Hewlett Packard Jornada 540 Color Pocket PC

by HP

Product Details

Product Manual [3.31mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00004TCF3
• Item model number: F1823-A#ABA
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,634 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Windows PDAs have long fought an uphill battle. Users have flocked to the highly functional Palm Connected Organizers and tended to ignore the more powerful, more expensive, and bigger Windows PDAs. The release of the new HP Jornada 540, among the first of the new Pocket PC devices to hit the market, may finally turn this around. The Jornada is still a bit bigger, about 5 ounces heavier, and a little more expensive than the Palm Vx. But it is sleek, robust, highly functional, and the color screen is beautifully sharp. The "wow" factor is definitely there.

The Pocket PC OS is also responsive and well thought out--a big improvement over WinCE. In addition to the suite of powerful pocket applications (Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, PIM, and Scheduler), the Jornada can also serve as a digital voice recorder (to capture those spur-of-the-moment thoughts), an MP3 player, audible content player, and even an e-books reader.

The standard 16 MB memory is expandable using standard CompactFlash cards. The product ships with a synchronization cradle (which supports USB or conventional serial interfaces), a serial sync cable, and an AC power adapter. A microphone and a small speaker are built in. For MP3 use, we recommend expanding your RAM to 64 MB with a CompactFlash card to provide an hour of near CD-quality music.

Most Windows users should be able to run through the setup wizard and start using the Jornada and its applications without cracking the manual. Learning to use handwriting recognition, which is integrated into all the applications, requires mastering a few special stylus strokes, but you should be writing smoothly within half an hour. In comparison with Palm's Graffiti system, the Pocket PC system is fully on par.

In our tests, setting up a connection to a desktop PC for synchronization was simple. Within 20 minutes, we had installed the ActiveSync software, hooked up the supplied cable to the serial port, plugged in the AC power, and established a connection. An optional USB synchronization cradle is also available. Synchronization is automatic and file transfer is simple using the Windows Explorer-like interface.

The only real caveat is that Pocket PC works best in a Windows-centric world. At launch, it appears that there is no support for synchronizing with non-Microsoft e-mail and scheduling applications. (With an optional modem or network-interface card, you can send and receive Internet POP mail directly via your ISP.)

The choice between Pocket PC and Palm still comes down to tradeoffs. Palms are still lighter, smaller, and cheaper, and they do the basics beautifully. The Jornada 540 is slightly bigger, 5 ounces heavier, a little more expensive, but vastly more powerful and flexible. The choice all depends on what you expect your PDA to do. --Thomas Mace

Pros:

• Handsome, compact design
• Superb color screen
• Large application suite
• Easy setup and intuitive interface

Cons:

• No support for synchronization of non-Microsoft e-mail and scheduling applications
• 5 ounces heavier than Palm V

Amazon.com Product Description

If you are looking for a high-powered Pocket PC that contains everything you need to organize your life and entertain you in your free time, the HP Jornada 540 Color Pocket PC is the machine to have. You can check your e-mail, review Word and Excel documents, surf the Web, read electronic books, and listen to digital music. It is slim enough to fit in your pocket or carry in your hand. The HP Jornada 540 also comes with many software titles from Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and more.

If you ride the bus or train home from work or school you can listen to popular MP3 and WMA music and compile your own digital music playlists. You can also listen to or read your favorite books and articles from leading newspapers and magazines. You can even create a digital photo album to share with friends. With the stereo-quality audio system and vertically aligned pixel color screen, you can listen, read, and relax wherever you may be.

The HP Jornada 540 allows you to synchronize data with your desktop PC easily and quickly. Then carry and access your contacts, tasks, calendars, memos, and e-mail anywhere. You can even view e-mail attachment files or review Microsoft Excel and Word documents. Download digital music, images, and other multimedia files from your desktop PC, and capture your thoughts with the built-in voice recorder. As far as connectivity is concerned, the HP Jornada 540 is fully capable. You can review and act on your e-mail, surf the Web, send instant messages, and stay up-to-date with the latest news, sports scores, and stock information.

