Product Requirements:
Device:
Digital Camera with any one of
three following memory module formats: Compact Flash, Smart Media, or Memory
Stick.
No computer is necessary unless you want to store or manipulate images.
Desktop:
Windows 2000, 98, 95 or NT 4.0
with USB port support.
No Apple Macintosh support at this time.
Part of the magic of photography is seeing/sharing images as close to the
“moment” as possible. This is arguably one of the key reasons for the success
of the instant photo cameras like the ones made famous by Polaroid. Ever notice
how everyone wants to see the viewfinder after you take a digital picture? Hold
this thought for a minute.
My Mom and Dad still buy film, shoot it, drive it to the local drug store and
pay about $0.50 per print to get twenty-four 4 by 6 inch photos, and then they
only keep about six out of the twenty four. They are afraid of digital
photography because of the “computer.”
As digital photography has come of age, the weakest link has been the problem
of computer literacy, not to mention having to go back to the (digital) darkroom
and print or email photos and remember who wants them. The cost of generating
one’s own photos is also something holding-back general acceptance.
The HP Photosmart 100 printer does a nice job toward building a bridge of
accessibility for digital photography by delivering photos “on-the spot,” not
requiring the mastery of the point-and-click paradigm, and delivering them in a
fairly cost effective manner.
Let’s look at the numbers so you can see where the economics of digital vs.
chemical wind up
I am going to assume three things.
1.
That you will re-use a digital memory storage card at least enough times to have
match the running cost of film (this is obviously giving film an advantage),
2.
your digital camera is going to take more pictures over its lifetime than a
mechanical camera so that its cost per picture winds up being nearly equal to
the cost of a mechanical camera, and
3.
the cost of the little photo printer, divided by the number of prints you
make during its lifetime will be nearly equal to the gas and time you spend
going to the drug store and the cost of all of the pictures that you throw away
and never show anyone.
This means that the cost comparison boils down to the cost of developing vs.
printing of the photos.
| Item | Film Technology | Digital Technology |
| Developing | $12/24 = 0.50/print | 0 |
| Ink Cartridge | 0 | $35/200 prints = 0.18/print |
| Photo Paper | 0 | $18/60 sheets = 0.30/print |
| Cost per print | 0.50/print | 0.48/print |
The fact that it is this close at all really sold me on switching over to
Digital. I am willing to pay a little extra to get my pictures on-the-spot, and
not printing all of those BAD pictures has got to be better for the environment.
OK, enough about the numbers, let’s talk about the HP Photosmart 100 printer.
The unit itself is much smaller than a toaster, and prints a very nice
borderless 4 x 6 photo in about 2.5 minutes, and I particularly like that it
prints all the way to the border of the paper. It also makes a small proof
sheet or wallet-sized (2.5 x 3.5 inch) photos. The printer also supports the
DPOF protocol, which means that you can decide what to print while your digital
film is still inside the camera, and when the card is plugged into the printer
it already will know what to do.
(Left to right: 4 x 6 print, 2.5 x 3.5 print, proof sheet)
The printer comes with a CD ROM (containing the drivers to interface with a Windows OS machine via USB),
user manual, power adapter, some sample photo paper, warranty card and that’s
about it. If you are planning to give this as a gift to parents who speak
English as a second language, never fear. The HP web site has several different
language versions of the little manual ready for free downloading.
The top of the printer has a very simple backlit LCD-based user interface
that uses icons. It is very easy to use.
I’ve compared the images from this printer to that of our HP PSC 950 and my
brother’s Epson Photo printer (at the 4 x 6 size). When we use the good paper,
it holds its own and in some cases did a better job with the exposure control
than the larger PSC 950.
The units uses a 32VDC power supply, so in order to print photos while in the
car, I use a 120VAC inverter and plug the wall adapter into the inverter.
Think of it: you will be able to print photos at the family reunion picnic (or
soccer game) to hand out to everyone while you’re still there!
The HP Photosmart 100 has been ideal for our family. My siblings, cousins,
uncles/aunts have digital cameras, and (of course) they all use different memory
storage formats. Imagine how much more fun those get-togethers are now? Never
mind “just an hour photo” how about “hold on for a couple of minutes photo!”
