Customer Reviews
Designed for lefties 
2008-05-30
I waited before giving this review because my last PDA went beserk after only a few months. It is well over a year since I've had this beauty and I'm glad to say that I've been very pleased with this model. It is quite attractive and love the way my fingers fit into the curves on the side - very sexy. I use it to listen to music, watch movies, read books and find it quite comfortable except that because of small size, my hand cramps up if I hold it up too long - which would be true for all PDAs anyway. Battery seems to drain when switched off :(
Like another reviewer said, the stylus does seem to be in the wrong place. My solution is to rotate the display and use it 'upside down' so to speak. It is perfect that way - everything is then exactly where it should be. I love the convertible power adapter that does double duty as a USB cable. Wish all adapters came this way (don't need two power outlets with laptop!)
Doesn't come with a big memory but that's ok. Just load up one or two SD cards and you are good to go. Sync with XP is a breeze. Originally had problems to sync with Windows Media Player but once you install the latest version on your PC you should have no problems. Vista recognises this device and readily attempts to sync media files - can't advise on sync with outlook or anything else with Vista cause don't have it on my Vista machine.
The scroll wheel serves as sound control, you can also use it to scroll through pages in your e-books - which is much handier that using your stylus. My ipaq has not had any problems with reading SD cards and I often switch between two cards - i just need to let the library re-update. The few times I've had to perform a soft reset was when MS Reader has stalled while opening a book. You can also pop your SD card straight from camera to this device and view your pics
Handwriting recognition is ok but you get problems with system distinguishing between L and I - it drove me nuts! It is too bad the plastic screen protector has to be completely disengaged when ipaq is in use. I am always concerned that I'm going to forget it somewhere. Get the stick on protectors and leave the one that comes with the ipaq at home :D
Great for Travel 
2007-08-23
This is a wonderful travel companion. All the information we need is contained in this mini laptop. We can check email and surf the web comfortably from cafes, hotel rooms, cruise ships - anywhere a wi-fi signal is found. The calendar feature ensures we will not miss important dates. Pictures can be instantly viewed on a clear, wide screen by inserting the camera's card into the unit. We highly recommend this product.
Great little PDA 2007-07-23
I upgraded from a Dell Axim X5, which I loved and used everyday for work and play. The RX 4200 has a bright screen even when set to the lowest brightness level. I have a 4 GB SD card installed with lots of software, music, and movies. This arrangement works fine but I find I have to soft reset at least 3 to 4 times a week. Once, it even decided to disregard all the music and movies I had installed. What happened was that I could not get any of the programs, movies, or music installed on the sd card to work. I tried removing the card and reinstalling. That made the changes to the card permanent. I had to format the card and reinstall everything. The next time the pda would not read the card I did a soft reset and everything came back with no problem. I think this may be an issue with the stoarage card I selected and not this pda. Actually I have found it to be quite nice to listen to music and watch movies on. Games are cool too just don't buy anything that needs a D-Pad like driving games. Internet usage works fine with my router at home which is a A & B wifi version. This pda only supports B & G version routers. So don't think you have a problem when you run into a router or hotspot that will not connect. If it can connect this pda will do it very easily. I haven't traveled with this pda but the fact that it uses a mini usb charger may for some folks cut down on the cables to carry on a trip. My Razor charger charges this one with no problem. The scroll wheel works nicely for reading e-books and surfing the web. I opted for the Boxwave silicone case to protect my investment. To use the scroll wheel more easily I had to make the opening for it larger with a pair of scissors. I hope this helps with your buying decision.
HP Ipaq 2007-07-18
The unit takes just a bit to get familiar with but seems to work well.
The 802.11x function is a little lacking in a Holiday Inn but at home on our wireless access point it works nicely.
Overall it is a good product.
