HP iPAQ 210 Enterprise Handheld Now Shipping

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/215348-215348-64929-314903-215384-3544499.html' target='_blank'>http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/e...84-3544499.html</a><br /><br /></div>At long last, the HP iPAQ 210 Enterprise Handheld is shipping! We posted about the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?topic_id=56591">iPAQ 210 back in September</a> when it was first announced, then delayed, but it seems it's now finally available for purchase <a href="http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF05a/215348-215348-64929-314903-215384-3544499.html">directly from HP</a> for the price of $449 USD.<br /><br /><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/ppct/2007/IPAQ-200-lowres.jpg" /><br /><br />There was a bit of confusion early on about the slots, but <a href="http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06a/215348-215348-64929-314903-215384-3544499.html">the published specifications</a> now verify that it's got a CompactFlash card slot and an SDIO slot (which should also be SDHC). With a Marvell PXA310 624 mhz CPU, 128 MB of RAM (this is doubled from the initial announcement where it was only 64 MB - I bet that's why it was delayed), and a four inch VGA screen, this has to be one of the most powerful non-phone Windows Mobile devices on the market today. For some of you two-device people that still use dedicated mobile phones, is this PDA in your future?

[Russ Smith]

If I were buying a Pocket PC today, this is what I'd buy. As it is, I have an hx4700 with the PPCTechs 128MB upgrade, flashed over to WM6. The 200 has WiFi(g), SDHC, and the slightly more efficient processor; not quite enough for me to jump yet.

It's good to see it shipping though.

[SteveHoward999]

What is it now, nearly 4 years since the 4700 and the E800 were new?

I am very happy to see a two-expansion slot configuration. But aside from WM 6 and ditching the fingerprint recogniser, what's new here?

After fighting to have PDA and phone separate for years, now that I am converged, I really don't give a hoot about this device unless they add quad-band phone and all the latest 3G, 4G, 5G who knows-what-G high-speed connections too.

[Kris Kumar]

Finally a worthy successor for the good old iPaq 2210. Just like the old one this has dual memory card slots. And I love the VGA screen.

I might get this one for my in car navigation system, plus media plus info center. The only trouble is saving $400+ for this.

[Cybrid]

I'm definitely interested. My phone while converged is really just a backup device. I like not having to re-enter #'s etc but it is really too tiny for reading or movies. I like a bigger screen for that. The current Dell I have is having issues with the screen alignment. Now to save up a few shekels :(

[Mikey]

It looks great but other than better battery management &amp; updated WM6.1, how is it better than my Axim x50v??? If my Axim crashes, then maybe... even though I said I'd never go back to HP after they left me hanging on my iPAQ h5555 with no WM2003SE upgrade. We'll see.

[Underwater Mike]

I agree: Specs look great, except that having WiFi as the only connectivity option is just so 90s! I want to connect anywhere, and I guess that means that unless I tether it to a 3G phone via Bluetooth, this isn't the device for me.

[Joelacrane]

Does this mean that my Axim x51v is no longer top-of-the-line?

:(

[pcwhitch]

This may be my next device. I've got a 3-yr old Axim X-50 that is getting close to the end of its life. It will be very interesting to see how it works for those who are getting it right away.

[JohnJohn]

I think HP should set up a "Kindle" like relationship with a mobile carrier. Maybe buy the device and get a lifetime of 3G on the device. Since it looks to be their intention to give people a device without a phone. At least give us a connection other than WiFi.

[Tye]

If this was a phone device, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. I love(d) my 4700 but the converged devices are getting hard to beat.

[Rod3]

It's tempting me back from a converged device. I could easily see using this and going back to that little "only a phone" thing I used to use. My phone/PDA is constantly freezing and beginning to annoy me. There's no camera in this, is there?

[Rob Alexander]

Clearly I'm in the minority here. I have no need nor desire for a converged device. Anything small enough to be my cell phone is too small to be my PPC and anything big enough to be my PPC is too big to be my cell phone. I have wifi available most of the time, and while it would occasionally be nice to have access to the Net while out and around, I wouldn't pay the extra $50 a month on my cell phone that it costs for me to move from my current plan to a data plan. This is my next PPC and I'll be ordering it tomorrow.

