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My trusty three year old Axim X50v was getting a bit long in the tooth and new software was beginning to show up for WM5 and 6 but not for WM 2003, so I started looking for a replacement. I wanted a true PDA, not a converged device, and I wanted it to have both CF and SD slots. I also wanted a VGA display because I had been spoiled by the wonderful screen on the X50v. My search ended up with the iPaq HP 210.

After a search online, I ordered my new toy from TechOnWeb.com based purely on the fact that they had the best price at the time. I chose the free shipping, which was advertised to be 6-7 days. I wasn’t in a hurry, so the time was fine. To my delight, three days later I got an email at work that my new toy had been delivered. It turns out that while TechOnWeb is based in Addison, TX, they ship from multiple locations nationwide and my baby came from New Jersey to my home in Virginia in just two days! I love that kind of service!

I don’t have a video camera to do a true unboxing video, but here are a bunch of pictures of the toy coming to life:

The box is sturdy, with lots of color!

Directions to get started immediately are on the inside cover, just in case you can’t wait to read the slim Getting Started Guide included in the contents.

On top of the hardware are two small packages containing the Getting Started Guide and a CDROM of HP software and documentation. The bright blue is a cover of the screen on the HP 210.

Under the HP210 is the battery. When you remove the tray you can see the battery is sitting in the slip case is in the bottom. On the right are the cables, power supply and adapters.

Here is a picture of everything in the box, all out of the plastic bags. The slipcase is black leather, pretty sturdy, but it doesn’t have any way of attaching to a belt or strap. L-to-R across the top are the case, the HP 210 (blue screen shield still in place), power plug for the US. Below the plug is the power supply itself. The plug slips into the power supply and locks into place firmly. HP has a set of world plugs to allow the unit to be used just about anywhere. To the right of the power supply is the power adapter that plugs into the bottom of the HP 210, the battery and finally the USB sync/power cable.

The 210 is physically bigger than the Axim X50v, as you would expect given the screen is larger. The sides of the unit actually curve in, which makes it feel good in my hand. It just sort of fits naturally, even though it’s bigger than the Ax.

I had read that some folks thought that removing the back cover took more force than they thought it should, but I didn’t find that to be the case. It slipped down and off with just a little force applied and the battery installed easily. The cover reinstalled equally easily, and it feels firmly seated in place. The back of the unit is a matte black plastic that gives me a good grip. Overall, it just does feel good.

When it boots, you get no doubt that it’s an Ipaq from HP!

And there it is, WM6!

This is the default Today screen and the stylus. The stylus is comfortable and easy to use, about the same as the Axim stylus.

On the bottom of the HP 210 are (l-to-r) microphone hole, sync socket, mini-USB socket and earphone socket. The placement of the earphone socket on the bottom is the only questionable design decision. The CF and SD slots are on the top of the unit. Here is a picture of the unit with two cards, one CF and one SD-miniSD adapter card with mini-SD card installed:

On the right side is the reset hole and the stylus silo.

On the left is just one button, the voice record button. No jog wheel or buttons!

So, that’s the hardware. How’s it work?

I installed what I wanted from my X50v and it all worked except Sprite Backup. That produced an error that I have posted to their support site on Saturday. By Sunday evening I had an email from them asking for some information, which I provide. I expect them to get back to me in the next few days. From their forum responses, they do seem to be tackling errors quickly.

The only other software that gave me a fit was Commontime Systems mNotes, an application that syncs Lotus Notes to WM devices. Version 4.x worked well, but the newest version won’t take my license code as it should. I have a trouble ticket open there, too.

However, PocketBreeze, Ilauncher, iSilo, Mobireader, OnCourseNavigator6, GPSGate, TotalCommander, 1-calc, BeelineGPS, VisualGPSce, CorePlayer, Dotpocket, Ilium eWallet, Laridian Bible Reader, ListPro, MemMaid, Pocket Diet, SPB FreeCell, Tweaks2k2 and PocketInformant all work flawlessly. Based on that success rate, I’d be confident that almost everything should work for you as long as it’s not a device-specific utility.