A PDA with no additional gadgets that works well 2007-07-17
A previous reviewer mentioned that the IPAQ rx 4200 is an entry level unit with no frills, and so it is. It is ellegant, fast, versatile and capable. If you need a PDA that also serves as a phone, camera, etc., then go with something else. If you are looking for a PDA that serves as an office assistant, with Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and also functions seamlessly as a web browser and for email, music, photo and video media center, plus bluetooth, infrared and wireless, you can't go wrong with this very attractive and correctly priced unit.
Entry level iPAQ with almost all the features of its big brothers 2007-07-15
TheHP iPAQ rx4200 Mobile Media Companion connects, entertains, organizes and impresses. You can connect to the people and information that is most important for you whether for work or pleasure. Stay mobile while entertaining yourself by listening to music, surfing the web or play games. Organize your work and personal life with Windows Mobile 5.0 and an impressive, sleek design that makes it fun and easy to take anywhere you go. Connect to the Internet and e-mail in public areas equipped with WLAN access such as airports, hotels and coffee shops with 802.11b/g. Bluetooth wireless technology provides convenient, wire-free, short-range communication with other Bluetooth devices. Sync your own ripped, purchased or subscription music files to your iPAQ. Listen to music or even watch videos with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile. Secure Digital slot allows you to easily transfer more onto your optional SD and MMC Memory Cards so you'll always have you latest favorites with you. USB 2.0Client supported via mini-USB connector, SD Slot supports 4-bit and 1-bit memory standard Integrated microphone, speaker and one 3.5mm stereo headset jack, 5-band equalizer and 3D sound adjustment iPAQ Wireless with Today Screen plug-in, HP Quick Launch, Today Panel Lite, HP Photosmart Mobile Software, HP Help and Support, HP QuickStart Tour WLAN 802.11b/g Bluetooth V2.0+ Enhanced Data Rate Operating System - Microsoft Windows Mobile version 5.0 for Pocket PC, Mobile version of Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel&PowerPoint and Microsoft Outlook 2002 for Pocket PC Dimensions - 4.02 x 2.5 x 0.689 inch (102 x 63.5 x 17.5mm) Weight - 4.48 ounces (127 grams)
Best PDA ever 2007-07-09
I've been a PDA user since mid 90's, and by far this is the best PDA I've ever had. Great size and weight, fits in my pocket, and the buttons and wheel allow one-hand use.
I can easily browse the Internet and check email with Wi-Fi or using my mobile phone as a modem thru Bluetooth.
I see no need to have an expensive PDA-Phone, when I can decide when to carry the Pocket PC, or when to leave it at home and carry only my mobile phone.
Well thought out PDA, Long way from the early days of Windows CE 2007-07-07
HP has done an excellent job with the IPAQ4200 PDA as its a well made PDA that has a great screen, fairly decent audio with the built in speaker (great audio with headphones) easy to expand via its SD memory slot and just a well thought out layout to the controls including a scroll button/control that controls volume while in Windows media and acts as a regular scroll control in programs such as Windows Explorer.
I had no problems at all with it linking right up with ActiveSync to Outlook (Note: Outlook and not Outlook Express..) and transfer all my contacts with ease via its USB port. Also on my first try, I did not have to consult any manuals (Manuals on DVD) to log on via Wifi at the local Coffee shop and while some of the Internet takes a little getting used to seeing on a 2.8 inch screen, most sites worked fine. Also I had no problems with the Bluetooth connection to my cell phone, however I could not get the Bluetooth Activesync to connect via a Bluetooth Adapter.
Windows Media works great, transfering directly in its native WMA format to the iPaq. Most JPEG's transfered fine and looked very well and I was surprised that the PDA was even able to open some of the large 3.3 MB JPEG's I have as test files.
Battery Life seems pretty good. Hard to say exactly as I tend to recharge it when it gets below about 60% as I hate to have it die when I need it. But my guess is about 15 hours ? With maybe 3 hours of that using Wifi and 2 hours Audio, both of those use more battery power. I tend to keep the screen fairly bright so I am not great on conserving battery power as I like to be able to read the screen.
