Hewlett Packard Jornada 820

Welcome to a Laptop Battery specialist
of Hp laptop battery   First post by: www.laptop-battery-stores.com

It's very rare that you get a piece of kit in for review that makes you re-evaluate what you want from a computer, but the Jornada 820 is one of those beasts.

The first thing to mention here is that the 820 is pushing the limits of what you can actually call a PDA. It's more of a sub-notebook, but then again it runs Windows CE, which is part of the attraction of this device. It brings together the best of both worlds, but more on that later.

The 820 is the top-of-the-range device among the Hewlett Packard (HP) CE PDAs. With dimensions of 246 x 178 x 33mm and weighing in at 1.1kg, it's a lot larger than any of the Windows CE handheld devices on test here, but it is still relatively diminutive when you compare it to a full notebook.

One of the benefits of its larger size is that there is very little compromise when it comes to inputting data. You are presented with an excellent keyboard, that is responsive and has plenty of travel. The good news for those who expect to do a lot of typing is that it is comfortable to use for extended periods. Just below the keyboard you'll find a touch-pad. This is slightly smaller than those you'll find on a notebook, but because the 820's screen isn't as big as that of a laptop, you don't need as much surface area to navigate the screen.

The only problem we found with the keyboard is that it doesn't tilt, so when you're using the device on a flat surface your hands are at an uncomfortable angle. Nevertheless, most people are likely to use the 820 on the move, where you are more likely to be resting the unit on your knees, giving you a better typing angle anyway.

The other advantage of the larger form is that HP can afford to kit out the device with a pretty impressive colour screen. While the CSTN technology used is a little outdated, the screen is bright, displays vibrant colour and offers a very respectable resolution of 640 x 480. The viewing angle, while not amazing, is easily good enough for everyday use. If you're working at a desktop, you can even plug the device into a standard desktop monitor via the VGA port at the rear of the unit.

If you venture round the back of the unit, you'll also find a USB connector nestling next to the VGA port. We tried plugging a Microsoft USB Intellimouse into this and it worked first time without even pausing to load a driver. This was a true demonstration of plug-and-play, but then again there aren't many other USB devices that come with Windows CE drivers. HP says that Y-E Data's Flashbuster-U floppy drive will also work, but we haven't tested this. It's a great shame that you can't make use of the USB connection to transfer files between the 820 and a desktop PC; instead you are stuck with the slower serial option.

To the right of the USB port you'll find the telephone connector for the modem, which is a 56K model. While the modem's performance is not wonderful, it's still a welcome addition. If you feel you can do without the modem, you could always opt for the 820e model.

On the rear you'll also find a 4Mbits/sec IrDA port, which is a nice location for it, as it means you can leave another device communicating with the 820 while you type away at the front of the unit. Other slots and ports can be found on either side of the device. The right-hand side is home to the Compact Flash card slot, the AC port and the serial port, while the opposite side sports the PC Card slot and the battery backup compartment.

The main battery slot is underneath the unit much like a laptop battery such as Hp Pavilion dv9000 battery(Hp dv9000 battery), Hp EV087AA battery, Hp EX942AA battery, Hp Pavilion ZT3000 battery, Hp 337607-001 battery, Hp 337607-003 battery, Hp PB992A battery, Hp PB994A battery, Hp PB991A battery. The only difference is that with the 820 you get a whopping 10 hours of battery life, due to the lack of moving parts and general efficiency of the device.

Synchronising the device to a PC is simply a matter of loading up Windows CE Service 2.2 on the PC and making sure both devices are set to communicate at the same speed. We had no problem transferring contacts and appointments between the device and Outlook 2000.

As far as software is concerned, you get the full Pocket office suite. HP has also included some extra utilities, such as settings applets for the VGA port and the touch-pad. There are also some extras on the CDRom bundled with the device, such as software to allow you to print directly from the 820 and Outside In email attachment viewing software from Inso.

All in all, the Jornada 820 is a joy to use. The keyboard is touch-typing friendly, the screen looks great and the supplied applications take care of all your daily needs. If you were thinking of buying a laptop, but wanted something a bit smaller yet still with a long battery life, the 820 is the machine to go for.