Customer Reviews

Hewlett Packard Jornada 545 Color Pocket PC

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have looked at Windows CE devices before and found them under powered, over priced, and inadequate in several respects. After months of scrutiny and research, I was finally ready to buy a Palm Pilot. At the last minute, I looked at the Jornada 545 and bought one on the spot.

Its handwriting recognition is like nothing else I've used. In a couple of hours I was entering data quickly--something I didn't think was possible considering the high marks the Palm OSs Graffiti earned, but never worked well for me.

The color screen is great. I bought the Pretec modem and was able to surf the web. In the morning I download all the new web pages I typically read and review them throughout the day when I have a little time.

I needed a PDA to keep in sync with email and my Internet site, but the Palm's "Web Clipping" technology just wasn't worth it. The Pocket Internet Explorer is great.

The Jornada 545 is also fast. It boots instantly, and the syncrhonization between my Microsoft Outlook is GREAT!

This elegant collaboration between HP and MS is a must have product!

I'm a long-time Palm user - I've bought three different versions over the last three years. Overall I think the Palm's are ok but there always seemed to be something I wanted to do but couldn't. I managed to get a new Jornada 545 from a friend at HP and absolutely love it. It's simple to use and it does so much more than my Palm. The browser is very good given the constrained screen real-estate. The color is great. The media player is great. The only thing it lacks that I'd like is built-in wireless support. If I could connect to the web/email directly I'd probably use this instead of my laptop for many situations.

All in all I highly recommend the Jornada.

Well I have found a product that is not only a gadget but actually works just the way I would have made it myself (if only I could). The HP545 is the best "thing" I have come across for many years. It has, at a stroke, replaced two items I habitually carry and another that I was going to buy. These are my organiser / Tape player / MP3 Player.

I habitually spend (too) many hours of my life stuck in hotel rooms and airplanes (down the far back and up the very front) and I love the concept of the "talking books" / audio cassette that are now available - it saves my eyes and helps me sleep. What I do not like is having to pay almost as much for postage as for the cassettes and waiting 4 weeks to get them. Then having to hump around all those cranky cassettes and the battery eating player.

Yesterday I changed my life. Using my HP545 and Audible.com I brought 5 new audio books, downloaded them on the internet and uploaded them to my 545 in the space of an hour. This cost me 25% of what it would in cassette format + postage. It would have been less than an hour too, but I was still fumbling the software a little. My goodness why could it not have always been this easy...

I now have in my 90MB FlashMemory card (buy it and plug it in) 8 printed books (lots supplied - classics but still I haven't read that many of them), 10 MP3 favorites and 25 hrs of audio book programming. And there is still space to spare.

Transfers to and from the PC are a snap and the USB connection is very fast. Don't even think of doing these file sizes on the serial though. No USB - think about another solution or you will grow old waiting for the files to move.

The included apps are just GOOD. OK the screen is fairly small but the 65K colours and crystal clarity help. Everything works and the cutdown versions of Outlook / Work etc are very functional.

I have saved the neatest for last. The script / handwriting recognition WORKS. Even my scruffy scrawl gets the job done and with a little practise at being neat with the pen and not trying to use the very bottom of the screen you can gallop along.

Well done HP and MS - A nice job well implemented.

Caveats : You need a decent sized memory card. Budget for 64MB and you will not be disappointed. For the numerically inclined an average "printed book" is 200K, audio books are 2MB per hour and high quality MP3 is 1MB a minute. These figures are deceptive though. I would never carry 25 hours of taped book around normally and it is so easy to move stuff in and out of the 545 that I am being a hog. Still what was that phrase about expanding to fill the space available....

I'm a die-hard Palm user, and I still keep my Palm VII around for wireless Internet access; but the Jornada really is a great device. The backlit screen has great color; there's a slight problem with vertical banding when there's a variety of different color brightnesses on the screen, but it's still extremely readable, much more so than the Palm screen.

