I'm the kind of person that likes to scour the Web searching for pre-release pictures of Pocket PCs, as well as model specifications and manufacturer tidbits. By the time a new device makes it into consumers' hands, I pretty much know all there is to know about it. But pictures and spec sheets alone cannot do justice to HP's new iPAQ h1910 Pocket PC. It must be seen in person; it must be touched.

Based on pictures floating around the Web, I assumed that the h1910 was nothing more than an inexpensive version of the standard iPAQ Pocket PC—a low-end device cobbled together to compete with the less-expensive Dell and ViewSonic Pocket PCs. But then I received a review unit from HP and discovered a stunning gadget full of groundbreaking design and engineering attributes.

The h1910 is much smaller and lighter than previous iPAQs. It measures 4.46 x 2.75 x 0.5 inches, making it the smallest Pocket PC commercially available. And at 4.23 ounces, it shares the Pocket PC bantamweight title with ViewSonic's V35, reviewed in the last issue of Pocket PC magazine (www.PocketPCmag.com/may03/v35.asp). The h1910 is the first iPAQ to truly challenge Palm OS devices in size, weight, and price.

The h1910 (right) is smaller and lighter than other iPAQs, including the newer h5450 (left)

The screen is one of its strong points. It's the same "transflective" screen technology found on the h3900 and h5000 series iPAQs. No other Pocket PC screen rivals this 16-bit, 65,536 color display indoors or in low-light conditions. However, the h1910's screen loses its advantage outdoors, where "reflective" screens like those found on earlier iPAQs outperform transflective technology (see sidebar on page 17).

Another nice touch was the inclusion of an "earbud" (2.5mm jack) that lets you listen to stereo MP3 and WMA audio files with the help of the user-installable Windows Media Player that ships with the h1910. What you've got is a great-looking device that plays MP3s and videos and games, organizes your life, and a whole lot more. Best of all, it's priced competitively with some high-end MP3 players.

HP had to make some compromises to keep the price down. One was to include a USB synchronization cable instead of a data cradle. A serial cable is not available, but for $50 you can get an optional USB sync cradle from HP's online store (www.shopping.hp.com). This optional cradle has an additional slot to charge spare batteries, which are also available from HP.

There is a single 22-pin connectivity port at the bottom of the device, that the USB cable connects to. TheAC/DC adapter that ships with the h1910 can be connected to a jack on the end of the USB cable or to an included 22-pin adapter that lets you connect it directly to the h1910.

The h1910 sports the 200 MHz version of Intel's PXA250 XScale processor. The performance of the device is acceptable, and at least equal to the h3800 series iPAQs. The decision to use this version of the processor was made to keep the costs down. But other new, inexpensive Pocket PCs use the 300 and 400 MHz versions of the same processor.

The h1910 ships with an AC/DC adapter that connects through the USB cable, or uses a 22-pin adapter to attach directly to the connectivity port on the bottom.

Another cost-cutting decision was to use only 16 MB of "NAND" flash ROM. NAND offers faster read/write performance and costs less than the "NOR" flash ROM used in most other Pocket PCs. However (I'm going to get a bit technical here), it's not possible to "direct-execute" a program out of NAND flash ROM; it is out of NOR flash ROM. What this means is that some of the h1910's 64 MB of system RAM is needed to run programs that are stored in flash ROM. This is not the case on Pocket PCs with NOR flash ROM, such as HP's iPAQ 5450. To make sure that system RAM is always available for the built-in applications, the h1910 reserves a little over 17 MB for that purpose, so you really only have 46.74 MB of RAM available to run user-installed programs and store data. (A more detailed article on this subject is available on the Pocket PC Thoughts Web site: www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?id=5227).

I believe that 47 MB of RAM is plenty for most users, especially since the h1910 has a built-in expansion slot that lets the user add up to 512 MB of file storage with a Secure Digital or MultiMedia card. However, this is not an SDIO (Secured Digital Input/Output) expansion slot. It will not support SD cards with wireless LAN, wired modem, or other I/O functions. This will be a limiting factor to those who wish for expandability above and beyond memory cards.