[robert_biggs]

If this device had a dedicated GPU, I would definitely get it to replace my aging Dell X51v. But this might have to do if my X51v ever kicks the bucket (knock on wood).

If a good enough deal comes around, I may end up getting this device anyways. :roll: I'll be interested in how the screen compares with the 4700's.

[srmz]

The 210 was announced almost simultaneously with two other fantastic converged devices the ipaq 610 &amp; 910. Maybe this is a signal that those two devices are also about to be launched. I wanted to shift away from my TyTn II and am considering the Touch Cruise but if by any chance the ipaq 610 is near its launching I don't mind waiting a little longer.

Regards

[hoffman]

I already have the Enterprise 210 on order from HP UK. I hope to receive it now within the next couple of weeks.
This iPAQ will join my other none converged device. I need a converged device about as much as I need a public toilet in the center of my lounge . Who wants a mobile phone included to spoil the fun of using a Pocket PC.
Regards
Brian

[virain]

Nice looking device, but so 90'sh How can it compete with all the upcomming UMPC's and MID that run full, not scale down OS be it Vista, XP, or even one of Linux distro's Ubuntu, for example? I uploaded to my old laptop, and all I can say is "WOW!" I think..., no, I know I will buy HTC SHIfT, and if I am not happy with Vista performance, I will boot it with Ubuntu. I don't care about that SnapVue, ir whatever they call that thing, I just like a form factor, the design 0X

[Dyvim]

If this device had a dedicated GPU, I would definitely get it to replace my aging Dell X51v.

The new PXA 310 Marvell chip it uses has hardware acceleration for MPEG 2 &amp; 4 decoding (including H.264). While this still won't beat the Axim's 2700G GPU when running CorePlayer optimized for 2700G, the video performance is supposed to be quite strong (probably better than just about anything except the Axim). See Brighthand's review of the 110, which uses the same CPU.

This won't help you with gaming, but should be good for video.

Still, I'll be waiting for the reviews to come in to make sure the VGA video performance on the 210 is as good as the QVGA video performance on the 110.

[robshobs]

With my hx4700 having died over Christmas, I have been looking forward to this device coming out. I've done the converged devices but am not fond of the 2.8" screen. Why can't somone put a decent sized screen on a converged device?

I suppose I'll have to start saving up! :)

Rob

[Dyvim]

It looks great but other than better battery management &amp; updated WM6.1, how is it better than my Axim x50v???
4" screen
128 MB RAM
Not confirmed but I saw this at the initial announcement: 262k colors- this makes a big difference for photos and video over 64k
802.11g WiFi
BT 2.0 + EDR
PXA 310 chip is supposedly faster and uses less power than PXA 270 chip (in Axim x50v) at same clock speed
SDHC in the SD card slot
2200 mA battery standard

Each of these is just an incremental improvement over what the Axim has, but taken together they might be enough reason to switch. Still the 2700g GPU on the Axim can not be beat.

[Russ Smith]

Like Rob Alexander, I'm in that minority that doesn't really favor converge devices. I actually prefer to tether my PDA to my cell phone rather than having cellular built in. The reason is that it gives me more flexibility to upgrade either side of the pair. I want a PDA with enough screen space to effectively allow me to work on documents. I don't like running down my phone battery because I'm reading an e-book. That's the same reason I've gone with a Bluetooth GPS instead of getting one of the GPS-enabled models. (CoPilot beats TomTom all hollow as well.)

There are issues with pairing, sure. I went through absolute tech-support purgatory trying to get them to tell me how to "dial in" to the 3g network, but I didn't have to go through the "you can upgrade, but you'll have to pay the 'penalty' since you haven't used up your two year contract yet" or "you can't use that PDA because it isn't marketed by us." When carriers finally become just "carriers", I might leave the 90s :)

virain: I came back to PPCs from using UMPCs. The UMPCs are great in the same way laptops are great. You can do just about anything you can on a desktop system on one of those. However, you also get battery life measured in hours, boot-up time measured in minutes (and off-standby or hibernation time measured at around a minute), small-screen artifacts like "I can't read the text" (so I'll bump the DPI up a bit) "Now I can't see the bottom of my dialog box", and the real killer in my case: it doesn't wake up to sound an alarm. I've still got my UMPC and I'll still use it for presentations (because I like to use embedded film clips), but my day-in/day-out constant companion is my hx4700.