Everyone with all of their incompatible memory cards can now swap photos (albeit
on paper) as well as with those aunts and uncles that don’t have an email
address.
A close-up view of the front of the printer shows the Compact Flash card slot
(left), the Sony Memory Stick card slot (right), and the Smart Media card slot
(thin slot above the memory stick).
If you are really interested in buying this printer, your best
bet is to go see some sample printouts at the retail outlet. You will see that
this printer along with a 2+ mega pixel camera will do a fine job. Below is a
picture of the printer “in action” making two wallet-sized photos.
A quick note on pricing: the price on HP’s website was much higher than the
prices I found around town. Staples, CompUSA and Office Depot all had it for
about $179. Office Depot has a “$10 in-store coupon” that you can print and
Staples has a web coupon for “$30 off on a purchase of $150 or more” that
brought the price down to $149 and was the clincher for me.
Price: $179 around town (check for great coupons at
www.dealchecker.com)
Pros:
Print Quality
Easy to use
Portability, small size
Compatibility
Quiet
“cost per print”
Cons:
32VDC power supply doesn’t allow direct powering from car/boat
USB port only
Product Information
| Price: | 179.0 |
| Manufacturer: | Hewlett Packard |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
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Hi Julie,
There was a long conversation over on our website a few weeks ago about the reminder problem. It does appear as if it is not fundamentally tied to the hardware, but rather certain software (either in the firmware or installed on top). In particular, the Pocket Backup bundled in the iPAQ’s ROM may be triggering scheduling problems.
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15621
Glad to hear you’re enjoying the new device! Nice pics, as always. 😉
–janak
Julie, splendid review! I am planning to buy a 2215 myself very soon, as soon as I sell my Toshiba e740 and stuff anyway! :). It really is an awesome device!
I should sell my old 3800 and accessories and buy my own 2215. I was sad to send it back today 🙁
🙁 Well, you are THE gadgeteer! I am sure you have TONS of stuff to sell :).
So Julie, will this device dethrone your TT?
I am really wondering if I sould switch to Pocket PC the next time I upgrade. I have used Palm for five years, but my brother just got an Axiom and I love how great the display looks, especially how it uses the whole screen. I_really_ hope Palm starts using some kind of virtual grafitti very soon.
I just have so much time, energy, and software invested in Palm. I don’t know if I could switch.
Doug:
It would definately replace my T|T if I owned one of my own. The full size display on the 2215 really does it for me. Reading e-books is wonderful on it. Having 2 memory card slots is also very nice!
I think I’m going to hop back to the Pocket PC for awhile and see how things go. But right now, the only ones I have are a 3800 iPAQ and a Viewsonic.
Thanks for bringing up the alarm problem. With enough discussion and ‘bad press’about this hoprefully MS/HP will respond more quickly than they otherwise would.
Mike
forrester:
I too had a lot invested in Palm software when I had my Treo. When I switched to PPC, I wrote to many of the companies who supported both platforms and asked them if I could switch my license to the PPC platform. Most all of them switched me for free or some small fee.
Great review Julie! I just bought a 2215 last week. I still have my 1910 and I can certainly attest to the speed of the 2215! It’s fast!
I agree about the WiFi. I bought a D-Link CF card and am surfing and emailing with ease. I even read this review with my wireless setup!
Lisa
I just bought the 2215 Friday. It is a great looking device and it is what many people have been wanting for years now in an iPaq(refering to the dual slot).
BUT I have to say that the alarm problem is the killer for me to sent this puppy packing. It is going back to the store tomorrow. I guess I will go back and get a TRUSTY ‘ole Palm, maybe the TT2.
I set an alarm every night before I go to bed to make sure I test my 5 yr. old son’s blood who happens to be diabetic. This nightly test is critical and make all the difference in how well he will sleep through the night and feel in the morning.
How can I possible rely on this went already I have had 2 nights and a morning alarm not go off until I powered the device on?
I do QA for a living and can’t fathum how someone overlooked something as basic and as common of a feature.
🙁
Fantastic review!
