HP iPAQ 1945 Pocket PC

[Archived in $200 - $300, Bluetooth, Games, Handhelds and PDAs, Hewlett Packard, Music, PDAs und Handhelds, Productivity Software, Products]

Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard
Price at amazon.com: Used & new from $125.00




Product Features:

• A thin, light, and affordable Pocket PC
• Includes mobile versions of Microsoft Office: Pocket Outlook, Word, and Excel
• Integrated Bluetooth for wireless communication with other Bluetooth devices
• Great multimedia features
• What's in the box: iPaQ 1945, USB synchronization cable, AC Adapter, battery, charger adapter, audio adapter, iPAQ Pocket PC companion CD

Product Description:

The thin, light, and affordable hp iPAQ Pocket PC h1945 has great features at an incredible value to meet your handheld computing needs.

Average Customer Rating:

---

Comment: The iPAQ 1945 - A Pocket PC Approaching Perfection Rating:
The iPAQ 1945, also sold as the iPAQ 1940, is the first in a line of planned successors to the iPAQ 1910. HP has addressed many of the concerns that 1910 users had, namely that the 1910 was too slow and lacked hardware expansion options. The 1945 is powered by a new 266MHz processor from Samsung which rivals, and sometimes surpasses, the usable speed of many XScale chips from Intel. Other features of the iPAQ 1945 include 64MB of RAM (56MB of which are user accessible), a crisp, bright transflective color screen, onboard Bluetooth wireless, and a Secure Digital slot which can use SD flash memory cards and SDIO peripherals such as 802.11b WLAN cards.

Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC replaced Pocket PC 2002 as the most current Pocket PC OS in June 2003 and comes installed on the 1945. While the version of Windows Mobile 2003 pre-installed on the iPAQ lacks a few minor applications (such as Microsoft Reader), each can be downloaded for free. Because HP left the choice to the end-user, the iPAQ File Store - unused space on the ROM - has over 13MB free for software, files, etc.

As I mentioned before, the Samsung processor keeps the 1945 moving along very well. Having recently used an iPAQ 5450 (400Mhz PXA250 XScale), a Toshiba e755 (400MHz PXA255 XScale) and a Toshiba e355 (300MHz PXA255 XScale), I can say that, from a casual use point-of-view, the iPAQ 1945 surpasses the speed of the iPAQ 5450 and Toshiba e355 and feels basically on level with the Toshiba e755. One of the touted benefits of the Samsung processor is long battery life, and while I didn't get the eight hours that HP suggested I might, I got almost seven hours use out of the 1945 with the backlight on its lowest setting before I had to recharge; a very good result.

There is only one real drawback to the iPAQ 1945, as I see it, and it's relatively minor and completely fixable: the 1945 ships with only a USB Sync cable, not a cradle. While some might actually prefer this, I miss not having a cradle to rest the iPAQ in while it's not in use. The good news here is that there is a cradle available (the same cradle that works with the iPAQ 1910), and you can purchase if you want it.

All-in-all, the iPAQ 1945 is an amazing addition to the Pocket PC family. If you like small, light PDAs with oomph, the 1945 might be right up your alley.

---

Comment: Best PPC for most people Rating:
I felt compelled to write a review of this great device after reading a terribly uniformed review from someone that doesn't even own the device.

The good!

Size - The smallest on the market. Fits nicely in your pocket without feeling like you're carrying a brick, unlike so many other PPCs.

Speed - Many benchmarks rate this unit faster than the 2215, which uses a 400mhz Intel processor. Audio, video playback is smooth as can be. It is plenty fast.

Bluetooth - Bluetooth(bt) allows this device to be every bit as capable and expandable as the larger and more expensive devices. Bluetooth applications include:
Link to bt GPS for real-time driving and mapping directions
Link to bt cell phone for mobile remote dial up
Link to PC for wireless sycing, printing, and browsing.

Expandable - SD, WiFi, and even a combo card with WiFi and 256MG will be available.

Screen - The best screen on the market (except for the 1910)

Battery - Battery performance is adequate. You can by an additional battery for pretty cheap if needed.

Cons!

Non-standard headphone jack - It comes with an adapter that works very well, but it is still a much bigger inconvenience than I expected.

Screen - The screen puts a yellow tint on stark white when you tilt the unit away from you. I barely notice it, and don't think this is a big issue, but I've read where others are put off by it. The screen is still one of the best on the market.

No docking station - Not a big issue for me, especially with the Bluetooth.

In summary:
With the exception of commercial grade infrared (the 1945 has IR, just not commercial grade) which would allow it to be used as a universal remote, there is nothing this PPC can't do that the bigger and more expensive devices do. It is the best PPC on the market in my opinion.

If size is important, you can't do better than the 1945. If a very compact size (and money) isn't important to you I suggest the 2215.

---

Comment: Best Bang For the Buck Rating:
The Pros
Value- The HP 1945's price is hard to beat for the quality and features. With integrated Bluetooth, a 266Mhz CPU, 64MB RAM, 32MB ROM, and up to 14MB for the IPaq File Store; the HP 1945 is the best bang for the buck!

Size- This PDA is tiny, but still has a decent size screen at 3.5". It is very slim and even with a case, it is still smaller than most of the others on the market.

Performance- The HP 1945's performance is actually quite shocking. It outperforms all slower processor PDA's and outperforms several with faster processors. It opens all applications fast, and data transfer is smooth and error free.

Screen- The screen is bright and brilliant. Colors are beautifully displayed with video and pictures looking crystal clear.

Bluetooth- The integrated Bluetooth in a PDA under $300 is awesome. I use the Bluetooth to surf the web and check my email from my couch. I have had no problems syncing or with data transfers. This is a great feature, and I am now going to start buying more Bluetooth peripherals because of the ease of use.

Software- I love Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC. It is seemlessly integrated with other Microsoft apps like Word, Outlook, Excel, and Powerpoint. This makes life alot easier for me. Another thing I like is using the Microsoft Theme editor to make my own customized desktops (Today screens). Finally, software plus is the availability of some great PocketPC freeware []

[]

Audio- The MP3 playback is very nice, and the speakers sound good. I have seen some complaints about the headphone jack adaptor, but I don't see it as a big issue. They had to make the jack smaller to keep the PDA as slim as possible. The voice recorder is a great feature that allows you to instantly make voice recordings with just one click.

The Cons-
No Commercial Grade IR - To make your PDA into a Remote Control. No biggie, but that would have been a nice feature.
Small center button - Makes games a bit difficult (but who really plays games, right?)
Documentation - The PDA manual is weak, and I had to search the web to figure out how to use some of the functions.

Conclusion -
If you are shopping for a PDA at a great price that is packed with features and performance, look no further than the HP 1945. It has features that are comparable to PDA's priced at $400, while it is priced under $300! This is a top-notch PDA!

Posted at November 11, 2003 06:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)