Customer Reviews
Flexible device 
2008-06-03
Invaluable for navigation and finding the closest Thai restaurants. Was originally rather buggy, but recent update seems to have stabilized things.
Neat trick: with the installation of an SDIO wireless card, such as the Spectec SDW-820 SD WiFi Card (802.11b) and some software tinkering, you can get Opera running on it, for portable internet access, albeit only to unsecured networks.
Battery life is rather skimpy.
Happy overall 
2008-05-31
Since this is my first GPS, I have no basis for comparison. However, I like this GPS very much. It wasn't too difficult learning the menu options, but it did take a little getting use to. Overall, I'm happy with my purchase.
Disappointed 
2008-05-24
I was initially impressed after receiving the Ipaq 310 4 days ago. It acquired satellites quickly, the display was crisp, bright, and clear. Routing was acceptable. The interface was fairly intuitive. Then the problems started. The unit crashed twice. It spontaneously turns itself on, twice draining the battery as the device sat unused. HP support recommended I return the device for repair, but since Amazon has a 30 day refund policy, I think it would be wise to cut my losses before I am stuck with a remanufactured lemon. I will be returning the unit for a refund. Listen up, HP: fix the problems before releasing the product!
Update: I took the advice of another reviewer and gave this unit a chance. After several weeks of use, I am glad I did. While not perfect, this unit works quite well after all. I learned that turning the unit off while it is navigating will cause the battery drain problem: apparantly the supplied case fits a little snug, and it is easy for the power button to be accidentally pressed. If the unit activates, afer having been switched off while navigating, it will then stay on, draining the battery. The unit has crashed, bit not while operating. THe routes are quite good, and there are plenty of adjustments in the software to allow the user to tweak the results. I do like the advanced features this unit sports, including multipoint routing, and the good display. All in all, I'm glad I kept this device. I would now rate it at least 3 stars, and would recommend it to friends.
nice product if it worked 2008-05-20
I had to give this 1 star but in honesty it would of been 0
I am in the UK and bought this to use when traveling in the US as its a "travel Companion"
I am just about to throw it in the bin as mine is of no use to anyone. If you get a faulty item from HP then your stuck on there repair merrygo round. I got my unit back from HP EU repair people Mid April and its got the same issue again. It wont power up :(
As you can see from the conversation below its just not worth the effort, if it breaks and mine has twice now you may as well go buy a different product.
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:41 PM] -- Kristie L says:
We cannot offer you a replacement we can only offer you a repair.
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:43 PM] -- De Wood says:
why can you not replace a faulty item the has had the same fault twice
at which point do you finally give up repairing it and replace it - will i have to send it back every month for repair until the
warranty runs out ?
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:44 PM] -- De Wood says:
i am not trying to be awkward i am jsut trying to understand why
an obvious fault that has happened more than once now will only be repaired
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:45 PM] -- Kristie L says:
three repairs within a 90 day period
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:45 PM] -- De Wood says:
lol and it take 4 -6 weeks to repair so thats not gonna happen
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:45 PM] -- De Wood says:
that make be laugh
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:45 PM] -- De Wood says:
sorry
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:46 PM] -- Kristie L says:
Was there anything else that I can help you with or answer any more questions you may have today?
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:47 PM] -- De Wood says:
think i will jsut bin it and never buy a HP product again as that is as much use it is and will buy another garmin or tomtom
[Tuesday, May 20, 2008 8:47 PM] -- Kristie L says:
Well if you would like to send it in for repair you can
Lowcost Bluetooth - GPS with Quirky Interface HP iPAQ 310 
2008-05-11
A low price with these features means a confusing unexplained GUI and the slowest web site for software upgrades and map updates I have ever encountered. The latest application upgrade is markedly better than the one on the unit when I bought it! Price is right and plays music & videos if you add extra memory.
Decent GPS AFTER 1.7GB Service Pack 2008-07-08
I received this 310 device as a gift 4 months ago. The unit had multiple issues. Battery life was horrible. GPS signal detection was spotty. The directions and routes were off and made no sense. The largest problem was random freezes and locks.
The learning curve was high for me and even now when I know how to use the device it is still cumbersome. For the most part I would keep it in my trunk and if by chance I was in an unfamiliar area I mostly used it to help me find the nearest freeway entrance.
I would give the device a 1 star rating; however I noticed HP posted a map and OS upgrade for this unit in June. The 'update,' is 1.7GB in size, which means it is really an entire install of the OS and maps.
So far the device runs far smoother and no lockups. I feel HP shipped a beta version of the software and it took them many, many months to get the system to a decent point.
However; I have to say I appreciate HP for following through and actually posting an update. They could have just completely dropped the ball and left the unit crippled and angered all the folks who were having trouble, but picked this device.
Now I have to say the unit is a decent GPS and if we have regular updates and the ability to load up non-US regions such as China, Europe, etc., then it would even deserve a 4 star rating.
slow, buggy, nice display, not up to potential of its hardware 2008-07-07
As above, can't find bluetooth link after you turn it off and on, has to be reset almost everytime it is started to find the satelite.