I've run Ubuntu and am running OSX on my UMPC. All I can say there is that the real benefit to running a real desktop OS is the compatibility with all that Windows software. If you're not running Windows...
Yes, I know you can dual-boot or run Parallels or WMWare and run Windows within the other OS, but that's at a cost of about 10GB of hard-drive space on your UMPC. (UMPCs aren't known for huge hard-drive capacities.) Frankly, Linux and OSX didn't have enough to be compelling for me.

Then there's the cost. The HTC Shift costs about 2-3 times as much as the 200 (depending on where and how you get it). If you're doing "mission-critical" work, you'll also want to have ready access, as soon as possible, to a replacement. A PPC is inexpensive enough that you can buy two and always have an immediate replacement for a broken, lost, or stolen one.

[Underwater Mike]

Russ,

What mobile carrier do you have? Trying to get tech support from Cingular/ATT, as far as pairing my old Axim with my phone for data capabilities, was the reason I went converged in the first place.

Now, I am sick of my underpowered 8125 (on my fourth one as they all keep dying). The screen is too small, the sliding keyboard is nowhere near the boon I thought it would be -- I rarely use it -- and the signal reception is terrible. I tried a Tilt but was not impressed.

I'd consider a non-converged device if I could find a carrier with a decent data plan and support.

[PdaAddict]

I am seriously considering ditching my converged HTC mogul and go back to two device solution as well. I am sick of 2.8 QVGA screen and crappy "dual core" underpowered Qualcomm CPU. Yeah, I heard too many people say the Qualcomm chipset is great it's HTC that did not provide proper implementation but at the end of the day what difference does it make to me as the end user. What matters to me is that I paid money and got an unfinished underperforming product. So long HTC!

[DaveStall]

This is the first device to come out in some time that is actually tempting to me. I was starting to worry that companies would completely abandon non converged devices, so it is nice to see a somewhat advanced pure PDA new on the market.

That being said, the price seems a little steep to me for a pure PDA. If my HP 2210 ever stops working (still going strong after all these years) I will have to decide if the VGA screen is worth the extra money over the HP 111, but this sure does look like a winner to me.

Dave

[norti]

This will be my next (and my second) PDA after four years using Mitac's Mio 558. It has all the functions of my old device plus a VGA screen, better CPU, more RAM/ROM, larger battery, WM6. I have CF GPS, so the CF slot is a must and no need for built-in GPS. I don't like phone PDAs, so this is The PDA I'll definitely buy this year :)

[ddwire]

I am very tempted too. I also am sick and tired of the tiny 2.8" or worse yet Treo screens on the converged devices.

I would miss the Treo 700WX keyboard though I think I survive with out it.

[Texican]

I'll echo what many have been saying about going back to unconverged. I hate the crappy 2.8" QVGA screen of my 8525 and one micro SD expansion slot limited to 2g that limits you on what you can carry. Let's see, today will I take a movie and music or use my gps? I don't like having to keep up with multiple micro SD cards. I've said it before here and I'll say it again, I want my Dell Axim X50V to make phone calls (or I'd take this one too if it was a phone also)! I'll wait till someone gets there hands on this first before I get it.

[r@dimus]

Any information on whether the CF slot will be type I or type II? There is nothing in the specs about this.

[SHC]

Any information on whether the CF slot will be type I or type II? There is nothing in the specs about this.

It's type II - it will take a microdrive etc.

[superrrguy]

I have a 3125, a Tilt, and a Toshiba e805. I love that the the e805 has a huge screen but I never feel that the Tilt is too small during a day. The Tilt seems to be my go to device as it has a good combination of the the smartphone and the PDA but when it comes down to it, the reason the bigger screen isn't much more useful is because of the sub-par browsers on the devices.

What I don't get is how in 2008, they can stick 256mb into a non-phone device that's $450 and think it's ok. The iPod Touch has 16gigs! for $400.00. It may not be the exact same device for the exact same person but it should at least push the market to a new level.

