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HP iPAQ 5455 Pocket PC

HP iPAQ 5455 Pocket PC

List Price: $699.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great when you get past the manuals,...
Review: This product works as advertised, but the manuals are useless and so is technical support. Managed to get wi-fi working without too much trouble - if you have wireless for your pc it's the same setup. Had to do a hard reset once and couldn't restart wi-fi, called technical support and their knowledge of what to do was non-existent...finally quoted their manual to them! Bluetooth works well as well, but setting it up is difficult if you try to use their manuals. Called tech-support, they tried a few things, then claimed it was a documented problem with Nokia, so I should call them! Called Nokia and they were just as bad/wrong! Finally resolved ALL problems by going to t-mobile web site where they have a configuration site that show how to link a wide randge of pda's to a wide range of phones - worked first time using their info.

When you get it working, you WILL love it!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Mobile Solution
Review: Not sure what everyone is complaining about! The built in Wireless was simple to setup. Simply start the application and fillin your Wireless SSID (or set it up to auto-detect). Unless you have messed with the advanced config on your wireless router it will work with the default configuration.

The PDA will require a reboot after setting up the Wireless for IE to detect it WiFi has excellent reception (better than my desktop).

I suggest buying the extended battery. I purchased the CompactFlash Plus which is a battery pack + CF adapter. I also purchased a CF Modem from CompUSA for only $(...)(Was $(...)but their inventory is wrong in their POS system).

Along with MS Money this is the best solution I have used.

For System Admins, Terminal Service Client is built in for easy admin of your home pc or work servers. This small item does have a high price but it easily replaces my Laptop while on vacation with the modem , MS Money, and Terminal services.

If you have a bluetooth Cell Phone you can easily sync the iPaq to access the Internet via the Cell Phone.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Value/Powerful Pocket PC
Review: These guys who are palm lovers just have a hard time switching to the Pocket PC! I am a switcher. The transition was tough at first back a couple of years ago. The Palm OS is surely faster and more user friendly but has much less to offer. This IPAQ is a powerful one and the screen quality, handwritting recognition and wifi options are unmatched by any Palm device. I have not found much use yet for the Bluetooth and the security features are good but I don't know that I need them. Still, what a great tool for word processing, spreadsheets, web surfing and more. Lighten up Palm boy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: King of the Remote!
Review: I picked up this PDA mainly to streamline my business(contacts, appointments, to-do list, etc.) after seeing review in PC Mag, but it has proved so much more. Utilizing bluetooth(IFR) wireless connection between my SE T68I phone, desktop and PDA all the data entered throughout the day is automatically downloaded into my home computer as I walk in the door(systems actively searches for each other to communicate when they get within 20 feet or so line of sight). By the time I grab a beer
it's done and I did'nt have to do a thing. There are a couple of other Compaq models that have a higher rated display, but this model has the feature of programing all my remote home electronics and I get to play "KING OF THE REMOTE". Very cool.

It's good to be da'king...

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Big problems for the $$ - otherwise it could be great.
Review: I purchased the iPaq 5455 one year ago, directly from HP when it first hit the market, paying $649 plus $200 for a 3 year top of the line warranty. I have had several problems with the unit. Starting with the display on the unit going out only after a month or two of receiving it. The next problem was with the battery loosing its charge. Most recently, I have been having the recurring problem of the unit locking up not powering on. And like others, I have never been able to sync my info wirelessly.

I have placed several calls to tech support. I have troubleshooted the unit while on the phone with them and even sent the unit in for repair a month ago, in which I did not get a replacement unit, although my extended warranty states that I should. I received the unit back from repair and the documentation stated that no parts were replaced. Knowing that I definitely had a problem with the unit, I called tech support to see what was repaired. I was told a big lie that the battery was changed and the ENC part was replaced. Looking at my unit now, I see that it is the same battery that I had when I sent it in for repair.

Thinking that all was fixed with my unit, I downloaded all of my information. The next day I experienced the same problem with the unit not powering on with the power button. I placed another call to tech support in which the tech and myself troubleshooted the unit. The tech told me to hard boot my unit which erased all of my data. I was told not to install the one 3rd party software that I had installed to monitor the situation. I once again reinstalled my information without the 3rd party software. Again, my unit would not power on. Again, I called tech support and angrily described my situation.

Finally, the tech tells me that I will be sent a REFURBISHED unit. I received the refurbished unit two days ago and encountered the same problem once I loaded all of my data on to it. HP tech support has you to hard reset the unit to erase all data, which appears to make the unit work properly, but once the data is loaded, the problems begin. Today I called tech support and told them I am returning the refurbished replacement unit and keeping my original to see what their customer care department does to satisfy me.

