The HP iPAQ h1910 Pocket PC

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.