Hewlett-Packard has the reputation of being an engineer's company. You can drop their products on concrete and run over them with pickup trucks, and they still seem to keep on going. What's surprising about HP's new Jornada 545 Pocket PC is that it's not only durable, it's very nice looking!

I got my hands on a pre-release version of the Jornada 545 Pocket PC for this quick-look review. The Jornada 545 Pocket PC has 16MB of RAM. (The Jornada 548 has 32MB RAM but is otherwise identical to the 545.) The Jornada 545 is very different from the Jornada 430se, HP's previous Palm-size PC. The 545 is just a little heavier than its predecessor, but the new Jornada is smaller in all other dimensions. It no longer resembles the small square brick that was the 430se. It's about 1/3 thinner than the 430se, but because of its contoured lines, feels even more so. It's easier to hold securely in your hand and slips easily into your coat or shirt pocket.

The Jornada 545 feels more rugged than the 430se. It sports a sturdy anodized metal case with a protective metal flip cover. ("Anodized" metal is coated with a protective surface). The flip cover protects the color display and is detachable, which means that you can remove it to make your 545 even smaller and lighter. That would probably work fine if you carry your Pocket PC in your shirt or coat pocket, but not in a purse or briefcase. If you decide to go without the flip cover, you might want to invest in a thin screen overlay to protect the display from scratching. (HP lists a six-pack of screen protectors as an accessory. You might also check out WriteRIGHTs at www.concept kitchen.com.)

USB port means faster synchronization

The Jornada 545 has a dual USB/serial port built in, and a USB synchronization cradle as a standard accessory. A USB connection is much faster than serial, and the decision to include USB connectivity means that you can synchronize and download data much faster than you could with the older Palm-size PCs.

Other improvements and some suggestions

The Jornada 545 uses Lithium Ion battery technology, like the previous HP Palm-size PCs did. But according to HP representatives, the new 133MHz SH3 processor draws less power. That and a more efficient display means that the 8-hour battery life estimate (continuous use on a fully-charged battery) may be accurate. Remember that battery life estimates are based on best-case scenarios. If you play graphics-intensive games and listen to a lot of MP3 music, your Jornada 545's battery life will be less.

A thin anti-slip pad coats the outside edges of the Jornada 545. I approve of HP's decision to include four physical application launch buttons instead of using soft icons on the bottom of the screen, as they did with the Jornada 430se. The physical buttons are easier to use and you're less likely to accidentally launch an application -- a problem I found with the earlier Jornada. HP also decided to stick with the 65K color CSTN backlit screen found on the earlier Jornada Palm-size PC. This screen is quite readable indoors but less so in bright sunlight.

The protective flip cover is made of a thin layer of anodized metal covering a plastic backbone. It's very light and scratch resistant, and makes the Jornada 545 more rugged, especially for such a small consumer device. HP made the flip cover detachable, allowing you make the 545 even smaller and lighter. HP decided to store the 545's stylus in the flip cover. This is a reasonable location for the stylus if you use the cover. But if you detach the flip cover, you have to carry the stylus loose in your pocket, and it's easier to lose it that way. Since I think that most users will prefer to use the flip cover, this is probably not much of a problem.

The cover to the CompactFlash slot is functional and relatively easy to use, and it is sturdier than it first appears. But it does not seal the empty slot very well against dust. I would keep a CompactFlash card in the slot at all times.

The Jornada 545 is fun as well as rugged. As with all Pocket PCs, it comes with Microsoft Media Player built in. To support this, it has a stereo headphone jack and ships with stereo earphones. You can use these to listen to recorded messages as well as stereo music. It's great to be able to take your favorite tunes with you, but remember that listening to music cuts down on your battery life.

PPC software and other built-in applications

Other reviewers in this issue look at the built-in Pocket PC software from Microsoft. The improved user interface and the additional Pocket applications really broaden the Pocket PC's functionality. To this, Hewlett-Packard has added a suite of custom HP utilities, including HP Settings, HP Backup, HP Home Menu, HP Task Switcher, HP Game Buttons setup. Of these, I like Home Menu and Task Switcher the best. HP Home Menu (Screen 1) is a simple iconic start menu that lets you launch your applications with the tap of a large icon. A hardware button on the front of the 545 launches Home Menu. Palm users switching over to the Pocket PC will find this particularly familiar. At the bottom of the Home Menu screen are four additional icons, to let you quickly access Power Settings, the System Memory screen, the HP Settings screen (Screen 2) and the HP Task Switcher screen (Screen 3). Task Switcher is another excellent utility, making it easier to switch between open applications, and close down one or more of your applications.
 

Click to enlarge

Screen 1: HP Home Menu is a simple iconic start menu that lets you launch your applications with the tap of a large icon. The four icons at the bottom of the screen let you access setup and other utilities.

Click to enlarge

Screen 2: The HP Settings screen lets you adjust your screen brightness and contrast, and speaker volume. It also lets you monitor your battery charge level, and memory usage.

Click to enlarge

Screen 3: HP Task Switcher lets you switch between open applications and close down one or more of your applications.

HP built in two applications from independent software vendors. The first is the OmniSolve financial calculator from LandWare (www.landware.com). OmniSolve is a forms-based financial problem solver with built-in finance/scientific calculator. It supports TVM, Investment analysis, date calculations, conversions, and more. The second is a simple utility called PeaceMaker from Conduits Technologies (www.conduits.com/ce/) which lets you exchange Contacts information with Palm organizers via infrared port.

HP has included on CD ROM a variety of useful software applications and games, including Image Expert CE, and image viewer from Sierra Imaging (www.sierraimaging.com); E-music samples from EMusic.com; AudiblePlayer, an audio book player from Audible.com; HPC Notes 3.03 Lite, an excellent note taker and organizer from PhatWare (www.phatware.com); HP JetSend, a communications protocol from HP (www.jetsend.com); and ZIOGolf, an onboard golf game with great graphics, from ZIO Interactive (www.ziosoft.com). A review of ZIOGolf is on page 39 of this issue. HP provides links to the following applications: BVRP PhoneManager (Send and receive short messages on a GSM network); HP Connection Advisor (link your Pocket PC to your mobile phone).

Included on a separate CD-ROM from Microsoft is ActiveSync 3.1 for data synchronization with Outlook on a desktop PC, MS Outlook 2000 for the desktop PC, MS Reader sample books, Windows Media Manager for the desktop PC; MS Expedia Pocket Streets; Transcriber; AOL Mail; and MusicMatch Jukebox.

Stylish and well-engineered

Hewlett-Packard has indicated that some upgrade program will be available for existing Jornada 420 and 430se users, but they had not finalized the details before we went to press. I suspect that it will involve trading in the 420/430se for a discount on the newer device, rather than receiving an upgrade chip that turns the 420/430se into a Pocket PC.

A stylish and well-engineered piece of equipment is a delight, whether you're talking about a Mercedes-Benz automobile or a Pocket PC. The Jornada 545 takes HP beyond solid engineering and into the realm of style. I think this will be a winning combination for HP and the consumer.   S