have a bluetooth enabled cell phone with a data-plan, you can access Tom Tom's other features like weather, traffic and road conditions, while in route.

I also purchased a 2gb sd card to store my music so as not to use up the hard drive of this device. About $30 as opposed to a $250 iPod. A 2gb sd card will store aprox. 480-500 songs or three full-length movies. Also this device is great for viewing photos, just take the sd card out of your camera and place in the ipaq for viewing. Since I am on the road traveling to different cities taking pics, this is handy.

This gadget has many suprises you really need to play with it. It has hand writing recognition which allows you to simply write anywhere on the screen as opposed to using the tap keyboard for each letter, I find that simply writing is much faster than using to keyboard for note taking.

I hope this helps in your decision making.