It’s almost sure that the backup software causes the problem. This software is made by http://www.spritesoftware.com and they have a patch for the 22xx series.
I have been switching back and forth between Palms and Pocket PC’s for years. I was using a Tungsten T and went to the HP 2215. After a week or two I exchanged the HP 2215 for a Tungsten T2. The 2215 is nice in alot of ways but the built in Microsoft apps are still terrible. They are so bad that I am betting Microsoft doesn’t want Pocket PC’s to be so good as to interferewith laptop or especially Tablet PC sales (which haven’t been too good btw). I installed all the usual add on apps to try to improve things but that causes other problems and I still can’t find anything like To Do Plus on the Palm which is something I use alot. How hard is it to make a simple To Do app for Pockets PC anyway? Listpro ain’t it btw. So I got a Tungsten T2 and couldn’t be happier. It has a great screen and the new silver color is nice. Also more memory and a little faster than the previous vesion. When you want to get things done quickly and efficiently the Palm still has it all over the Pocket PC IMHO. I’ve also been impressed with how much Palm has improved their products when I thought for awhile they were a goner due to lack of innovation. I looked at the 2215 screen in CompUsa the other day and compared it to the T2 and I think the T2 is much better. Are you going to review the T2?
tthiel:
Reviewing the T2 hasn’t made my list of things I would like to review. I’m more looking forward to the iQue (if we ever get one that is…).
– A lot of utility like battery pack has not been updated several week ago. If you install them it won’t work.
-todoplus? It’s called built in task. (category, alarm reminder, sorter, linker, beaming, notes)
This is todosplus manual
http://www.handshigh.com/html/todomanual.html
PS. of course if you have used PPC for a long time, you knew that right.
The 2215 does not support large PCMCIA hard drives from Kingston or Toshiba–2, 5, and probably 15Gb PC Card drives.
Jason Dunn sent HP a note, and between HP, Semsons, Toshiba, and Kingston, they are all pointing the finger at one another.
Otherwise, I’m a converted Palm user.
After hearing about the 2215, and seeing a friend at work with one, I had to get one. Now hearing about the problems with alarm sounds, which is very, very important to me is not good. If I knew there was a definitive fix to this problem available before I bought the 2215, I would get one. Otherwise, I’m looking at the TT2. I’ve been using Palm for so long now, that I’d really like to try something different.
I thought the Palm was everything because I replaced my Franklin Planner with it…
I got the iPAQ 3955 a few months ago and I found out how powerful the PocketPC platform has become–beyond a PIM/planner device.
The 2215 gives me the mobility and strength in platform that the 3955 showed me–gaming (GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advanced, SuperNES, GameGear, NES, Commodore64, Atari, Arcade games through Mame, etc.), ebooks, a true universal cIR remote control (Nevo), wireless security assessment, Web surfing, digital camera, Instant messaging through (AIM & MSN Messenger), Acrobat, Office applications, listening to MP3s, watching DIVX and WMV encoded full feature movies, and expandability (that’s why I’m slightly miffed at losing my 5Gb Toshiba PC Card hdd).
I think that we’re on the verge of replacing our laptops.
what current PDA with CF or SD card slot can read PCMCIA cards? it seems that would be physically impossible without some sort of kludgy adapter.
if you need PCMCIA support in a small form factor you should get yourself an apple newton, a windows CE handheld pc, an hp 200lx or omnigo, or maybe a subnotebook.
-10bt
It’s a Semson’s CF-to-PCMCIA adapter. Julie did a review on it a while back. It’s actually elegant with the 2215–you place a Cisco Aironet or Orinoco Wifi card in the adapter, plug it into your CF slot of your 2215, fold the card back, and stuff it into your Vaja case and you don’t even see it.
I tried this with the Toshiba hdd and you would never know that you had 5Gb storage in such a small form factor. To bad the 2215 doesn pump out enough voltage to make the card fully operate. Go to Brighthand or PocketPCThoughts for more info.
Divx movies on the 2215 is nice!
