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I have had this Pocket PC for over a year now. I have old cell phones that hold a charge lots longer than this. It won't hold a charge for more than a day even when turned off. I have tried 2 different batteries and both are dead within a day after leaving the PC out of the charger stand and turned compoletly off. HP Support just threw remedies at me from reinstalling ROM and Firmware updates (which means reloading all programs over and over again) to creating bogus server addresses and then deleting them and a few other hair-brained schemes. The product is obviously defective and they don't have a clue about how to fix it.STAY AWAY - buy another Windows Mobile 5.0 PocketPC - not an HP.
I must warn you: this device has a variety of bugs, the most annoying of which is the fact that the battery periodically drains down, leaving you with Zero power.You would think that HP would put a fix on line or would instruct its call-center staff on how to solve the problem. About 4 years ago I switched from Palm to HP. I've owned several Ipaqs and the 2795 is the latest. No such luck. The call center staff are unable to solve the problem; they keep telling ytou to install the latest BIOS, which I did immediately upon purchasing the device.So, I have to say: unless HP fixes the various problems with this device, CAVEAT EMPTOR.I'm about ready to buy a Palm, despite the high switching costs.
I've had Palms and Casios and I still have a Ipaq 3800 series. Also the USB type of charger will turn on the unit. I really like this Ipaq. Others complain about the batteries. The other Ipaq came with a lot more free software. This model is really handy. Get some sort of case or a cover to protect the switch and screen.
Don't use a usb charger. I am not a newbe to PDA's. So if your USB charger gets unplugged from the wall or the power goes off well your out of luck. I bought a rebuilt got a good price and It has worked fine. If you put it in a drawer and something hits the on/off button guess what it will come on and drain the battery. The only thing negative I have to say is I don't much like the stylus storage and my other Ipaq came with software to do backups. I still like it I just have to get a little more software
For the above inconveniences, I'm taking one star off the rating. The display is bright and clear, though I would have preferred a slightly larger screen. Also remember to use the latest version of ActiveSync (4.2 so far), and not the one that comes with the installation CD, and try to use the sync with MS Office Outlook 2003 instead of Office 2002 on your PC/laptop. (Originally intended title was "It makes the iPod look like a complete waste of $$$.harsh but true")I have been using my Ipaq hx2795b for a couple of months now, and at first it did have frequent freeze-ups and battery draining issues, especially when using the SD card. For those thinking to own a handheld for the first time but have put off till now (like myself), this is the right moment to do it. Battery life is good and it charges fast.
The speed is impressive too.
I believe that's about it, and you're all set to start installing tons of software on your Ipaq.
I personally don't use it though, because it delays the otherwise instant power-on of the handheld, but it stands as a great security feature for sure.Some recommended accessories to enhance your Ipaq are: SD card (i'm already using 70% of its 2GB storage capacity, so I'll soon be looking for an additional CF card; I think it's less cumbersome to have both cards simultaneously in the handheld than to have to switch cards using the same slot), an extra sync/charger/car adapter (I have the BELKIN Ipaq Sync Charger F8Q0003HP), a leather carrying case, and of course, screen adhesive overlays.
But once I updated the BIOS (ROM) to the latest version (you can find it at hp's website), everything works smoothly ever since.
The fingerprint reader device is cool.
I use it literally for EVERYTHING (well, phone and camera excluded) -that is, agenda, customer database, ebooks, reference books, review powerpoint presentations, wi-fi, email, msn messenger, bluetooth, watch videos (you can watch entire DVD movies on it, after encoding of course), music (in my opinion it sounds even better than the iPod, was it the earphones)., games, anyway, you name it.
I find the Windows Mobile 5 OS quite stable, and the interface feels pretty much the same as using the ordinary desktop Windows.
Some useful or must-have software are: Adobe Reader for PPC, iSilo, Resco explorer, Resco photo viewer, Resco audio recorder, Resco radio, Clearvue presentation, spb Pocket Plus, Trancreative Magic Button, Touch Notes, Pocket informant, TCPMP the core pocket media player (it plays every format that the Windows Media Player doesn't, which are a bunch).Overall, I'm very happy with my Ipaq hx2795b.
The technology in handhelds, both hardware and software-wise, has reached to a level of reliable stability, that makes it worthy enough to try on one of these literally do-it-all gadgets.
In the end, I decided to take my chances with this top-of-the-line iPAQ model. I bought a 2 GB SD card to use with the iPAQ, which is the only "must have" accessory I think you will need. While the majority gave favorable or so-so reviews of the various models, many were greatly disappointed and described horror stories of wasting days trying to get the product to work properly. I was in a quandry, because the reviews were so mixed. This was my first PDA, and I wanted to purchase one mainly as a medical reference tool. Also, I had called HP customer service a couple to times to ask a couple of questions, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it did not take too long for a rep to answer and provide courteous and knowledgeable assistance. If you know how to use Windows on your PC, using the iPAQ with Windows Mobile 5 should be a snap because it is so intuitive and similar to the full Windows OS. I bought a book on Amazon on using the iPAQ, and did not even need to use it to get this PDA to do everything I had wanted it to do.
I prefer to input data with the on screen keyboard. After owning the product for only a couple of days, I couldn't be happier with my purchase and can't understand the other reviewers who describe synching problems, difficulty learning how to use the product, etc. Having no prior experience with PDA's, I carefully read the reviews on various websites on a number of high end Palm and PocketPC PDA's. The only cons I have found with the unit is that the sound quality with headphones is only mediocre, and the handwriting recognition (at least for me) was not to good. (Actually, my model has a b at the end of the model number, which I think indicates that it has upgraded memory from the hx2795). As I mentioned, this is my first PDA and within a day I had multiple programs installed and functioning properly, was using the WI-FI to connect to the Internet, and was playing music on the built in media player to name of few of the functions I had used. After reading the problems described by other users, as a novice I was delighted to find out how easy and trouble-free it was to get this PDA up and running. This PDA ranks near the top of the coolest and most helpful electionic gizmos that I own.
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