HP H4150 Pocket PC (HP (Hewlett-Packard)-FA174A)

Reviewed by: imperium999

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Small. Fast. Dual Wireless. Good build quality. Great screen. Has yet to be topped by any other unit, including HP's new line of PPCs.

Weaknesses: None really. Cradle is a little tricky. Only QVGA resolution. No camera. (these are not really weaknesses).

Overall Evaluation: I bought this PPC a few months ago to replace my absurdly large Sony NX73V, which ran the Palm OS. It is my seventh PDA. I always preferred the Pocket PC operating system because it was more powerful and robust. However, more powerful and robust means it eats battery power much faster than Palm OS PDAs. I left the Pocket PC world in favor of Palms because of the battery life of my old iPAQ. This is the very first Pocket PC I've owned that I didn't have to worry about charging every night. I can leave it on standby, and with around 10 minutes of usage a day (average), I only have to charge it about once a week. The wireless works flawlessly with my home WiFi network (which is 802.11g). I never have to wait for the processor to catch up. I can see how other reviewers have trouble with the cradle, but these people are probably used to other cradles that you can just 'drop' or 'slide' in the unit. This one you have to carefully place in the cradle, which is a little unnerving when you're in a hurry. I find it to be no big deal. People have also complained about a 'yellowish' hue on the display when you tilt it up and down. I really had to look to see it, and I never would have noticed it had I not already known it was an issue. I find this to be no big deal either. The display on this screen is only Quarter VGA (QVGA), and there are a few units out there with full VGA screens at this point, but it's not an issue for me, especially since you're going to pay upwards of $250 more for that feature alone (in Oct. 2004). There's no camera like on more recent units, but frankly most users are on the fence as to whether they want one or not. Many corporate environments have banned phones and PDAs with cameras, so lots of us users don't want that 'feature' anyway. With an excellent form factor, this is the most 'pocketable' Pocket PC you can get. In conclusion, this is the best PDA I've ever owned and is currently the best bang-for-the-buck Pocket PC on the market. I wholeheartedly recommend this unit. You will not be dissapointed!