If you want to use PC Card drives, you’d be better off with the 5500 iPAQ and a PC Card sleeve. Bulky, but doable… Or, go buy one of those just announced 4gb CF cards from Lexar! 😀
I think this is where alot of Palm and Pocket PC users diverge. I don’t want to watch movies, listen to MP3’s, or take pictures with my PDA. It does all of those things adequately but I want all of those things done really well. I have an ipod for MP3’s, a Canon S230 for digital pictures and watch movies on a laptop, lcd screen or TV. I think people who want Pocket PC’s as multi-purpose devices are more willing to put up with it not being a very good organizer because it does all those other things.
Uh yeah…I know what Tasks is. Tasks is awful and is nowhere near as useful as To Do Plus. I can do most things in To Do Plus with one or two steps isntead of the four or five it takes in Tasks. I’m really baffled as to why Tasks, a relatively simple application is so poorly done.
It was surprising to me how much better the T2 is. The screen is really great, it’s a little faster, and has twice the memory. Definetly an improvement. Maybe I have too much disposable income but I had no problem buying oe to replace my Tungsten.
huh?
first of all it has today’s plug in, and there are several freebie to do plug in for even more elaborate filter.
second it has tap hold for quick line management and finally the edit page is all in one page. It is 2-3 steps to get anywhere. It is DEFINITELY better than todo plus, not to mention cheaper.
true enough there is only 3 priorities, but it has unlimited categories.
The usual PI/AF is the prefered method for more complicated to-do.
what exactly you mean by “poorly done”? you mean it doesn’t have cutesy icons on the bottom and use tap and hold instead?
Julie,
What I love about my 2215 is the Bluetooth connection to my cell phone (Sony Ericsson). I have GPRS service on the phone and can access the internet from the 2215. No hotspots required, unlike WiFi. Internet access anywhere there is Cingular GPRS. Just go to the browser on the 2215 and everything is automatic. I can be up to 30 feet away from my phone and still connect!
Like you I also use the 2215 to view digital pics on compact flash from my Canon. A bit slow however. (Is the Tungsten T faster?)
I plan to get an SD WiFi card so that I can use my WiFi access point at home (free). So the two slots on the 2215 and Bluetooth will be fully utilized. Cool! 😎
Regards,
Dan
I know about all the doodads and add-ons and have tried them all. The fact that is has an edit PAGE alone is ridiculous. But whatever, believe what you will. The fact that there are so many replacements for Tasks should tell you something….
….huh?
In case you didn’t notice the irony, TodoPlus IS a todo replacement, while we are talking about PPC built in Todo, and its today plug in capability. So if there is one thing not right or a crippled built in todo, that would be PALMs. PPC todo alterntive are far beyond what any POS apps can muster. PI and AF are example where advance todo functionality are sold as replacement. (eg. nobody will buy todoplus in PPC scene, since it’s what the built in app does)
1. afaik, todoplus does use edit page (or pop up windows)
2. todoplus does not have tap and hold and today’s page screen. Both facilitate short cuts and auto info display.
3. PPC todo are not bound by POS note size limitation or category limitation, it also support audio recording.
so the claim that todo plus can do more, or “use less tap” are pretty dubious, reading from todoplus manual.
PS. how did you use your PPC? I am curious now… and more specifically, what did you mean by ‘poorly done todo’?
I think the 2215 has really balanced functionality, size and prize. The 2215 is my first PocketPC and its been a great experience so far!
Great review Julie.
I have been having this same problem with my 1910. Here is what I have found. If I don’t sync with another computer AND I don’t add a meeting to the calendar with an attachment, everything works.
To correct, I have to make a backup with the Sprite software, hard reset, restore without any of the items from Outlook then resync. BIG PAIN.
Other ideas are welcome.
“size does matter” ???
Yes it does. But my view on it is different!
I do not like the Palms — I broke several of them. Same thing happened with my first Pocket PC. Only the CASIO was comfortable.
I see the same trend going in Pocket PC’s to smaller and smaller.
OH NO!!
