CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
REVIEWS
» Cell phones
» Cameras
» Camcorders
» Archive » Resource Center
» Compare » Expert guides
» RSS & Alerts » Ask The Editors
Home / Review Center / /
Review: HP iPAQ h2210, h2215By Jørgen Sundgot, Tuesday 29 July 2003
GALLERY
Enlarge
 
 
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.

Review summary of the :
         Gallery »
Pros:
Cons:
%
POOR
Mediocre
Good
Very good
Excellent
Full Review:
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
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.
Best Phones
Name Score Price Carrier
C
Nokia N95 8GB NAM 85% $450Unlocked
Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200 85% $100Verizon Wireless
Apple iPhone 3G 81% $200AT&T
Nokia N95 80% $350Unlocked
Nokia N85 80% $350Unlocked
RIM BlackBerry Storm 9530 80% $200Verizon Wireless
T-Mobile G1 79% $180T-Mobile
HTC Touch Pro (Sprint) 77% $400Sprint
HTC Fuze 77% $300AT&T
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 76% $800Unlocked
Click here to see full and advanced chart »
 
 
 
NEW IN-DEPTH REVIEWS
Cell Phones & Smartphones
 
Digital Cameras
 
Camcorders
HOTTEST
Smartphones
 
Cell Phones
 
Touch Phones
TOP STORIES
Samsung Jet
 
Samsung Omnia 2
 
Nokia N86
Nokia E72
 
Sony Ericsson Yari
 
Sony Ericsson Satio
HTC Hero runs Google Android with new HTC Sense interface
 
HTC Firestone with Snapdragon Technology on Its Way
 
iPhone 3GS review
NEW CELL PHONE RELEASES
LG Viewty Smart
HTC Snap (Sprint)
RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip
Apple iPhone 3GS
Nokia 5630 XpressMusic
HTC Touch Pro 2
Samsung Omnia HD
HTC Snap
Sony Ericsson T707
LG enV Touch
LG enV3
Nokia N86
UPCOMING CELL PHONES
Sony Ericsson W995
Sony Ericsson C903
RIM BlackBerry Tour
Nokia E55
HTC Hero
T-Mobile myTouch 3G
Samsung i7500
T-Mobile Dash 3G
Samsung Pixon12 M8910
CELL PHONE RESOURCE CENTER
Best phones
 
Expert guides
 
Ask the Editors
3+ inch screen phones
 
Wi-Fi phones
 
Concept phones
» Feature Search & Compare
» Side-By-Side Comparison
» Upcoming Releases
» Carriers
Unlocked, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, More...
» Brands
Apple, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, BlackBerry, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Palm, More...
» User Types
Average Joe, Business users, Calling addicts, Fashion conscious users, Globetrotters, High-res addicts, Internet addicts, Multimedia enthusiasts, Music aficionados, Outdoor enthusiasts, TV addicts, Video lovers, More...
NOW IN PHONES
BlackBerry Pearl Flip review
 
Samsung Jet
 
Casio Exilim C721 review
 
Sprint HTC Snap review
 
BlackBerry Tour takes Verizon Wireless global
Samsung Omnia 2
Nokia N86
Nokia E72
Next 25 stories
MUST READ
CELL PHONES
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
LAPTOPS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMERAS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
MP3 players
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
INTERNET TABLETS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
GPS NAVIGATORS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
HDTVs
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
CAMCORDERS
» Coming soon
» Top 15
» Best-rated
About us | Site map | How to advertise | Feedback | RSS Feeds | | Archive
Copyright 1999-2009 © infoSync World