The built in HP Photo Manager is a nice application that is well done for a PDA and is great for showing off your photos and doing the basics with them.
Last but not least, even thou the Ipaq is all plastic, it is rugged. It has taken several tumbles out of my shirt pocket and survived just fine. No cracks. I would not advise that kind of treatment ! But is a good comment to the rugged nature of HP products.
Amazing, sleek, stylish, impressive... What a machine! 2007-06-25
I was a little skeptical about buying a pocket PC (I desktop and a laptop aren't enough!??!!?) But my friend Bud just bought an older one, and I quickly saw how useful these things can be, so I started shopping around. After a few days of searching all the various Pocket PC's on Amazon, I quickly fell in love with this one, and it stayed at the very top of my favorites list. When it came down to the wire, after comparing it to hundreds of other mobile devices and this was the winner. It's got 802.11b AND g!!! Not many devices can operate at G levels right now. It's functional, it's stylish, and it's worth the money.
You can't beat the price, either... I am thoroughly impressed and satisfied, as always, with any HP product.
Much, much better than a Franklin planner! 2007-06-16
I got the black and white Compaq iPAQ when it first came out, and then graduated to a Dell Axim X3. Well, now I have the new rx4200 and I think it is an excellent device.
This PDA is small, and it is easy to carry around. It is not highly advertised: I didn't see much about it in the latest "Smartphone and Pocket PC" magazine. I only found out about it from "girlsgonemobile."
This PDA has no phone, no camera, no keyboard, and no GPS. You can use it to connect to the internet, but I think that with the small screen and mediocre resolution that's not the best use of the iPAQ. On the other hand, I am writing this review on my iPAQ right now, and I'm connected to Amazon (via wireless), so it does work. In addition, if all you want is, say, news, weather, stocks, and traffic, you can use Handango InHand to quickly update all of these with a brief internet connection and then read all of it at your leisure in an iPAQ-friendly format.
It is great for taking notes and storing them in word documents, and it synchronizes well with my PC at home. The battery keeps it going during the day so I can recharge it at night. The handwriting recognition software works pretty well, and I can write fairly quickly, so I don't miss the keyboard.
There is a plastic screen protector, so you can keep your screen from being scratched when you carry it around, but you do, of course, need to remove it to use the device.
The rest of Microsoft Office is very useful as well. I can download and refer to Word, Excel, and Power Point documents. Power Point is read-only, but even that is enough to read presentations. I like keeping copies of Power Point presentations, but it is annoying that they come out upside down on my iPAQ. Adobe is available for reading pdf files.
I use the Calendar quite a bit, but there is one thing I would change about it. You see, you can take notes about any appointment. It would be wonderful if you could simply keep those notes indefinitely, so you could always look at your old appointments. But the software instead keeps asking you to delete old appointments, telling that you are an hour late, a day late, a month late, a year late for them! If you do that, you will delete your record of what you did, as well as your notes.
Contacts (the address book) works well, and that is another major use of any PDA.
What about playing music? Well, the storage is not huge (although you can get several GB on an SD card). And the quality is mediocre as well. I haven't tried it for composing music, but again I think I'd prefer a large-screen laptop for that. One can use the iPAQ as a recording device, but I rarely do that.
I use an SD card in my camera, so it is easy to use the iPAQ to look at (or even store) photos.
The iPAQ is actually a fairly powerful computer. But for writing software or doing really big calculations, I prefer laptops or mainframes. I have the Lygea HP-15 calculator on my iPAQ, and this works well for minor applications. And Excel is available as well.
Besides the HP-15, I have three other third-party software items. One is Spb time, which is useful as a clock, alarm clock, countdown timer, and stopwatch. Another is Pocket Stars. And the third is a game, Killer Sudoku.
Killer Sudoku is definitely better on a bigger screen. But I think other games are even worse on tiny screens. Action games are much better on a laptop or desktop. And games such as bridge, chess, Go, and so forth are also much better on a big computer.
Overall I like the iPAQ very much. I highly recommend it.
