iPAQ 1910 vs 1940 vs 2210

[It's me]

I'm thinking of switching from my IBM WorkPad (Palm with 2 MB) to one of the new iPAQ, and I can't decide which one to buy.

I love the iPAQ 1910, 1940 & 2210. Each has something I love, and something I'm not crazy about (not sure how much of it will apply to me). I mostly play airport games, use calendar, to-do, memo, address and scribble pad. Though my Palm device has only 2 MB, it's lasted me 4 years+. However, I’m looking to treat myself to a sexier PDA.

My thoughts:
1910 -I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the look and feel. I can't get over the brilliant screen. Hesitating cause of the shorter battery life, older O/S, just a SD slot and it may be discontinued shortly by HP.
1940 - Love 1910-like form, better battery life, more functionality and better potential for expansion. Just CAN’T get over the yellow tint and lesser screen quality.
2210 - Love the additional functionality it has over the other two. But not crazy about the size, side gripes, plastic cover and lesser screen quality (compare to 1910).

For my new PDA, I would like to use calendar, to-do, MS Word, MS Excel, synch to my work email (Lotus Notes), and play some games. It would be nice (though not necessary) to play MP3's, see some pictures/ video/movie.

I'm told 1910 would suit my current needs and I'm inclined to get it just for the look alone. However, I'm afraid I may regret it 3 months from now, when I've experienced the Pocket PC world and wish for more functionality.

So can someone explain, in layman's term, what I would be missing if I go with the 1910 instead of 1940/2210? i.e. If I don't have any applications with Bluetooth should I care if the 1910 doesn't have it? Also, I thought about buying an extra battery and SD card if I got the 1910 (since my two concerns were battery life and memory). But would I need to if I use do the activities I described above? I know I may as well get the 2210 if I'm going to by extra battery and memory card for the 1910, but I'm not sure if I would use the functionality of 2210 and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY love the 1910 look and screen.

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated by this novice to PocketPCs.

[hdsalinas]

Well it all depends of what you want.

I dont.t own any of these models (yet) but I could give the reason why I have decided to get the 2215.

First of all, don`t get the 1910. (someone please correct me if I am wrong) This particular model cant be upgraded to Pocket PC 2003 and although it does have a sd slot it can't be used for wireless cards and modems. You will have a pocketpc that wont be able to comunicate to the outside world without the cradle.

The 1940, may have a better screen , but from what I have read the one in the 2215 is not that far behind . I would not base my decision just on the screen.

Both of these unit have Bluetooth so that is covered. Both have SDIO slots but I think you will find usefull having an extra CF slot, not just because the memory is little cheaper than SD, but because of the many accesories like modems, network and WIFI cards currently available on the market.

The 2215 will give you more bang for the buck than the 1940. If you get the 1940, you will probably want to get the cradle too (it does´t come with one) and that´s going to cost you $40 more. So basically the price difference are only $60. ($ 340) I have seen the 2210 sold on ebay and some stores for around $350 so getting the "cheaper" model is probably not the most economical decision.

Get the 2215! I know you will enjoy the PocketPC world. Palm may have a larger selection of software but we don´t really need 100 tip calculators :lol:

[Anthony Caruana]

For me the decision between the 1940 and 2210 came down to the CF slot. With both SIO and CF I can use multiple peripherals at the same time.

If the 1910 had SDIO or inbuilt bluetooth then it would be a great device. But is it basically a PPC island as it lacks connectivity options. I don't think the new OS is a big deal as if the device does what you want with the old OS then the new one is not a big deal.

One thing about salinashd's post. The 1910 can be upgraded. It's just that HP won't upgrade it. A small distinction but maybe that will change in the future as it seem that Toshiba might with its upgrade policy.

Regards

[theone3]

^ 8O another melbournian :)

anyway.. The 2215's screen is not that bad, and if you are a student/government employee, you can get it for $293!

steer well clear of the 1910.. its a very basic device. The 1940 is better, but the 2215 beats them by a mile.

[mountainfrog]

I agree with the other posts. I was a previous 1910 owner and upgraded to the 2215. I will admit that I am disappointed with the 2215 screen (mine does have those annoying grid lines that people talk about). When I first received the 2215, the difference between the 1910 and 2215 screen was noticeable. Now that I have had the 2215 for about a month, though, I have gotten used to the screen and it really doesnt bother me anymore.

If you plan on keeping this device for more than a year, I would go with the 2215 because:
1. it is more expansible
With the 1910, what you see is what you get. You can only add storage space via the SD slot and not functionality. No SD WiFi cards, no SD cameras, no SDIO anything. That may not be relevant now but it may be in a a year or so down the line.

2. it is a faster machine.
The 1910 has a 200mhz xscale processor that can be overclocked to 300mhz using an overclocking utility. It runs reasonably fast. The 2215 with its 400mhz xscale processor, for lack of a better term, blows the 1910 out of the water. It is significantly faster.

3. it runs the latest OS.
Applications are being updated and will continue to be updated to the now OS. Everything will be optimized to take advantage of the new OS. Those with the older OS will find themselves left behind. Not right away but in a year or so. Software should be backwards compatible and should run well on the older OS but there are no guarantees.

I would steer clear of the 1945, too. Although it has SDIO, it still has limited RAM. 56MB user available RAM may sound like a lot but it does fill up quickly. You will need the SD slot for storage space to install apps, to store mp3 files, etc. IWith the 1945, if you want to use an SDIO device, such as a SD wifi card, you will have to remove your SD storage card. What happens if the app you need is on that storage card. You cant hve 2 cards at the same time. You are stuck! Now, in the future, some SD cards may come with storage and functionality (Wifi, for ex.) but the cost of these cards may initially exceed the price difference between the 1945 and the 2215. The 2215 has the same amount of RAM but it has an SD and a CF slot. I use the SD slot for my SD storage card and the CF slot for a wifi card. Once again, you may not need this right now but what about in a year or so. With all of these retail establishments and airports adding wifi, you may be disappointed if your device cant take advantage of this novel application of technology.

I really believe buying the 1910 right now is taking a step backwards while buying the 2215 is taking a step forward. The 1910 still has its place int he PDA market. It is perfect for someone with no PDA experience that wants to try a Pocket PC. It is small, inexpensive, and runs reasonably fast. For those who have PDA experience (palm included), they may like the 1910 intially but will find its features imiting awfully fast.

One the other hand, if you are going to keep this device for just a short period of time, then I would consider the 1910. Why spend twice as much for a 2215 that you are only going to keep for a short period of time and has additional features that you will not use in that time frame. The 1910 is a nice PPC. I was very happy with its performance. It just isnt expansible and after 7 months, I wanted more functionality.

HTH.

-Julie

[It's me]

Thanks so much for your advises and suggestions. This site is AWESOME! :D

After some consideration I knocked my choices down to 1940 vs 2210. 2210 does sound much better, but I’m still not sure I would appreciate all it can do ... my PPC knowledge is at the embryo stage. To save $100, I’ve decided to go with the 1940 (that’s the difference between the two in Toronto). I’ll be visiting this site more often to learn more about PPC … will likely upgrade to a more robust model next year. :) :)