I'm sure we'd all add some flash cards to our new device but that adds another $100. WTF HP?

[norti]

I have a 3125, a Tilt, and a Toshiba e805. I love that the the e805 has a huge screen but I never feel that the Tilt is too small during a day. The Tilt seems to be my go to device as it has a good combination of the the smartphone and the PDA but when it comes down to it, the reason the bigger screen isn't much more useful is because of the sub-par browsers on the devices.

What I don't get is how in 2008, they can stick 256mb into a non-phone device that's $450 and think it's ok. The iPod Touch has 16gigs! for $400.00. It may not be the exact same device for the exact same person but it should at least push the market to a new level.

I'm sure we'd all add some flash cards to our new device but that adds another $100. WTF HP?

Do not compare a motorcycle to a car... they're not the same category.

[treynolds]

LOOOOOONG time lurker, first time poster.

Like several others here, I'm not a huge fan of converged devices, that is if the definition of converged means PDA + phone.

Having had a Toshiba Genio in the past, I always wanted a VGA device, but didn't like the HP4700 and the Dell X51v was too much with too little battery life.

My Clie TH55 is getting VERY long in the tooth and will be 4 years old. I've not found anything to replace it with, and at 51 years old do NOT want to go to a small, cramped screen.

I still have many apps that could run on this device. Very tempting indeed...

Love the:

- VGA screen
- Long battery life
- Light weight
- Dual memory slots

Too bad it doesn't have a good quality cameraa for taking quick visual notes.

[Underwater Mike]

For me, Apple is "almost there" with the iPhone. If they'd get their act together and spiff up that device, I'd abandon my investment in the WM platform. Eight years is too long to put up with the problems with WM.

BTW, Axim X5 was the best PPC I ever had. Two years after getting an 8125, the Axim is still sitting in its cradle on my desk, waiting patiently to be used...



I have a 3125, a Tilt, and a Toshiba e805. I love that the the e805 has a huge screen but I never feel that the Tilt is too small during a day. The Tilt seems to be my go to device as it has a good combination of the the smartphone and the PDA but when it comes down to it, the reason the bigger screen isn't much more useful is because of the sub-par browsers on the devices.

What I don't get is how in 2008, they can stick 256mb into a non-phone device that's $450 and think it's ok. The iPod Touch has 16gigs! for $400.00. It may not be the exact same device for the exact same person but it should at least push the market to a new level.

I'm sure we'd all add some flash cards to our new device but that adds another $100. WTF HP?

[cgavula]

Convergence means compromise. This device doesn't have to make those same compromises.

I likede my WM converged devices (most of the time) and love the iPhone (and have one), but this device has better overall specs than nearly all WM converged devices out there and does have a number of things not found on an iPhone:

* 2 card slots (CF type II and SDHC) so the 256MB onboard vs. 8GB/16GB is nearly irrelevant since the iPod isn't expandable.

* VGA screen vs a WQVGA on the iPhone (although the iPhone offers a higher color depth).

* Full D-pad for those that prefer that kind of thing.

If you think this device is overprices at $449, you should take a look on eBay where devices like the x51v and the hx4700 were (at least until this came out) selling USED at near their original retail prices (around $300-$400). This device betters those devices in a number of ways already listed. There are plenty of people who will pay the money.

For my money - I like the separation. I run GPS nav apps and I don't like the phone interrupting the process (but I don't want to NOT get the phone call either) and I don't want a stand alone PNA (which costs the same, by the way) that can only do one or two functions. Also this device is a great size for reading eBooks and playing games.

This device is MORE functional with a LOWER retail price than the last few high-end HP PDAs. I think it may sell better than some people think.

--Chris

[palur]

Initially, 210 was supposed to have USB on the go. I did not find it in the specs. Am I missing something?

I still feel XDA Flame is a preferred pocket pc (without the phone aspect) as it has built in 2gb memory, VGA WOW surround speakers, FM radio, TV with audio out and universal remote controller. Last but not the least USB host capabilities.
I am using it as just a pocket pc sans phone (bluetooth wake up issues).