Gets better over time 2008-06-29
I debated for a very long time before purchasing the HP Ipaq 310. My usual habit of shopping around for anything I buy requires me to read every review I can find on the web....Need to know the features, need to get the best price...etc. Gotta admit, this process is sometimes excessive to the point of frustration. I've owned and used about 6 GPS units in the last 5 years or so...they included Navman, Magellan, Lowrance, Garmin; that averages about 1 GPS per year. However, in reality, I had been using Garmin 350 for the last 2 years...everything else were fairly brief. Garmin 350 was simply a breeze to use; it does the GPS' primary purpose very well and is the easiest to use GPS out of the box I've had. The HP Ipaq 310 is NOT easy to use straight out of the box. I fully expected this after reading all of the reviews here in amazon, and cnet, and more exotic sites like [...]; Now, I usually would consider myself somewhat of a techy kind of guy (I've always been the one friends and family would consult for electronics advice) and I rarely have to read instruction manual on most of anything I buy in order to operate them. I received the Ipaq 310 from amazon...got in my car, turned the thing on; then for the next 20 minutes could not make it take me to a destination! I was fully humiliated in front of my girlfriend. So, the thing is not very intuitive straight out of the box. It took me a good 1 or 2 hours of "alone time" at home to figure everything out (and I still didn't read the manual). The marked difference between the 310 and all of my previous GPS in navigation is what made the initial learning so difficult. You enter an address and fully expect the unit to just take you there as with all of the other GPS I had before...not the 310; you would have to perform anothe step of assigning the address as either "destination" or "starting point." And repeating entries because you're not sure if the unit registered your destination correctly are simply added onto the route. You would have to go to another menu to edit the route and delete previous addresses. Really, it makes perfect sense now after I've learned the HP interface. And it really DOES provide some really good features that the other GPS lack. Essentially, the 310 allows you to do that route planning thing you do using Yahoo Maps or Mapquest; you can find out the distance/travel time between any two points on the map. Most of other systems only allow you to calculate route from your current GPS position to your entered destination. This is a really useful feature that some newer higher end GPS are starting to offer (e.g. Garmin 700 series). The 310 had quite a few hardware and software issues that are well documented in various user forums, most notably the sound quality and lockups and crashes. But, here's where HP is coming through with some very nice product updates. There had been at least 1 major update and 1 minor update since the product release. Earlier users also experienced unreasonably difficult process with the automatic update. That had improved by the time I did my update; it took less than 1 hour. The sound volume improved to adequate level. However Susan Text-to-speech still sounds annoying and not as clear as I would've liked. Rerouting seems to have improved. The crashes are VERY infrequent now. I think my review of the 310 turned out a bit more negative than I really feel about the unit; All and all, I was so very close to returning this thing back to amazon; but after the update AND after I learn how to use the interface, I find myself liking it quite a bit now. The screen is bright and sharp. I also like the fact that the battery is user replaceable. My Garmin 350 is basically a permanent wired unit now that the battery won't hold charge anymore. Still haven't played much with the video playback, MP3 stuff. But what's very encouraging is that HP is releasing updates...indeed this unit has tons of potential and it's getting better with each update.
Too much too soon? 2008-06-22
When I got this unit via the Amazon Vine program, I was looking forward to it. I have an older Magellen GPS unit for my car, and it works great. The only problem is that it's rather bulky. The iPAQ 310 promised a much smaller and lighter form factor, as well as the ability to run with it away from a power source. Unfortunately, the promise didn't measure up to reality, and I think I'll be keeping my Magellen.
The 310 looks really nice, but I was less-than-thrilled with the routing paths it provided. On a number of occasions, it ignored an obviously more direct path to take you on a round-about trip. Since the main thing I wanted it for was navigation, it failed in the primary task. The additional stuff like MP3 player and video player are nice, but I already have iPods and iPhones to do that stuff. I would have preferred it be really great at one thing (navigation) rather than mediocre at a number of things.
If you're willing to look at this as a true iPAQ that happens to have GPS built in, then you might have a better impression of the overall package. But if you're looking for this primarily as an in-car navigation unit, it leaves much to be desired.
top of the line GPS 2008-06-14
I have had this unit for about 4 months now. When I wanted to buy a GPS, never having owned one, I hesitated between the Navigon 7100 and the HP iPaq 310. The reviews I read about the HP were mixed. The negative ones were not convincing to me. It sounded more as a critique because the HP does not behave like a TomTom or Garmin. I am glad I bought this unit.
One of the complaints was that the HP switches from 2D to 3D mode by itself. To me that is a feature. When you are so far from the destination, you really do not want to look at the details of the road. That is when the 2D-mode kicks in automatically. As you get near your destination, you care about the streets preceding the destination. Again, the HP switches automatically to the detailed mode showing the 3D, which in my opinion is superb.
In 3D-mode you get a super high resolution scenery of the back-ground. In my case you see the mountains exactly as I see it in front of me. Perfect scenery on the HP screen.
Do not get fooled by the Garmin users or TomTom users. This unit is perfect. I find every function to work as designed.
There never was a problem with the sound being too low. At least my unit never had a problem from day one.
Connecting bluetooth with your cell phone is a breeze.
Finding the satellites took place very quickly.
So far there has been two firmware upgrade. The only problem with the upgrade is that the provided software takes a long time to download the firmware.
I would recommend this to any body