I purchased the unit because I felt it would be an asset to my busy professional life, but it has been nothing but a hassle. I have sent several email complaints to HP customer support and finally to the CEO Carly Fiorina. I got a reply email from her address stating that someone would be in contact with me.

Each call and every email, I have gotten the same script of "we apologize for your inconvenience". The tech support department located in India is very unhelpful and they speak to you as if you were an idiot.

The unit has some slick features, but right now I am very dissatisfied and frustrated.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Best Money Spent
Review: I have recently purchased this iPAQ as a replacment for my ever aging Jornada 525. I needed the OS the most, as Windows 200 hadhelds were being out dated. But I got much more when I actually purchased the handheld. The biometric fingerprint reader is extremely impressive, I don't have to remember passwords, and with some bad experiences with windows technology, I can't forget them. I have it at my fingertips. Security is a big thing and coupled with that, I have encryption, no one can get. I have access to other bluetooth devices, and I can reach the internet all over the place with the wireless LAN. I have a .net passport, so the preinstalled softwar is put to good use. I constantly look at spreadsheets, whether it's checking inventory, or employee's hours. I use the Universal Remote Control for everything compatible. I have read that other people have trouble doing the simplest things, like syncing, and crashes. I have noticed that a lot of the people are avid palm users. With it, it helps keep speed up and prevent crashes to use the itask feauture to close the tasks, much similar to the one that pops up on pc's when you Ctrl+Alt+Delete. They stay open to allow you to look at the today menu and switch back without having to reload the program. Just close it, and it will work faster. I've had it for two weeks, and I have yet to have a problem. The only problem it the size, it still fits in my pocket, but not as well as my companion's iPAQ h1910. I love it though, and it is possibly the best money I ever psent on computer equipment.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great product, if a little buggy....
Review: I've been using my iPAQ for about a week now. I have had an Aero and a 3800 series iPAQ in the past. I will say that they have finally grown up. This product has all the niceties that I enjoy. I have the Bluetooth talking to my Sony Ericsson phone. This allows me to get out onto the Internet using the AT&T GSM network which is a VERY nice feature for me. The 802.11 access is great at home or the office, but I don't surf the internet much on the device, mostly just Pocket Portals or pages formatted for the smaller screen. I am amazed at the number of sites that are formatted this way. Even Amazon! The screen is very bright and crisp, much easier to read than prior models. The Media Player is great and really

Now for the complaint...

The unit seems to have been slammed together in a hurry. The features are awesome but don't always play nice in the sandbox together. I have not seen the horrible slowness that others have complained about, but with all the apps I have loaded I can say that it's faster than my 3800 was. The reason I don't see it is perhaps the fact that I use the Itask manager to close the apps I'm finished with. One of the most infuriating things for me is the refusal of the Bluetooth and/or WLAN drivers to start due to lack of memory. The soft reset fixes the issue, but I would be curious to hear how much memory is required to start these. I have a LOT of free unit memory. All of the unit's shortcomings do not detract from the usefulness of the device for me. I think that HP has some bug fix releases they need to get started on though.

Overall I'm very pleased with the device and would recommend it if you can deal with a few minor annoyances.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not good
Review: I got the HP5455 2 months ago. The battery life is horrible, interface is awkward, and form-factor too large.... After dealing with the thing for 2 months, I've spent another $500 to replace it with a new palm (which I love). Stay away from the HP5455.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Excellent features but the battery died after 4 months
Review: The HP iPAQ 5455 Pocket PC has some very good features as you would have seen in other reviews but the 2 things I did not like about it are:
(1) I never got the biometric reader to work.
(2) The battery died after 4 months of use, it did not even switch on when I installed the expansion pack (which was an additional expense)

The bottom line: buy a cheaper model without the biometric reader and save some money.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not bad... but not knocked out
Review: On the plus side, I think that the screen quality is phenomenal and the handwriting recognition is quite good. However, there are a number of annoying quirks in my IPAQ that diminish its utility. For one, I find myself soft booting the machine far too often; either the programs hang or I have problems switching from my wireless network at home to the one at work. Perhaps the former is more a problem with Windows Pocket PC than the hardware, but nevertheless, it's annoying. I also have to agree with one reviewer who found it odd that you cannot sync over the wireless 802.1x network (I don't know if this is possible over Bluetooth; I haven't tried it). I don't think that the IPAQ is worth it's list price unless you are an avid e-mailer with constant connection to a wireless network, but it's probably a good buy if you can find it used.


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