[Gerard]

Though an Asus or Eten (can't recall which) comes close, it looks to me like this HP device comes closest to covering the front of the device with screen of all Windows Mobile devices. I like the idea of a device where the whole of the part one looks at is actually readable, not just the area the manufacturer finds convenient for the sake of various design constraints. Of course running glass right out to the edges wouldn't be practical for durability... and I hope non-breakable touchscreens come along soon to resolve this problem. Further, it seems most UMPC designers are content to make even smaller screens, proportional to the outer dimensions, so that the frame around the screen becomes almost the same area as the actual screen! That's just nuts. My Toshiba e830 has a 4" screen with a total diagonal body dimension of almost 6". I'd like to see the lower buttons actually gone, moved to the side panels, and have at least a 5" screen on a device that size.

Nice screen layout aside, I like the features, though yes, it is a bit of an echo of my Toshiba, which is 3 or more years old, has a 520MHz processor which handles video quite nicely, built-in wireless, same two slots, same RAM... . and of course similar to the last couple of Axim models as well. I find myself agreeing that a GSM phone built-in would make it a lot more tempting. Put the speaker and mic on the back, to avoid face smudges and accidental screen presses - a couple of problems I have often with my Atom. A tiny device is without a doubt handy, for a phone, but I find that I use the Toshiba rather little since it's tricky to keep my business data current on two devices, and the phone gets the job by default. Yup, putting a phone into this HP would make it quite a package. I guess the days of non-converged devices are gone for me.

[norti]

Initially, 210 was supposed to have USB on the go. I did not find it in the specs. Am I missing something?


USB host functionality is not present in the retail device, but from a "secret source" I heard, that it will be available maybe later with a rom upgrade (there are a lot of bugs still in there, so that's why it isn't offered now) :)

(And I'll be banned for sure, telling you this now :D)

[treynolds]

This device is MORE functional with a LOWER retail price than the last few high-end HP PDAs. I think it may sell better than some people think. --Chris

My HP Jornada 565 was $499, and that was about 7 years ago. With inflation I think the current price of $449 is actually very good, especially given that flash memory is now so inexpensive. As noted, all of the higher-end PDA's are fetching premium prices on eBay.

I had great hopes for the Nokia N810, but the software just isn't there yet and I'm not nor do I want to be a Linux geek. For sheer functionality I could get the HP 210 and hit the ground running with a world of apps and no learning curve.

[disconnected]

I prefer a separate phone, but I do wish this had GPS and a camera. A separate bluetooth GPS is fine in the car, but I'd still like it built in for occasional pedestrian use. Similarly, I know the camera wouldn't be great, but it would always be with me.

I'll probably order this anyway, because my aging 4700 is getting a bit flakey. I've had it much longer than any of my several other PPCs, so it's been a while since I've had to go through the process of reinstalling all the apps and reconnecting to phone and GPS. I'm not really looking forward to that, or to upgrading ActiveSynch, which sounds like it's getting worse instead of better.

Has anyone tethered a WM6 device to a Sprint phone, and is it difficult? That's always the most confusing thing to me, and I feel so cut off from the world until I accomplish it. I already have a Sprint phone-as-modem plan.

[Jason Dunn]

Just an FYI, I'm asking MobilePlanet/Expansys if they can offer some sort of special promo, maybe free shipping or a small discount, for Pocket PC Thoughts readers. Stay tuned, I'll probably post about it on Monday if there's any good news. :wink:

[JPD6825]

Very tempting. This made me think that there might actually be life after X50v.

I'd like to spend some time with WM6 after living so long in the WM2003 universe.

Then again, there is the i-Mate Ultimate 9502! I've never converged, but that is also very tempting.

But the i-Mate is just not in my future. My employer recently picked up the tab for my cell phone - and there is this little issue about 'no camera phones at work'. Maybe I should get a new job?

Jason, if you hook us up with a promo on this HP... you'll be a huge hero!

[disconnected]

A discount would be great.

Now the next important thing is to find a nice flip case. I wonder how soon there will be some available.

[SHC]

The first thing would be to get hold of one!
They may have been reported as released to shipping by HP but it does not look like anyone is going to get hold of one anytime soon.
People who placed orders the las couple of days have apparently had an email from Hp saying "delayed"

[captgoodhope]

Just got my 'delayed' email. :roll:

[Mikey]

Jason,

Thanks a lot for trying to get us the hook up. This is a cool device. Might get me to switch from the Dell Axim x50v I am using...

