Saturday, July 5, 2008

HP iPAQ rx5915 Travel Companion

HP iPAQ rx5915 Travel Companion

ipaq rx5915

Powerful, convenient, value for money PDA/GPS package. Slightly big and heavy for use as a PDA to carry around everyday, though large enough to display sufficient features for a GPS to be functional. It seems to take a while for the GPS signal to lock in and hold a signal and occasionally the signal is lost while driving despite clear skies and the GPS having a clear view of the sky. The interface is fine, though I think Belkin's GPS software is slightly better overall. I do not like the fact that it does not tell you whether your destination is on the left or right hand side of the road. I also wish the input keyboard was in qwerty format and had an auto-complete feature to save time when inputting addresses. I also wish that it would at least pronounce names of freeways when giving directions. Overall though, it has no competition because of its excellent PDA and above average GPS functionality in an affordable price.

The swiss army knife of GPS devices and pocket PC's!!

I have owned this unit for 1 month and have to say I am very pleased with it. I have read alot of reviews and the ones that I have read that were bad are no surprise to me. The people who complained are not technically savy. Their are 1,000's of free applications out there to make this device almost the ultimate tool. This unit runs Windows Mobile 5. Granted it doesn't have all the nice features of Windows Mobile 6, but you can download just about any application for it and most of them are free! Ex: I have installed MS Live search mobile, very cool app. that gives me the directions, movie times, traffic reports, etc. all via the internet. Another nice app. is Yahoo2go... I get syncronized email and contacts, weather reports, news headlines etc. And finally for video I have a blast with Youtubeplay! The only reason I give it 4 stars is that it does not have a phone. But I purchased this mainly for the GPS and the Windows Mobile features. The GPS does take alittle while to acquire the signal initially. But you can purchase an optional antenna to speed up the acquisition time (approx. $19) If you are going to purchase a GPS, my thought is you should get more for your money, and this unit is a perfect match.

OK GPS, below par PDA

After having and using this unit for 4 months, here are my thoughts: The HP iPAQ rx5915 works OK as a GPS. It sometimes aquires a fix in seconds, other times it takes minutes. I find that if you enter the address that you want to go to before you are where it can obtain a signal, it seems like it will never get a fix. I usually shut down TomTom and restart once I am in the car. If I then enter the address it will get a fix fairly quickly. But I mainly bought this to replace my aging Casio E-125 which had it's own Mobile Calendar and Contact software. This unit, though over 7 years old, typically responds to alarms and input more quickly than the brand new HP iPAQ. The HP has more memory, a MUCH faster processor, etc. But I guess that the software is more bloated or something because when the alarm goes off, it stutters like it's struggling to get the sound out and launch the reminder pop-up. VERY annoying! I didn't like the basic calendar and contact software that came with the unit, to I purchased and installed Pocket Informant 8 which is highly configurable but is still sluggish in responding to commands and alarms. It's a real shame that something so much newer and more sophisticated does the basics so much worse. Also, I usually have to push the on-off button 2 or 3 times to get it to respond. Not sure if this is hardware or software related. But also very annoying. The wireless portion works OK, but trying to browse the web on a screen that size is an exercise in frustration. It has come in handy a few times, but other than that, I find it to be little more than a gimmick. I guess that if I used it for email it would be OK, but again, I don't usually have to, so I don't. I would say that the only things to recommend this unit are the brightness of the screen (my old PDA was impossible to see outdoors) and the fact that it is slimmer and lighter than the Casio. Other than that, not much to recommend it and I wouldn't buy it again.

IPAQ PDA with Navigator

Typical Hp IPAQ quality combines the ease of a Tom-Tom GPS navigation system with full mobile office capabilities. Easy to set-up and use. I upgraded the Mobile Office for Office 2007 interface with ease. Comes with handy window mount and AC and auto charger adapter. Also charges through USB port on computer.

TomTom poor with support for this device

I purchased this product 2 months ago thinking I could solve most of the critical points I read online but I am still struggling trying to run the French map which I successfully downloaded and installed onto an SD card. I did read that the TomTom application also needs to reside on the SD card because no link can be established between the iPAQ File Store, where it lives, and the SD card. The application cannot be moved nor does it exist anywhere else that I can access to install onto the SD card. So as of now, my French maps are unuseable 1.5 weeks before my trip. TomTom does not answer its "contact us" support screen and ignores this particular device on its webpage. I think that HP owes us a better interface and documentation.



Keyword : tomtom

No comments: