HP iPAQ 2215 Pocket PC

Why? Because the OS software and Sync software loads and operates flawlessly. HP answered every complaint ever made about PDA's from its competitors and its own PDA products. This machine tops them all. It was my last machine to review after three days of intense research. When I went to buy the second best, this unit had just hit the rack. After working with it and despite the fact there were no reviews out by other users, I took a chance because it looked and worked absolutely perfect. In the electronics department, this was one the smartest moves I ever made.

Before this, I didn't know what to buy: Pocket PC or Palm. How glad I am that I chose the IPAQ H2215. I am a minister of the gospel and loaded this thing with Bible software, a mini-word processor - heavy weight programs and they work like a dream. It is not a toy or a gadget - it is a wonderful tool!

The battery is replaceable and operates a good 5-6 hours in heavy use. The cradle connection is solid; there is no doubt that you are charging the unit. There is a place on the charger for a second battery, as the battery can be replaced by the user. Also, there is an adapter to permit you to charge on the road, without the cradle. Nothing extra to buy.

It uses both CF (compact flash) and SD Card, has blue tooth installed and the screen is marvelous. The processor is lightning fast. The unit fits in your shirt or pants pocket easy enough. If you work a lot away from the office or home desk top, this is the unit you want.

Buy it!


Finally - a PDA that meets all of my needs.   October 7, 2003
54 out of 59 found this review helpful

I purchased this PDA after owning 3 Palm OS PDAs and after debating purchasing a Pocket PC PDA for alomst a year. I have no idea why I waited so long.

First off, the size and weight of this PDA are fantastic! Much smaller than the Dell that I almost bought. I bought the case with belt clip and I always have it with me when I am working.

Another huge advantage over the previous Palms that I owned - direct integration with my MS applications. It is fantastic to be able to directly open and modify Excel and Word documents without using a 3rd party software package.

The bluetooth feature is great. Another reviewer listed this as a con. They need to do some digging into the advantages of bluetooth. My whole house is wired for network so I have no need for 802.11 wireless access. Bluetooth is the perfect solution. I purchased a USB bluetooth adapter that has a 100 meter range for $24 and can sync my palm, send/receive emails, browse the web and access files from anywhere in my house. If I wanted to do that with a wireless network, I would have to buy a router for $100, buy a wireless adapter for my PC and then have a PDA with WiFi built in. HP makes one, but it is $655.00. Not only does it cost twice as much, it is much larger and much heavier.

You can't use Wireless with a phone or with GPS - two more reasons for bluetooth. You can also get bluetooth headphones and keyboards.

Overall, I love this thing. The speed is great. The screen is very sharp and the OS is very easy to use if you are familiar with Windows.


iPAQ 2215-Best PocketPC to date! PPC 2003-Best Pocket OS   June 22, 2003
35 out of 37 found this review helpful

The 2215 is the best PocketPC I have owned since the original iPAQ 3635 years ago. With built-in Bluetooth, CF, and SD, the iPAQ 2215 is highly expandable, in the smallest form factor of a device with such features. The unit is LIGHT, 5.1oz. The screen is brilliant as all those of iPAQ 39xx-onwards units. The sound quality through the internal speaker is loud, and through headphones loud and high-quality (with integrated Bass and Treble controls). Bluetooth works very well...I use it to sync with my laptop and connect to the net with my Nokia 3650. When I need high-speed internet, I pop in my Ambicom 802.11b CF card and I'm online. Microsoft's new PocketPC 2003 Operating System is the fastest thus far...Pocket Internet Explorer is much-improved, accomodating full-sized websites to the smaller screen. Windows Media Player 9 is also much-improved, particularly in playing videos. The iPAQ also has a universal universal remote control built-in (Nevo), and it works very well to control my home theater system.

Definately a thumbs-up...Never been happier with a device.