[delfuhd]

finally! An updated non-converged device. I've been using my 2210 since it came out, the only problem with that is that it still works perfectly. Not enough to justify spending an extra 450 just for vga, 802.11, wm6 etc... I will be getting this though, just when the price drops a little :D

And I'm glad to see that some people are considering going back to two seperate devices instead of converged. That sounds odd I guess but I've always kept two devices and I'm hoping this will stir the pot so as to see standalone ppc's rise up once again! muaahahaha

[Tanker Bob]

I, too, do not like the compromises of convergence. I have a Blackberry for work which is passable for email but little else. The screen is just too small and the CPU too anemic.

I have been toying with upgrading my X50v to WM6, but the available upgrade seems to have some flakes around the edges and its developer has moved on to other things. It also has the wrong kind and not enough of FlashROM for WM5/6 performance. The Axim still works well, but newer apps have more capability in WM5/6 than WM2003SE. Until now, I haven't found anything worth the money to upgrade, and VGA is so rare. I almost bought a used X51v over the weekend for upgrade to WM6, but then a friend told me about the iPAQ 210.

I like the specs. 18-bit VGA, good sized screen, lots of Flash and RAM, 802.11g, SDHC and CF (I have a CF GPS card). This looks like my next PDA, assuming that it actually ships and gets good reviews. I'm a bit concerned about losing the Axim's graphics processor, but then CorePlayer is the only app that uses it. If Jason gets us some sort of discount, though, I'll probably jump on it. Go Jason!

[Peseta]

I still use my iPAQ hx4700 daily after almost 3 years (BTW still great battery performance). Can't live without it.
Built like a brick: Nothing squeeks or rattles and after 3 years only when looking intensely at it, you'll see a few faint scratches that give away that it's not just out of the box (I've always used a screenprotector).

Never went for the converged devices because of those rediculous small screens. For my calendar (Pocket Informant) weekview and it's really usefull for showing photographs right out of my Ixus.
I also wouldn't want to miss VGA for the pictures and when using internet.

Improvements of the 210 are small compared to the hx4700, but one major: getting rid of the touchpad. Even after 3 years I still can't get used to it.

I'll first wait for a few reviews before deciding to switch (f.i. performance of bluetooth and wifi and reliability), but if they are positive I think I'll replace my trusted and reliable hx4700.

[Fellwalker]

The only convergence i would have really liked is GPS.
I moved to an hx4700 from a Psion 5. Its still not as good at the data, diary and tasks, but better on the other stuff. Yes its more powerful, but that adds clutter.
The hp also loses out on multi taksing whchih the psion did so well. I could open all my programs, and switch between them by pressing their hot key - instantly.
With 2003SE (I tried and gave back the Khozzura ROMs) i need an add on program like Magic Button to allow task switching properly. Whether or not i use that, it frequently hits out of memory. Even without that, just using TomTom regularly means it runs out of driver memory and needs a re-boot. I hope the new WM6 overcomes that.
In a bad YEAR i might have to reboot my psion twice.
I use the hx4700 regularly for diary, alarms, internet with email, e-books (sorry guys, ms), data, satnav, photos and occasionally music.
There is no way a smaller screen would let me do that.
A bigger screen would lose portability, speed, and mostly battery life.

Life is a compromise, and this HP form factor is very close.

My hx4700's internal back up battery has died, and no one in the UK seems to be able to supply a replacement. Therefore i am taped up to prevent the battery lock opening in error, as that reboots my machine.
So it looks like a change is on the cards. Yes, to an iPAQ 210.

[disconnected]

Just got my 'delayed' email. :roll:

Do they give you any hint of when it might be expected to ship?

[captgoodhope]

Do they give you any hint of when it might be expected to ship?

Nope, nothing. They said they'd contact me again if it hasn't shipped within 10 days of the email.

[Sven Johannsen]

Do they give you any hint of when it might be expected to ship?