My HP 3835 WITH expansion sleeve is JUST the right size: small enough to fit comfortably in my pants pocket when I don’t feel like it being in a beltcase. But it is large enough that it is comfortable to hold, not going to get lost when in a bag with other things, and too large to “forget”. Besides, my Dual CF sleeve (normal cladding) gives me access to 2x CF cards without adding too much size. (a 256SD for programs and then 2x 512 CF — one for music, one for other documents)
I will admit the big dual PC card sleeve is about the max I want — I only use it when I need the battery time.
The screen could be larger (my eyes are getting older) and the entire device could add maybe 1/2 inch top-bottom, right left, and maybe 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick. I love the versitility of the expansion sleeves — something the newer models lack (although they incorporate a lot of expansion already with two slots!) The Dell Axiom is just a little on the small size (but I really like the Compaq expansion sleeves!)
I’m not really knocking — just trying to show that there is another side. Some of us don’t like the little ‘flimsy’ 1910 — or the other small devices. We aren’t going to put it in our shirt pocket!!
It is a replacement for a laptop, for me!
But then, that is why there are so many different
Don’t hold your breath – PPC2002 also had easily documented problems with alarms not sounding and Microsoft never even admitted them.
Jorgen
I really don’t understand why you would like to trade Bluetooth for WiFi. How many people use Wifi with their PDA?
I have WiFi at home and at work, and use it with my laptop and desktops, to avoid network cables running all over the place.
But the PDAs I sync them using bluetooth all the time, works just fine. And, I don’t surf the web with my PDA unless I am forced too, which means I am on the road. In that case the chances of having WiFi access are rmote (currently), but using bluetooth and my cellphone I can use GPRS just about anywhere. (Note: I could browse the web using BT if I wanted too, but I don’t 😉
And using bluetooth gives me much more flexibility to use peripherals: I can also connect to my bluetooth GPS receiver, perfect companion for the navigation software (TomTom on the Ipaq, Digimap on the Palm).
After having used Ipaqs a lot at work, I am now on my second Palm, the brandnew Tungsten T2. Yeehaa!!!!
The reason why I would rather have WiFi over Bluetooth is because I have a WiFi network at home, but don’t have a Bluetooth phone. Most (if not all) Bluetooth phones are GSM phones. GSM (T-mobile in my area) has a crummy coverage area where I live.
OK, so for you *personally* WiFi makes more sense than BT. But objectviely, BT gives much more flexibility than WiFi, because it allows you to communicate with other devices (phones, etc).
In the review you make it sound like BT in stead of WiFi is a fundamental shortcoming of the Ipaq. In stead, it should be presented as your opinion, which of course you are perfectly entitled to have.
And regarding the phone: CDMA and TDMA phones as used in the USA, Canada and the rest of the Americas, will eventually support Bluetooth. It will just take longer, same thing happened with SMS, MMS, WAP, etc. That is just the result of a highly fragmented market (rest of the world is almost entirely GSM).
For the rest I like the review 😉
Hi Julie,
I just recently bought an HP 2215 myself. This was after having a disastrous flirtation with a Palm Pilot (way back), and swearing never to own another PDA. One of my chief complaints back then was the inability to schedule appointments as fast as I would have liked to in real time. I see that the limitations of Pocket PC software don’t make it much easier. It still takes a while to schedule a simple appointment with a Pocket PC.
However, that wasn’t the real reason I decided to cave in. What I was looking for was a small and transportable device where I could check in on my emails and website from time to time while away from the office. I could do that with my old Palm Pilot, but the limitation was that I had to have a land-line to jack into to make a call to an ISP. Furthermore, Web browsing was dismal back then.
So fast forward to the HP 2215, and what you didn’t like is something I find indispensable. I’ve been using the on-board Bluetooth to dial up my ISP via my Bluetoothed Sony Ericsson cell-phone. I don’t even have to remove my cell phone from its case, and an acceptable connection is quite easy to establish as if by magic! It trudges along at an acceptable speed, albeit it is still a de-facto dial-up connection.
Ok, why not Wi-fi you ask? Well I learned an expensive and quite painful lesson when I first got this ensemble. I was so enamored with the cool GPRS connection that I surfed away merrily and found myself saddled with a $400 internet express bill for data!!! So, now I am using plain old dial up into Earthlink via bluetooth to my cell-phone. These days minutes are cheap, and nights and weekends are free. It’s fractionally slower, but it sure doesn’t cost an arm and a leg either.