In the world of technology versatility is a must   December 4, 2003
M. Jordan (NYC)
24 out of 24 found this review helpful

Pros:
- Can use both CF cards and SD memory
- Decent battery life (Avg: 6-9 hours)
- Nevo is a pretty cool universal remote
- Docking station and Active Sync

Cons:
- Integrated Bluetooth, would be better if it had 802.11b instead
- Media Player can't play avi files
- Wish it came with a vibration mode for alarm

I've had my iPAQ for the last 4 months and it's been least to say an experience. With it's calender program I'm able to organize my life because, college life is extremely chaotic. The calender is easy to tweak for editing the pattern or just a single occurance. For some time I was also using it as an MP3 player, while I was getting the kinks out of my Archos, which works properly now. The sound quality is superb, with and without headphones. The playlist feature is good considering that it uses Media Player 9(I'm not very fond of Media Player I still use 6.1 on my PC). In addition I've been able to play small MPEG's on it. However, it can't play AVI files that I make from my digital camera.

The resolution from pictures is pretty decent for the screen size (3in x 2.25in). The picture viewer prpogram runs a bit slow but it does the job. It comes with Nevo which is a good universal remote program that is easy to navigate. It uses Active Sync which allows you to syncronize email and calander between your iPAQ and PC.

Now I haven't been able to try Bluetooth (the campus I'm on uses 802.11b wireless) which is more common I think and would have been better than the integrated Bluetooth. I have been able to use the internet on it while it was connected to my PC. It wasn't complicated using the onscreen keyboard. For taking down quick notes it uses a handwriting recognition function because of course using the styllus on the keyboard can be a little tedious for some things.

The main reason I would recommend this iPAQ is that you can choose between two types of storage. The smaller SD memory, which is a little expensive or CF memory which which is cheaper. Not many Pocket PC's utilize CF memory and because the camera I have uses CF I decided to buy it.

At some point my iPAQ did stop functioning and I had to call HP tech support. I've seen lots of horror stories abobut them but I had a pretty easy time on thet phone with an ENGLISH speaking person with no accent. He was very helpful sent me a new battery (which was where the problem was) and I had my iPAQ back running in less than a week wait. I'm very happy now.


Nice hardware, improved connectivity   July 30, 2003
Andrew Lynn (Upstate)
22 out of 22 found this review helpful

I waited a long time for the new models to come out and ordered the 2215 as soon as it was available. It was worth it.

First off, let me say that the software upgrade from 2002 to 2003 is barely noticeable, except for a few connectivity features, one of which I've found very helpful. This version has a good Bluetooth Manager that makes connecting to a Bluetooth cell phone (such as a Sony/Ericsson T68) easy. With this feature, the cell phone can be used as a modem with a dialup internet service (e.g. MSN or Earthlink) for net access from anywhere with free nights and weekends, and in addition to the included email software and Internet Explorer just about all the net software you could want is available for PocketPC - AIM, ICQ, IRC, SSH.... If you want Wifi you'll need a CompactFlash addon card.

Pocket Word and Excel are useful but don't expect to write a book on it without an addon keyboard. The iPaq picture viewer with slideshow and thumbnails is a nice touch, works very well with the CompactFlash card from my digital camera.

As far as the hardware, you get 400MHz, 64MB, 2 kinds of expansion slots, Bluetooth and a very nice screen in a package that's an inch shorter and a fair bit sleeker than older iPaqs - definitely pocketable. The battery life is a good 8 hours (less if you're doing battery-draining things like running the screen at full brightness or playing Age of Empires). 64MB sounds like a lot but you'll use that up pretty quickly if you start installing software or downloading e-books - fortunately a Secure Digital expansion card works seamlessly and doesn't add to the size or weight of the device.

One complaint - the rubber grips on the sides are not attached as securely as I would have expected, and they are coming off. I fixed this with superglue.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Addendum, one year after purchasing:

The rubber grips came off completely, and I ended up calling HP about a week before the warranty ran out. They sent me new ones, no charge, and replacing them is very easy. I'm pretty sure they came off because the slip cover they include rubs against them, so I still recommend this PDA highly but advise you to get a different case for it.