Nope, nothing. They said they'd contact me again if it hasn't shipped within 10 days of the email.
Just ten days? That's not bad. For some of you that are looking for additional features, see if some of the CF additions aren't still out there. I have a camera, GPS, BarCode Scanner, and some other stuff from my Jornada, X50, 2215 days. BT is a decent option for the GPS. I noticed something interesting too on the assessory list. HP had some of the first BT stereo headsets for the 4150/2215 PPCs. That is listed again as available for this device. I wouldn't get them, as the band had a habit of breaking, but it means the device supports A2DP, and there are lots of good BT headphones around.

[captgoodhope]

The hp store is now displaying an estimate ship date of Feb 5--of this year, I assume.

[captgoodhope]

Just got mine. Am I the first? :mrgreen:

[Tanker Bob]

Just got mine. Am I the first? :mrgreen:

Review? Thoughts? Pics?

[captgoodhope]

Here’s some first impressions. More later.

It’s big and boxy. Bland design.

There’s a 1 to 2 second delay between pushing the power button and the screen turning on.

Screen is nice but looks a little yellow to me.

The fonts look fuzzy until cleartype is turned on.

Had a dreadful time getting the battery door off the first time. The back is all rubbery and smooth.

Headphone jack is on the bottom. :evil:

Very nice stylus but it’s a little short for me.

Took an 8gb sdhc card no problem.

[Tanker Bob]

Thanks! If you have seen both, how does the size compare to an Axim? Are the sides curved across the depth so that it fits comfortably in your hand?

[mversion]

You should do the first video review as there seems to be a lack of any kind of review :)

I have an x51v and yet I am seriously considering purchasing this when comes out here down under. They tell me it should be out within a month over here. Can you say more about the screen quality?

Here’s some first impressions. More later.

It’s big and boxy. Bland design.

There’s a 1 to 2 second delay between pushing the power button and the screen turning on.

Screen is nice but looks a little yellow to me.

The fonts look fuzzy until cleartype is turned on.

Had a dreadful time getting the battery door off the first time. The back is all rubbery and smooth.

Headphone jack is on the bottom. :evil:

Very nice stylus but it’s a little short for me.

Took an 8gb sdhc card no problem.

[captgoodhope]

Thanks! If you have seen both, how does the size compare to an Axim? Are the sides curved across the depth so that it fits comfortably in your hand?

I don't have an axim here but from what I remember, the hp is bigger. The sides taper from front to back (the back is narrower), but are square and not rounded--that's why I say boxy. Probably not as comfortable to hold.

[Tanker Bob]

Thanks! If you have seen both, how does the size compare to an Axim? Are the sides curved across the depth so that it fits comfortably in your hand?

I don't have an axim here but from what I remember, the hp is bigger. The sides taper from front to back (the back is narrower), but are square and not rounded--that's why I say boxy. Probably not as comfortable to hold.

Thank you. I have an X50v and fully intend to order the iPAQ 210 towards the end of the month unless some kindly early adopter talks me out of it. I'll leave you alone now to enjoy your new acquisition. Please keep us informed!

Still waiting for Jason's discount... :wink:

[captgoodhope]

Can you say more about the screen quality?

I have a Fujitsu N560--I like it's screen better. The hp is definitely yellower and not as contrasty. Pictures don't look quite as nice. It's not a bad screen but when you're comparing two in front of you, you can see the shortcomings.

[mversion]

well, took the plunge and got the 212 (as it is known here down under)...

man this thing is huge. I thought my x51v was big after moving up from my h4150 (the most beautifully designed pda). i was planning on selling my x51v, but now I think I might hold on it.

There is some yellow action going on, but over all the 212 screen is much better, brighter and with more contrast.

The only concern is that I just noticed a dead pixel. Will have to call hp tomorrow and see what their dead pixel policy is. Better cover a single dead pixel! I don't know if it is the new ipaqs, or the store I am buying from, but the 112 we bought for a friend was DOA, and now this.
I don't know what goes on in the US, but here you still have to get an RA number etc. from HP before you can go back to the store, even if you made your purchase an hour ago.

Anyway, will continue on playing.

PS. the hp site states 260K colours, 18-bit screen, but the asset viewer clearly states 65535, what's up with that?