So there you have it. I use Bluetooth every single day to 1) surf the net, and secondly to transfer files back and forth between my computer and my PDA.
I still wish there was an easy way to schedule appointments. In this regard Palm wins hands down. Otherwise, the 2215 is a winner.
Bob,
With Earthlink, is there an 800 number they don’t charge extra for — when you travel?
So it’s airtime on the cell phone plus the $22/mo for Earthlink unlimited service? Are those the total costs?
Also, should I be getting rid of GPRS, at least until there is an unlimited-use product arround at a decent price?
Thanks,
Dan
HP 2215
SonyEricsson T616
Dan,
First of all, yes, Earthlink/Mindspring does have a national and international 800 number one can use, but I never use them. The reason is, the 800 number actually costs me more– Earthlink I believe has a small charge for using the 800 number. I have Nation-wide service on my cell phone and also Earthlink has a local number in almost every city in the United States. This makes an 800 number a moot point.
With straight dial-up, there are no hidden costs. Since I have free nights and weekends on my cellular plan, and unlimited dial-up via Earthlink, I could presumably stay logged on all night and all weekend at the basic phone and ISP charge.
I still have GPRS, but I must admit to being shy about using it now. Although there is no charge for a connection, any data uploaded or downloaded goes against my data quota. This month, I downloaded a few images and before I knew it, I was way over quota. I will explore GPRS again when they come out with a higher data allowance at a decent price.
For what it’s worth, I do not notice that much difference between straight dial-up and GPRS anyways.
I have had my 2210 for about a week now. I was previously using a 3765 on a daily basis for e-prescribing, dictation and reference (I am a Family Doc) using an 802.11b PC card and sled. I will be using the 2210 as soon as a driver becomes available for PPC2003 for our CF 802.11b cards.
The combination of small size, and DUAL slots sold me. I was very frustrated with my 3765 in that I could not run a wireless card and memory card at some time. The faster processor is nice as well.
I can tell I am in love, but then I always fall in love with my latest gadget for at least a month, then it is time for something new.
bl
Greetings,
In general I liked the review of the HP. I would have liked to have more information on the Bluetooth capabilities which I understand is not all that important to you but is invaluable for some of us.
In regards to Bob’s comments about GPRS I am wondering who your provider is? T-Mobile now has an “all-you-can-eat” GPRS plan for $19.99/mo. Hopefully other providers will follow suit shortly. Also, not to beat the drum for Palm but, there are Palm devices that now have Bluetooth built-in or can accept a BT SDIO card. I played with a Tungsten T2 today and the BT setup was unbelievably easy. You answered 4 questions, 1) do you have a GPRS device, 2) what country are you in, 3) who is your service provider and 4) what phone do you have? In less than 30 secs I had a connection to my Sony-Ericsson T68i via BT and was surfing the web. I tried to do the same with an HP 2215 and was unable to connect due to not being able to figure out how to specify the correct phone number to dial my GPRS provider. I only wish Palm would put CF expansion slots in their devices and provide for replaceable rechargeable batteries.
To the poster that said “we are on the verge of replacing our laptops” I’d have to say, Not just yet. It is really apalling at how poorly the Pocket PC applications integrate with their desktop cousins. ActiveSynch seems problematic from what I have read on the net and neither Palm nor PPC devices are truely sufficient for serious web surfing due to the lack of Java support, lack of multiple browser windows, and versioning issues with Pocket IE. We are getting closer and I have high hopes for the future but I just don’t think we’re there yet. 😀
Cheers
TC
Cingular is my cellular provider. I’m afraid I’m locked-in to them. I need to keep my phone number. And secondarily, T-Mobile has the Sony Ericsson T610 not the T616 which is a little better phone IMHO. (See mobileburn.com) So I’m using Earthlink just like Bob. (Nothing is perfect.)
Maybe with time, Cingular will also offer “all you can eat”.
Is it really made of plastic?
