Hewlett-Packard's first mid-range model, the iPAQ h2210, boasts more than enough power to take on high-end units en masse. Tag along as Jørgen Sundgot passes judgement.
Having more or less reigned supreme in the Pocket PC market since the inception of the Compaq iPAQ series, the post-merger Hewlett-Packard keeps on churning out new models. Straying from its previous path of high-end only, the company first introduced the iPAQ h1900 series in late 2002 - and little more than half a year later, the h2200 series is taking on the mid-range. And of course, since it's HP, the h2210 boasts more features than most high-end devices.
 | The iPAQ h2210, among other good qualities, boasts an excellent display
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Design
As the smallest handheld yet to contain both a CompactFlash Type II and an SDIO capable SD/MMC Card expansion slot, the h2210 boasts a vast array of features - yet remains comfortably small and well-shaped with rubber grips on its left and right sides as a very nice touch. Its 3.5" display is a pleasure to behold, due to both its excellent brightness and the way in which it presents ClearType - the latter of which users can adjust the appearance of manually. Stylus travel could however benefit from being reduced, a minor fault the blame for which is shared equally by the display and the lightweight plastic stylus.
The buttons of the iPAQ h2210 offer good tactile feedback and are also sufficiently recessed to avoid accidental key presses. Four of these straddle the lower part of the unit, separated by a five-way directional pad - which thankfully does its job quite a bit better than the one gracing HP's iPAQ h5400 series - at the center. Two LEDs grace the upper left corner of the front of the handheld and notify users of various alerts, as well as its charging status and Bluetooth state.
Audio-wise, the h2210 offers adequate volume through both its speaker (oddly placed at the back of the unit) and 3.5 mm audio jack, although speaker sound is as usual somewhat tinny and distorts sound at the highest volume setting - neither of which are the case with the audio jack. On the bright side, the h2210 comes with the standard iPAQ bonuses of treble/bass boost adjustment and microphone gain, which is something heavy audio users should pay particular notice to.
Connectivity
Sporting both a CompactFlash Type II expansion slot and an SDIO capable SD/MMC Card expansion slot, the h2210 is compatible with absolutely every PDA accessory on the market - provided correct drivers, of course - and also the two most popular storage formats. PC connectivity is provided by a sturdy and stable USB cradle, which unfortunately is a bit on the large side.
Add a Bluetooth transceiver with a decent range and good line-up of profiles, as well as a consumer range Infrared port, however, and the h2210 becomes a truly versatile device that can connect to almost anything.
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