The Microsoft Reader application is wonderful; I can't wait until some more eBooks start coming out. A number of good public-domain books are included with the package, though.

I have yet to have it crash, but that could be because I'm very conscientious about closing applications I'm no longer using--something that's easy to do from the HP Settings screen, which is called up by one of the hardware buttons. (Most of the crashes I've heard about seem to revolve around having a fairly large number of applications running, until the poor thing finally runs out of memory and keels over.)

If you're a creative type like me, the built-in voice recorder is a wonderful touch; you don't have to switch applications, or open the Jornada's cover, or even turn it on--just press and hold the Record button on the side and start talking. You can later easily review the notes or transfer them to the PC. If you plan on making extensive use of this feature, though, you might want to buy a 32MB CompactFlash memory card along with the Jornada, though, as voice recordings made on the high-quality setting can use up memory in a hurry.

The email capabilities and pocket Internet Explorer are quite nice; you'll find these features much more useful if you're already using Outlook as your desktop email program, or if you're willing to switch. (Gee, two Microsoft products working much better with each other than with third-party products? What a surprise. :) )

In conclusion, I don't regret the purchase for a moment, and I'm already looking for a compatible cellular phone so I can start making full use of email and the Web while on the road.

Well... the folks at UPS made me a very happy guy when my Jornanda 545arrived this morning. I bought it at Amazon.com . . . It arrived lessthan a day-and-a-half later.

I was so excited about this new model, but was totally unable to find them here in San Diego. Amazon.com to the rescue.

I've upgraded from a Jornada 420, so I feel I can provide an informed side-by side comparison.

The first thing you notice is just how frickin' cool the 545 looks. It carries none of the "purple plastic brick" visual baggage of the 420. The 545 is a sleek dark-gray wedge. Very sexy -- if this sort of thing CAN be sexy.

Granted, the placement of the 545's stylus is a bit cumbersome, and the shape a bit odd, but I'll get used to it. Even if the stylus where stored in a slot of the side of the unit, I'd still want the cover. Having the cover makes me feel quite a bit more likely to carry this with me from one meeting to the next.

As far as size, and yes, as in most cases, size DOES count -- the 545 seems quite a bit smaller than the 420, but upon further inspection, and a not-so-accurate side-by-side eyeballing it really doesn't seem to be. I think it's the more comfortable wedge-like shape and rounded edges that make it appear more svelte. Unlike the 420, I'll have no hesitation pocketing the 545.

On with the show -- or screen that is. The screen on the 545 seems quite a bit brighter. Now, most people won't notice this until they go into the HP Setting function and select the 'Outdoor' mode. It may be that the 545 has more useable brightness because the contrast is better. Now, to be fair, I've never had a problem being able to read my 420's display, but the 545's does seem a bit better.

As far as the UI, it is quite a bit easier to use -- but does require a little getting used to. As far as the OS, the speed is greatly improved -- very impressive considering that it is running on essentially the same hardware.

They audio quality out of the 545 is VERY impressive. It will serve as a portable MP3 player quite admirably.

The new 'Transcriber' handwriting recogntion is fantastic. I couldn't belive the job it did recognizing things I was certain it would choke on. We should require all medical doctors to use these in order to prevent perscription errors!

This is an awesome product. Its way better than the previous line of Jornada PDA's. First of all, the new casing is way better. It's sleaker, easier to grip, and more robust than the old one. The quick launch buttons are very conviently placed in this gem of a device. Second, the Pocket PC OS is a much needed improvement from the crash prone WIn CE. In regarde to the reviewer below, mine didn't crash once, and I've been using it continually. The new OS has a interface suited to the P/PC platform. If you are going to buy a product like tis, go all the way and by the 548, which has 32 MB memory, by othewise is exactly the same. I also got a 64 mb CF type 1 card for my P/PC, and this is a very useful item for downloading mp3's. I can't really tell you about the battery life right now, as I haven't used it long enough.

