HP iPaq rx1950

Pros: Thin, Light, Great battery, Great Wi-fi, SD expandability, Effective Voice Recorder, Great Screen Backlight and Color, Bundled Windows Media Player 10 is flexible in video/audio.

Cons: Not the fastest PPC, but fast enough for 90% of uses. Occasionally will not wake up from standby, requiring soft reset (pulling battery). No dock, and charger is shaped oddly.

Summary: (One of the things worth noting is that the RX1950 is the exact same product as the RX1955. HP just has two names for it's home and business departments.)

Screen Quality:
The screen is 320x240, but don't let that scare you away. The resolution is high enough that you can browse the web and watch movies with a clear, crisp picture. The backlight is surprisingly bright for using so little battery power. The colors are great, and the screen doesn't get washed out when you use it outside (except for _direct_ sunlight). The refresh rate is sometimes lagging when playing movies, but other than that it runs fine.

Battery:
The device has a replaceable battery, which is a great feature. Assuming 1/2 power backlight (normal operating level) and wifi on, the unit runs for 7-8 hours straight or 3-4 days on moderate usage. The battery is light and small; measuring about 1" x 1.5" x .3" The unit sometimes requires soft resets (pulling and reinserting the battery), so the fact that it's replaceable is quite handy.

Stylus:
Small, but sized just right to fit your hands. The placement of the stylus is not the best on the top of the device- the top of the stylus is easily confused with the screw covers. It also stays put over time which is good because some PDA's tend to loosen their grip in the stylus holder as they get worn.

Wi-Fi:
While the rx1950 lacks BlueTooth, the great Wifi makes up for it. I have issues with Windows Pocket 2k5 over wifi, but the unit itself picks up wifi signals quite well and holds on to the signal for a very good range. I can pick up 28 signals in my college dorm room, whereas my laptop wifi card will only find 12 from the same location. Even on a network that I contact at 1 bar out of 5 for signal strength, it still downloads quickly and refreshes well. It logs onto networks in 4 *seconds*, not minutes as I have seen some other Palms and PPC's. Wifi auto-refreshes when you wake the system up from standby without instruction from the user.

Voice Recorder:
I use this to record class lectures, and it gets great range but poor quality. The microphone (on the top of the unit) is rather static-laden, but that goes away when you raise the recording quality. Don't expect to use it to record music, but it works fine for voice notes and recording interviews/meetings if someone is sitting far away.

Audio Output Quality:
Built in speaker: Bad. Headphones: Awesome.
The built in speaker is located behind the center navigation button at the bottom of the device, and it lacks bass or proper mounting to give a good signal. Don't plan to use it for listening to music far from the device or at high-quality.

However, plug in a pair of headphones and this thing beats an IPod for sound quality hands down! I have Koss headphones, and the sound I get from the RX1950 is the best I have ever found! Plug in a 1gb SD card (~$30 on ebay) and take all the songs you want with you instead of an IPod. The ActiveSync software that comes with the RX1950 will automatically shrink music files down so that they take much less space than on any other MP3 device.

HP software:
One of the first things to do is to turn off the HP intro screen that they replace the "Today" screen with. It looks pretty, but it's quite useless. It doesn't give you access to any normal programs except the web. Using Window's normal Today screen is much more useful and feasible. HP does help in that they give you a great add-on to the Today screen that gives you quick access to battery levels, memory usage, backlight, and more.

Button Design:
The buttons are well placed except for the Voice Recorder (VR) button. I found it an inconvenience that the way the default case (provided with the rx1950) is shaped, it requires gripping the unit by the sides at the top and pulling upward. The VR button is right where you have to grip and so it starts unnecessary recordings. This can be fixed by a settings feature- "Disable all buttons except Power when on standby"

Another thing the buttons lacked was a divot or depression to be able to trigger them with the point of the stylus. The buttons are metallic and dome shaped, so the stylus slips off and you have to stop and use a finger.

Design Shape:
The unit is surprisingly thin (.4") compared to most other PDA's. It's just thicker than the height of the magnetic strip on the back of a credit card. The curvy edges make for a smooth, sleek feeling in your hand, and the ridge around the outside gives your fingers just enough grip to easily hold it steady. It fits just right for writing on the screen while walking as well.

External connections:
The power supply to the device comes in through the universal connector on the bottom of the unit. The problem with that is that the power has to go in through the back of the usb<->universal connector. You cant just plug the device straight into the wall.

Suggested Add-on Software:
(All free, just google them)

AgileMessenger for instant messaging.
Opera Mobile: Offers multi-window and zoom support that IE doesnt.

Magic Button makes the start bar much more efficient. Absolutely necessary software.

SPB Pocket Plus makes the today screen more useful, fixes bugs in IE, and gives you more button command options. (free version doesnt bother you with ads)