The Memory utility in the h1910's Settings folder shows that the "Total main memory" (system RAM) on this device is really 46.74 MB.

Like previous iPAQs, the h1910 is an attractive device. However, it looks very different from other iPAQs, as if it were the first true collaboration between the Jornada and iPAQ design teams.

The voice record button and the infrared port are found on the upper left side. The h1910 comes with a standard IrDA infrared port, not the beefed-up Consumer Infrared port found on the h5450. However, it's quite sufficient for beaming contacts to other PDA users.

The round navigation pad located below the screen is different from those found on other Pocket PCs. It looks like a standard 4-way navigation control, but located in the center of the navigation pad is a separate "Enter/Select" button. The finger press required to activate the button is firm enough to keep you from accidentally pressing it while using the navigation pad.

A separate Enter/Select button is located in the center of the navigation pad.

From the beginning, the iPAQ series has taken criticism for its lack of a user-replaceable battery. You could add battery power with an Expansion Pack, but that was a bulky solution. I'm happy to say that Compaq—I mean HP—finally got the message and designed the h1910 and h5400 series iPAQs to use replaceable batteries. Not only can you keep a spare with you on long trips, you no longer have to send your iPAQ in for servicing when the battery wears out after 1-2 years of recharging. Just buy a replacement and put it in yourself.

The h1910 comes with a 900 mAh replaceable battery. According to manufacturer estimates, a fully-charged battery lasts for 4 hours of continuous use. This may be a little underpowered if you play a lot of music, video, or graphic-intensive games. But once again, it's probably a non-issue, since this device is not targeted towards advanced heavy users.

Comes with basic Pocket PC software

The h1910 ships with Pocket PC 2002 "Professional Edition" software built in, which includes Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Inbox, Pocket versions of Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer, and more. However, because it has only 16 MB of flash ROM, some of the applications that are normally built into the Pocket PC must be installed by the user. The h1910 ships with a companion CD from HP that includes user-installable versions of Windows Media Player 8.0, MS Reader, Transcriber, and a VPN client. The CD also contains ActiveSync 3.5, Outlook 2000, the h1910 reference guide, and links to a variety of downloadable software from Microsoft. Note that the CD has a link to version 7.1 of Windows Media Player. This is a desktop PC version of Media Player, which will not install on the h1910—stick with version 8.0. Installing these add-on programs will further reduce the amount of available RAM. But again, I do not think this will be a problem for most users.

I've read that some think the h1910 was "thrown together" quickly by HP to compete in the emerging low-priced Pocket PC market. However, it's evident to me that a lot of thought went into the styling, size, performance, and price of this unit. I think HP's been working on this for a while and that they've done their homework.

I wish HP had included an SDIO card slot (instead of the SD slot) would have been better for expandability. Also noticeable were the memory limitations and the lack of a carrying case. Finally, it's worth mentioning that this redesigned iPAQ does not accept any Expansion Pack accessories.

I loved the brilliant transflective display, removable battery, size and weight of the device, and the styling. The stereo earbuds were a great bonus. Finally, at $300 this is an affordable Pocket PC.

If you're a power user and need expandability beyond storage memory (network, wireless, GPS, etc.) you will want to look at another Pocket PC. However, if you are a first time buyer and/or are only interested in the basic Pocket PC functionality in a tiny package for a reasonable price, you should be looking closely at this device. It is a great value for the money. And if you are getting ready to replace an older, bulkier Pocket PC and want something sleeker—something that fits better in your pocket—you should check out the h1910.

The HP iPAQ h1910 Pocket PC is priced at $299.99. It and its accessories are available at HP's online store (www.shopping.hp.com). Canadian readers should check HP's Canadian Web site (www.hp.ca) for price and availability. The device will also be available through other sources, including MobilePlanet (www.mobileplanet.com).