HP iPAQ 110 / 112 hands-on
A personal review
iPAQ 110 / 112 (Trad.Chinese version) is a much neglected fast, slim and affordable pocket PC, amid the rising tide of PDA phones.
It is based on XScale PXA310 processor at 624Mhz, so it is faster with almost no delay even running several apps in background. It is power saving. Mine is 112 (Chinese ver.) I can play with it for 2 hours and still more than 70% battery remains. I am happy with it playing downloaded Youtube videos smoothly and I can grab many free music videos there. I enjoy much watching Karajan's concerts with my 3.5mm earphone on 3.5-inch landscape mode screen (using TCPMP). I've inserted a 2GB SD for programs and storage. It can be a MP3 player too. I installed GSplayer for music. I placed the iPAQ in my pocket & listen with earphone while on the road. The sound quality is good though my iRiver MP3 is better.
For connectivity, WIFI set up is easy and speed is good. I can login Facebook to meet friends, as well as ebanking. While WIFI is not available, I connect it to another smartphone (Dopod C720W) via bluetooth. I activate the Bluetooth PAN on the mobile. The iPAQ can surf the net via bluetooth (GPRS). I don't have HSDPA available.
There is a new "Windows Update" feature by which I can check online if there is any update. There is currently no update, as it returns.
I like reading ebooks on PDA. iPAQ 112 has a bright crispy screen for reading text. It renders PDF files faster but reading PDF on 3.5" screen is still not a happy experience. However, it is good for reading CHM files. I installed Fast CHM program and transferred a 74MB Photoshop CS Bible to SD. I can navigate different parts of the book smoothly (while older models or PDA phones lag). CHM is certainly more legible than PDF on this PPC.
Given its current price HK$2,3XX, it's a lot cheaper than high-end PDA phones (e.g. TyTn II costs about $5,900 & bulky). The difference is more than enough to buy another decent 3G mobile. The iPAQ 112 has the potential of becoming a multimedia portable player as well (with additional software). I also look forward to the coming of the 210 model (4" VGA screen) ...!
It hangs if I switch tasks too often; some programs may freeze it (e.g. task manager apps) probably due to compatibility or WM6 issues. That's quite common among ppc gadgets. Somehow program installations messed up things & I decided to hard reset it. I found the way to do it but not easy with 2 hands only.
While power on:
1. press Win + OK + record buttons together
2. while doing that, press reset hole and hold for 3-4 seconds
3. release reset, then release buttons
4. the screen shows "CLEAN BOOT" and enters the iPAQ introduction screen....
Verdict
It depends on if you need a PPC nowadays given so many PDA phones out there. I suppose if you want speed, stability, power saver, smooth video, to try many programs, and don't mind carrying an extra mobile, iPAQ 110 is perhaps the only affordable choice on market by the end of 2007.
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如果你只一個人做hard reset，將ipaq一邊頂住，然後一手3 手指按下3制，另一手插住reset button... or u need another hand.
現在時興PDA phone, 純pocket PC市場縮減。HP 也不賣IPAQ 112廣告; 它是被忽略了的好機器。速度快，不hang機。我玩弄了2小時，還有>70%電。 不要裝Collins CoBuild 1.0 dictionary 在中文版(112)上，因它會使某些介面變亂碼。我亦期待iPAQ 210誕生市場。
Specifications:
Processor: 624 MHz Marvell XScale PXA310 with hardware video decoding
Operating System: Windows Mobile 6 Classic (Pocket PC)
Display: 3.5 inch, 240 × 320 touchscreen LCD
Memory: 64 MB RAM; 256 MB flash (195 MB available)
Size & Weight: 4.59 inches long x 2.71 inches wide x 0.54 inches thick; 3.68 ounces
Expansion: Single SD slot with SDHC and SDIO support
Docking: Single Mini-USB connector
Communication: 802.11b/g Wi-Fi (supports WPA2); Bluetooth 2.0/EDR
Audio: Internal microphone and speaker; 3.5mm headphone jack
Battery: 1200 mAh replaceable Lithium Ion
Input: 3 remappable application buttons; touchscreen
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8 Comments
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Widgets 小玩意
hello, how's the HP 120 screen when compare to the your other HP PDA RX1950/1955. I have a RX1950/1955, the screen to read ebooks is not that clear. Is the font on the HP 120 for reading ebook better than Rx1950/1955?
I have H4150 & H2210. I can see ipaq 110's screen is better in terms of color and light. For the font, I don't see there is much difference. I suppose you can choose the size of font inside e-reader app.
However, my eye is also on the unreleased 210 which has 4" LCD and VGA.
Today I used Opera to browse news via C720w using bluetooth, while listening to MP3. After half an hour, iPAQ 112 consumed about 10% battery. Music was not interrupted when switching programs. About 50% CPU power was used even running several apps in background & just a little bit delay. Faster than other ppcs and phone pdas I've tried.
I can also connect the iTech r35 to iPAQ easily & enjoy music via bluetooth.
Does anyone have an image/pic of the boot up screen or a "Clean Boot" screen?
Hi! I'm super new to PDA so my enquiry might seem dumb to you but can I surf the net using iPAQ 112? Do I need extra software or equipment for it? Or is everything in the iPAQ already?
HP didn't reply this enquiry of mine "-_- so it would help a great deal if you could help me in this area esp. since you're already a user of this :)
Thanks in advance!
Audrey, there are 2 ways to surf the net using 112.
1. Turn on WiFi and establish a connection with the wireless router/access point.
2. Turn on Bluetooth and establish a connection with mobile phone/pda (turn on bluetooth too). Surf the net via the mobile.
In both cases you can use the IE on 112, or install another browser if you like e.g. Opera.
You may need to read more about using Windows Mobile system if you are novice.
Cobuild is ok in the 112. I have installed all the third party programmes into the Rom. Still a lot of MBs remained. Lovely machine with a 3.5 inch display that is just right for me.
Anyone knows if HK still selling 110 model. I don't see in Broadway / Fortress