I’ve looked at it closely ad the battery door of the 2210/2215 is made of metal. The bottom part of the body is finished in true iPAQ Satin finish and the top part is painted silver.
Now Looking at it closely, it does resemble the same manufacturing standards of the other iPAQs such as the 36xx, 37xx, 38xx, 39xx, and 55xx.
Now I remeber very well that there was a similar discussion about the HP Jornada 568 being made in plastic… which turned out to be wrong.
Now the Jornada 548 anf the Tungsten T or T2 may be made with stamped aluminum sheets… thin and requiring a backbone to support them… the Jornada 568 on th other hand was made of some lightweight alloy which was more of a cast alloy or a machined alloy, which gave the fel that it was made of plastic… because of the wholeness of the chassis.
The 1910, 1930, 1940 and 2210 seem to be made of the same process… the se of alloys for part of the structure or probably the most of it.
I wouldn’t discount the fact that the strength of the structure may be a result of such design… a cast alloy design.
But then again, I can be wrong… and using a continuity tester for the bottom half of the body to check if it would conduct electricity proved that it does conduct electricity… Good chrome plating on a plastic part? Or is it truly made of metal?
Also, pay attention to the detail. Look at the fine holes made for the mic. It would be very difficult to do something as fine as that on plastic… same goes for the notification light apertures.
Mabuhay! ~ Carlo
Bob,
I am also interested in what carrier you are using that allows you to dial in to a dial up ISP such as Earthlink. Is that really a lot slower than a GSM/GPRS connection?
When I first got my Nokia 3360 from AT&T (which uses TDMA) I thought I would able to do this. Nokia told me the phone was capable of this, but that AT&T had crippled the capability.
Come 11/24 I am dumping ATTWS because the cost of their data plans is too high. The problem is that I need a carrier with low cost data, but also at least voice coverage for my summer place near Bath, ME. TMO has cheap data, but is GSM only and cuts out 2 miles short. I am looking at VZW and Sprint, but your solution might give me other options until other carriers get their act together for a reasonably priced data plan.
You need a carrier that provides GPRS — just don’t use the service, use voice instead. I found out the hard way by cancelling GPRS (with Cingular), trying to save $6.99 their lowest cost GPRS, and discovering I could not connect because the “modem” part of the phonecall was gone. I called back and reinstated GPRS. Now I can dial out *and connect* to a dial-up. 😀
As I said, I thought I would be able to do what Bob did with using my Nokia 3360 as a cellphone modem for my laptop with ATTWS, but ATTWS’ TDMA system did not allow it. I see that they now offer phones that are advertised as GSM (voice) and GPRS (data and “mMode”). If I stayed with them and switched to one of the new phones, would they be able to block my calling a dial-up ISP or to know that I was doing so and charge me their absurd bandwidth rates?
So many acronyms, I’m not sure this answers your question. But when I dial out on my SonyEricsson T616 to dialup to Earthlink, Cingular is charging me voice rates not data rates.
I first off praise your intensely detailed review~near dead on! However, I caution readers to justly understand that your personal issues with this PDA might just be as one person wrote, “…somewhat inhibitive of alternately installed software…” Reason being, I have never witnessed these personal occurances nor deficiencies! Not only any one of them – but NONE of them! It literally works flawlessly and perfectly. So, again, I caution readers to precisely and openly view this as but ONE article and ONE PDA. It simply shouldn’t have been stated in the CONs area your recognized faults, but that maybe it was a bit deeper than skin deep causing this to reflect upon this HP product as a whole! (And NO-NO-NO-NO!!! I do not work for HP!:-)” Have you tried to contact HP and discuss these issues to see if maybe your unit was just dropped off the conveyor belt accidentally upon building it??
AXNJXN:
If you are referring to the failure for Calendar alarms to be fired, this is a well documented issue with the 2215 or with Windows Mobile 2003 devices in general (it doesn’t happen with 2003 Second Edition). It has to do with the number of appointments in the Calendar app and how long it takes for the maintenance tasks to be performed every day. There are even small ‘patches’ that you can make to your device to help eliminated the issue. FYI: I have all my Calendar appts from as far back as the year 2000…