This is the best MS OS based P/PC in the market today. I have to see what CASIO comes out with, but until then, this rules. BY it if you haev the money. Otherwise, get the Palm V, which is also a very good organiser.

Hope this helps.

I bought the new Joranda 545 in NYC, and love the increased speed, the screen is great for reading books (several come on the CD in the box), and since I rip music off the web, I can download it onto my CF card (stole it from my digital camera) and listen to music at the same time I do other things (as a mom I am a big multi-tasker). I can never go back to the Palm IIIc, which my husband gave me last month, it hurts my eyes just to see the IIIc screen vs. the Jornada's 65K color screen. Competition is a good thing, Microsoft finally go it right after 3 tries, this Pocket PC is a keeper. If you want just an organizer, buy Palm, if you want to do more (ebooks, MP3, voice recording, etc.) get a Pocket PC. And they gave me a Pac-Man CF card as a gift, I hate to admit it, but 20 years later I am still a big Pac-Man fan (my four year old is playing it with the stylus.) 16MB is great, but I need to find a place to buy some 64MB CF cards to hold more music (will have to check on Amazon.) Nice job HP.

I'd go for the Jordana over the Palm easily. First of all, it's got color (a lot faster than the Palm Color), secondly, it seems to be a lot more useful (more useful programs). The Palm is good for an organizer (and you dont' pay as much), but the CE machines seem more like a minicomputer (plus all have the option of flash cards at least to expand the memory).

But, if you are going to get a CE machine, I say wait and try to find the Compaq Ipaq (which is hard to find but it is far superior to the Jornada). I bought the Jornada originally, and many factors caused me to return it. Biggest one was the fact that it wasn't connecting to my PC. The factors though that caused me to go try the Compaq instead of getting another Jordana that worked:

1. Jornada literally isn't viewable in sunlight. I'm truly not exagerating here (I thought maybe others were... they weren't. I turned it on in sunlight and I thought it wasn't turning on until I shaded it some and really looked hard).

2. Jornada doesn't respond as well to taps (the touch screen is not as sensitive). Not sure if this is cause the Compaq is faster or the screen is not as sensitive, but it got really annoying. I'd try to drag something and the slightest change of pressure it would drop the thing. Plus it felt I really had to hit it to get it to respond. The Compaq responds quite nicely to the stylus or even my finger, the Jornada had to have something that could create a strong pressure point.

There are many other reasons to go with the Compaq (big noticeable difference in speed, more memory, all for the same price), but those were the two biggest things I personally enjoy about the Compaq the Jornada didn't give me. Oh, and the IPAQ I got came with a 39 dollar refund if I also got the flash card reader so you may not be paying more (cept for tax or shipping) to get the flash card reader (which will read flash card II, the Jornada's doesn't). Basically, the Jornada was nice when there wasn't an alternative, but I bet the Compaq quickly phases it out.

Things that I would say the Jornada has the advantage over Compaq:

1. Case design: Though some have complained about the Jornada being bigger, I really don't see this. It may have bene slightly thicker, but it was less wide and tall and seemed to fit in my purse better (plus I didn't need a case to protect it which adds on size). I liked the flip top, and the fact that it didn't look so toyish like the Compaq, but looks are superficial and when it comes to performance, the Compaq beats the Jornada hands down. Too bad I couldn't stick the Compaq into the Jornada's case.

2. The fact I could tap to get the Jornada on. This came with HP's settings (they have their own special ones), and I think is great. Not sure if that would work for compaq since they don't have a flip cover to keep it from accidently being tapped. 3. The stylus. This is personal preference though.

The Cassopia (or whatever the Casio one is) for me didn't even come in play.. it's big, bulky, and having more colors isn't all that important to me. For those that don't mind size, maybe check this one out. I can't help you here though cause I have never even had the chance to play with it (didn't even seen one store display that worked).

I have had the Jornada for 5 days now (bought it 4/20) and this product is awesome. Let's face it, Microsoft can make a great product when they are faced with competition. I have used it hard for 5 days and it worked perfectly, no problems at all.