Designed to fit the way you live, the slim and sturdy HP Jornada 540 features a rubber protection strip to make it easy to grip and carry anywhere. Its elegant alloy casing projects style and professionalism in any environment, while its sleek metal cover provides durability and protects the screen from scratches. You can also personalize it to fit your needs with a variety of accessories. Stay in touch, get online, do more in less time, and do it all in style with the HP Jornada 540 Color Pocket PC.

What's in the box

• Jornada 540
• Stylus
• Hardcover
• Serial cable
• AC adapter
• Quick Start Guide
• Jornada CD-ROM
• HP documentation pack
• HP Jornada Accessory Guide
• Microsoft ActiveSync CD-ROM and Getting Started with Microsoft ActiveSync booklet

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HP Support turned out to be excellent, September 9, 2000

By 

"rver-bill" (Vestal, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hewlett Packard Jornada 540 Color Pocket PC (Office Product)

This is a follow-up to my report of my Jornada 540 connector damaging both my USB cable mating connector and serial cable mating connector. The socket on the Jornada had a very sharp edge that gouged pins on both cable connectors and made them useless. I have since found that some other Jornada's have had this problem. While HP has no toll free customer or tech support, I was on hold for only 1 minute and on the phone for 15 minutes. I still think that the support should be free for in-warranty products, but the rest of the service was excellent. The customer support person (Bill) was very helpful and gave me options for resolution of the problem (entirely my choice). FedEx picked up the package at my door and delivered the repaired product back to me 4 business days later. The tech (Greg Liston) called me to tell me that my Jornada had been repaired, but that that location did not have replacement USB cables. He offered to send me a USB cradle as a replacement, and I of course agreed. It appears that this is still the HP of old that gave them one of the best reputations in the industry.

For my purposes (financial analysis on Excel, tracking expenses on Money, reading books and AvantGo downloads and loading street maps for vacations), this is the best choice of any non-keyboard handheld. The iPAQ is probably better for games because of it's speed, but I do not use it for that. The cover and metal case make the Jornada more rugged and it looks like a professional tool instead of a toy. I would buy it again. The ability to use CF cards without an adaptor is important if you want to load many maps or music. The ability to close the cover and turn off the screen is also a plus to listen to music; just carry the Jornada in your pocket. You probably couldn't go very wrong with the iPAQ, but I know you can't go wrong with the Jornada.

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good PocketPC, but HP support not good, August 27, 2000

By 

"rver-bill" (Vestal, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hewlett Packard Jornada 540 Color Pocket PC (Office Product)

I bought a Jornada 540 over the iPAQ and Casio because of the apparent ruggedness and HP reliability reputation. The built in cover is a plus to anyone who likes to carry the device in their pocket and the rubber grips on the sides work well for securely holding the Jornada during use. Everything worked well until I started having problems syncing with the USB cable that I purchased. I noticed that one of the pins (end that connects to the Jornada) was recessed and didn't know if this was the problem. I tried the included serial cable and it worked fine, until the same pin got pushed in. I discovered that there was a sharp edge on the mating contact on the Jornada connector that gouged the connector plug pin. This caught and pushed the pins back. So much for HP quality. To make things worse, I also discovered that HP has no online technical support and phone support is not toll free. At least Compaq has online and toll free phone support. I'm not sure I would buy the Jornada again after discovering the lack of online or toll free support for a product under warranty. Except for this problem, I like the Jornada.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Product, July 6, 2000

By 

R. Thompson (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hewlett Packard Jornada 540 Color Pocket PC (Office Product)

I finally upgraded my Sharp Wizard OZ-9500 organizer,(I know its old!), to a Pocket PC. I shopped and read reviews for months before I bought it... and it's probably the best purchase I've made in a while. Rather than repeat everyone else's comments, I'll ditto them and add the following:

-It's not a Palm, it is truly a Pocket PC. -I waited for the iPaq, but didn't like the add-on CF port which added size and $$ to the unit. Casio was too bulky. -HP works flawlessly, Active Sync was easy to install and works by itself. Perfect sync all the time. -Bought a Sandisk 48MB card which is a great option when considering MP3's and Windows Media.

The only negative is finding accessories in the store... You'll find things on the net, but things like leather cases, you really want to touch it in a store and try it out. Hopefully this will improve in the near future.

Peace