Over the past 20 years I’ve seen incredible advancements in technology. Back in late 1991, when HP introduced its DOS-based 95LX Palmtop PC, I couldn’t have imagined something like today’s smartphone. But looking back, I see a continuous advancement in design, capability, and power in HP’s mobile devices. And right now, I’m looking at the latest example of that evolution—the HP iPAQ 210 Enterprise Handheld.

In the last issue of Smartphone and Pocket PC magazine I reviewed the iPAQ 110 Classic Handheld, a compact yet powerful Windows Mobile 6 Classic PDA. But I was eager to get my hands on the 210, the second in a series of new iPAQ PDAs from HP. Unlike the vast majority of Windows Mobile devices available today, the 210 is a PDA—that is, it doesn’t have a phone built into it. But it does have the latest software and plenty of power, and for those of us who don’t need or want phone capability, it’s a welcome addition to HP’s handheld line.

Welcome back VGA and larger displays!

HP’s previous VGA handheld was the iPAQ 4700, an extremely popular Pocket PC that is still in use by many. Several companies produced Pocket PCs with VGA displays, and a few of the newer Windows Mobile 6 Professional devices have them as well. But most of these later phone-enabled devices have smaller screens measuring 2.8 inches diagonally. (The exception is the HTC Advantage X7500 series, which sports a 5-inch VGA display; it’s reviewed in the October 07 issue: smartphonemag.com/_archives/OCT07/htcadv.aspx). The iPAQ 210 sports a large 4-inch diagonal Transflective touch screen capable of displaying 260k colors (18-bit) in VGA (640x480) resolution. The size and resolution of this screen make the display crisp and very easy on the eyes. One of the main reasons people prefer VGA is for games and videos, but it has its advantages in everyday use. With the higher resolution it is possible to reduce screen font sizes and still be able to read the information. The 210 is an excellent replacement for the older 4700.

Speed, space, and expandability

Like the 110, the new 210 uses the Marvell PXA310 processor which runs at 624 MHz. While the Intel PXA270 processor in the 4700 also ran at 624 MHz, the 210 is noticeably faster than its predecessor. The 210 has twice as much memory as the 4700, with 128 MB SDRAM and 256 MB flash ROM (over 190 MB of which is available to the user for file storage). Like the 4700, the 210 has both CompactFlash and SDIO card slots, which will allow you to add gigabytes of extra storage memory to the device.

In addition to a mini-USB port, the 210 also includes a 24-pin connector port. At the time of my review, the only use for this port is to connect to your PC using the included sync and charge cable. (Note: to charge the device you must connect the separate AC power adapter to the cable.). HP may offer expansion options that connect to the port (possibly a USB keyboard). The 210 does not ship with a mini-USB cable, but standard mini-USB to USB cables work with it for syncing and charging (without connecting to the AC power adapter).

Windows Mobile 6 Classic software

The 210 uses the new Windows Mobile 6 Classic operating system and software suite. (For a detailed description of this software, see At A Glance, page 78.) Included with WM 6 Classic is the Office Mobile suite of applications (Excel, PowerPoint, and Word), Outlook Mobile (Inbox, Contacts, and Calendar), OneNote Mobile, Messenger, Windows Live, and more.

Like the 110, the 210 also includes HP’s iPAQ Wireless Today screen plug-in, the HP iPAQ QuickStart application, PhotoSmart Mobile software, and the ClearVue PDF viewer. A nice addition to the HP software suite is HP PrintSmart Mobile, which allows you to print Office documents from the 210 via Bluetooth and WLAN printer connections.

The 210 includes Bluetooth Phone Manager which lets you connect to the iPAQ 510 smartphone and use it as an Internet gateway.

Everyday use

The 210 is an excellent all-around PDA, great for managing your life with Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks. And with Media Player Mobile built in and the extra file storage made possible by optional CF and SD cards, you can also use it as your portable MP3 and video player. Granted, it doesn’t have as much storage as the higher-capacity iPods or Zunes, but you can add gigabytes of memory with a CF or SD storage card. The large VGA screen is great for watching movies. My Irish buddy owns a Zune, but he was quite impressed with the 210 when I showed him a Father Ted video I captured using Spb Mobile DVD. We did a side-by-side comparison with the Zune, and the video on the 210 looked just as good as the Zune (with a bigger screen).

With the built-in Wi-Fi, the 210 makes a great companion on your trips to your favorite coffee house. After connecting to the Wi-Fi hotspot, browsing the Internet with Internet Explorer Mobile is a breeze. The big screen and high resolution make it easy to use smaller font sizes so that more of the Web page is visible.

An "Enterprise Handheld"

I wondered what HP meant when they called the 210 an "Enterprise Handheld." For me, an enterprise device is something I’m able to use to get my job done. Laptops are the preferred computer for most working professionals. But there are times when lugging around the laptop (especially those with the 17" screens) can be a pain. Is the 210 robust enough to replace your laptop (maybe not permanently, but at least for quick trips)? As is, probably not, but it’s a lot closer to making that happen than previous Pocket PCs were. If you use the portable Bluetooth keyboard that HP offers as an accessory, you should be able to use the 210 for e-mail and creating/editing Office documents. If HP is able to take advantage of the new 24-pin connector to offer full-sized keyboards or docking stations that connect to larger video screens, that would go a long way towards making the iPAQ 210 a very usable "enterprise handheld."