 In many of our PDA reviews, we say that PDAs can keep you
working while you're on the road. In this case, we put that
statement to the test; part of this review was written on the
Jornada itself.
You can organize your appointments, to-do list,
address book, and more while you're traveling. You can also keep
up with the latest news and stay connected to your desktop, all
in beautiful color with the HP Jornada 420.
To set up the Jornada, we installed the battery pack, connected
the AC power cord, placed the Jornada in its docking cradle, and
followed the on-screen instructions. Then, we installed
Microsoft Windows CE Services 2.2 and followed its setup wizard.
The process was entirely straightforward, made painless by
following the Getting Started card.
When you turn on the Jornada 420, you'll notice its CSTN LCD
display--a type of passive matrix display--has colors that are
as bright as those on many active matrix displays. You navigate
through the Jornada's core information management applications
by pressing several side-mounted buttons, designed for
one-handed operation, or by tapping the stylus on the backlit
display.
The display has a transparent plastic shield to protect
the screen while you read from it. The Jornada 420 is very
comfortable to hold and operate. For text input, you have your
choice of tapping the on-screen keyboard or using the Jot
handwriting system.
In our test, on the desktop PC, we added a mobile channel to
Microsoft Internet Explorer's channels. (The feature does not
work with Netscape Navigator.) We then set the ActiveSync
options to include channels during the synchronization process.
After synchronization, we could read information from the
channel at our leisure. We also moved a Note Taker file from the
Jornada's My Documents folder to our desktop PC, where the file
became part of this review.
As part of the HP family of PDAs, the Jornada 420 inherits many
fine characteristics, such as rugged good looks, but as the
smallest and most portable member, we also appreciated its
unique identity.
Pros:
Cons:
Features:
-
Beautiful
256-color CSTN screen
-
Supports
CompactFlash modem, pager, memory cards
-
Windows
CE OS and Pocket Outlook
-
8-MB
RAM
-
IrDA
port version 1.2
Technical
data:
-
Memory:
8-MB RAM, 8-MB ROM
-
CPU:
100-MHz Hitachi SH7709a
Operating
System: WinCE version 2.11 -
Expandability:
CompactFlash slot, supports
pager/modem option
-
Display:
240 x 320, 256 colors, CSTN LCD
matrix
-
Connectivity:
RS232 serial port, infrared IrDA
1.2 port
-
Power:
AC adapter/recharger 100 to
240VAC, 50 to 60 Hz, 0.5A, outputting 5.25V at 2.5A;
rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack; backup memory battery
-
Size:
3.2 by 5.1 by 0.9 inches
(approximately)
-
Weight:
8.81 ounces
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