Also, the Jornada has a 133mz processor. It is very fast and quickly changes applications. It is a very robust system and feels great in your hands.

I do like the Palm PDA's, but the Jornada blows them out of the water with it's functionality. I am also very surprised with it's battery life. The internal Li-Ion battery has lasted 5 days since it's first charging.

I would reccomend this to everyone who wants a PDA which can do more than store addresses and phone numbers. The pocket excel and word are great for small projects on the road.

You will not be dissapointed.

I have been lucky enough to have a Jornada and lots of add-ons to try out for free. I am a long, long-time user of Palms, and was quite a devoted user, have spent thousands over the years upgrading my Palms, buying software, adding memory, etc. to get the most out of them. And I'm here to tell you...there is WAY more you can do with a Palm than Microsoft would have you believe. You can do more with a Pocket PC out of the box than a Palm, yes, but there is TONS more you can add on to a Palm, and most at a very reasonable price, than you can with the PPC.

Having said that, the Jornada is a great piece of hardware. The color screen puts the Palm to shame. It almost hurts my eyes to look at my Palm IIIC now, it is so pixelated and ugly in comparison. The size is close to the Palm IIIc although slightly heavier. It's very nice to hold, sleek and pretty. My main complaint is the stylus, I find it annoyingly hard to get out and I don't like the flat shape. People are used to round pens, I tend to drop the stylus, and have already lost one of them as a result. Would also prefer a cover that flips all the way back.

The Pocket PC OS is much better than CE 2. However, the inability to close programs was a bad omission, and I ended up adding Gigabar, a great program that closes and switches tasks, among other things. While speed is better than older versions, I still run into things that take time, where on the Palm, everything happens almost instantly. There are a lot more things on the Pocket PC you will have to wait for. Some add-on software I looked at is so slow as to be worthless.

Ability to play MP3s is great, if you even consider carrying an MP3 player around. You can turn the screen off and still listen to them, which saves on batteries. In the car, add the DC adapter and it will charge your Jornada while playing. You can also get small volume boosters that will run on a single AA battery that can help with battery life if MP3s are your thing.

Now, for the bad stuff. There is not much extra software out there. Compared to the Palm, it's really, really sparse. And a lot of what is there, just isn't that good or as easy to use. This is the biggest problem I have with the unit. I just can't do some stuff I was used to doing, or in some cases, it would cost me WAY more. Some things that I used my Palm for all the time, I can't do now at all. I miss wonderful programs like DateBk4 and HanDBase. So easy to use and low priced. Not much like that for PPC.

The screen on the Jornada is definitely a little hard to read outside, but if you use the Outdoors setting, it IS readable other than in totally direct sunlight. I often read books while in my car at lunch and find it easier than my Palm IIIc to read.

I also don't like how heavily it is tied to MS stuff. I use Quicken...the Pocket Money directions for Quicken users? Switch to Money. Thanks, but no thanks. Pocket Quicken on the Palm does a great job for me. Same with pretty much everything else. I prefer Eudora for email...with the Palm, I can sync...on the PPC, I have to use Outlook. I almost feel like it is trying to force me into using more Microsoft stuff than I already do.

Finally, pricewise, it's going to cost you more. You can now get a Palm for $150. Yes, you can expand memory on the PPCs, but it costs money. A lot of times, you are getting more for your money...I do believe the Jornada is worth the price more than the color Palm is. But you still have to be willing to pay the price.

So what do I recommend? It really depends on what you want. If you love cool gadgets like I do, the PPC is a real winner. I personally would probably recommend the iPaq over the HP for the screen that is easy to read outside, and more memory for the price. If you don't expect to need more than the CF I slot, though, the Jornada would not be a bad choice. If you really love everything Microsoft comes out with and use everything they make, this is the one to get. If however, you want more options in terms of what you can work with and what you can do, the Palm is probably the way to go.