The screen does require a bit harder tap to activate, which has been reported elsewhere, but that difference is really small. I’m still waiting for my screen protectors, so I’m a bit cautious about firm taps and drags, but that’s me, not the screen. I have noted that in some places it seems to take a firmer touch than in others, but from other reports I’m expecting that to even out over time.

The screen is bright and very easy to read. For night work I have it down to the lowest brightness and it’s just fine. There is a little light sensor in the front so that it dims even more when it’s really dark and brightens slightly when it’s in a brighter environment. That’s a brilliant addition! I’ve not had an opportunity to use it in bright sunlight as it has been overcast ever since the unit arrived, but other reports are that it’s easy to use and see.

Overall speed is about equivalent with my X50v. Any difference is negligible. The one thing different that I do notice is that my X50v took a second or two to shut down, but started almost instantly, while the HP 210 shuts down instantly, but takes a second or two to start after I’ve pressed the power button.

The blue LED used for the wireless is simply ON if either WiFi or Bluetooth or both are on, OFF if both are off. I miss the Blue/Green indicator on the Axim. The range of the WiFi does seem to be greater with the HP 210, however, and it supports both 811.10b and 811.10g speeds. BT is also reliable in connecting to my ThinkPad laptop and my GPS receiver. The speaker is a bit weak, and being on the back, it’s hard to hear in a noisy environment. I’ve ordered an Arkon cradle with amplifier and speaker to use the car for GPS. None is made specific for the HP210 yet, so I got a generic one with mini-USB power out.

Speaking of power, you can configure the HP 210 to use fast or slow USB charging. I just left it on the default fast setting and it seemed to work ok with my laptop. You can charge with either the sync cable and the external power pack, or with a USB-miniUSB cable you can get almost anywhere. It’s a five-pin miniUSB, as you can see in the picture of the bottom of the cradle. I had one in a retractable unit I got somewhere and it worked just fine. It doesn’t charge from the USB Sync cable unless external power is plugged in, at least that’s the way it has worked so far. I tried to use both the sync cable without external power and the USB-miniUSB cable to provide power, but the two sockets are too close together for me to be able to get both plugged in at the same time. For now, it’s not a big deal.

Battery life seems to be really good. I’ve not driven it all the way down in any battery test, but the decline on the power setting screen is really slow, even with WiFi and BT going. I have the screen brightness pretty low on battery, so that may be a factor, but nevertheless, it does seem to be much better than the X50v for battery life. One small strangeness is that as the battery reaches 100% charge the unit seems to go through some cycle where the screen goes from the external power brightness to the battery brightness for a second, then back to external power brightness and the LED changes from orange (charging) to green (charged). Very strange behavior, but also very consistent.

The five way navigation pad has had some criticism because of the “up” portion of the button is harder to push than any other. That challenge comes, I think, from the fact that it is D shaped with the straight part of the D at the top. As a result, the pad is narrower on top than on the other three sides. Coupled with being close to the frame around the screen, that narrowness does make it slightly harder to use. However, I got adjusted to it in just a few minutes. I use the PDA to read electronic books, with going back a page using that top portion. You do have to be a bit more careful to get it to page back, but it’s not that hard. The criticism on the web is, I think, a bit overblown.

One other thing that I miss is the desktop cradle. The HP210 doesn’t have a desktop cradle, yet. Rumors are that HP will have one in the April timeframe, but nobody has actually seen one yet as far as I could find. For now it lies flat on my desk. I miss the cradle because at work I had one that sat beside my laptop showing my calendar while I was busy working on other things on the ThinkPad. Sweet! Lying flat, the HP210 is harder to read, so I have to do more than simply glance at it to read the time and see what I have coming up on my schedule. I’ll look forward to the desktop cradle every day until it is announced.

So, after three days, am I happy with it? Unequivocally, the answer is “yes.” The HP 210 has not disappointed me, and I’m adjusting to the differences between it and my Ax. Now, if we can just get the HP210 community as excited about it as the Axim community was about every Axim ever released, we’ll really have something!

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JakeRich (8 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

Program Executive for a large international IT company. I've been using PDAs since the Casio Cassiopeia! Currently have an iPhone, HP211, Axim X51v, Axim X50v and an Axim X50. I was a navigator in A-6 Intruders in the Navy, became interested in GPS navigation a few years ago and now do reviews of GPS related products for Chris.