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HP iPAQ rx5900 review

Oct 5, 2006 gps navigation, reviews

CNet Asia just reviewed the new HP iPAQ rx5900 and gave it a 7 out of ten. The rx5900 lost most of the points in minor areas such as satellite initial fix time, subpar battery life, and stylus placed in an awkward location.

There is a voice record button, a reset hole, and an SD/MMC card expansion slot on top of the unit, while the left spine has a port for attaching an external antenna for enhanced GPS reception, a mini USB connector, and a 3.5mm headset jack that accepts Walkman-style headphones. The stylus holder is located on the back, as is the rx5900’s speaker. One note about the stylus: its placement on the lower left backside makes it bit awkward to access for right-handed users, as we found out during our test period.

The GPS capabilities and the travel tools made the reviewers more optimistic about the HP iPaq rx5900 Travel Companion. It comes equipped with a SiRF Star III GPS receiver and it’s loaded with GPS applications and maps of the respective countries. It can provide text as well as voice-guided driving directions, automatic route recalculation, and a POI database. You can view maps in 2D or 3D mode. A status bar at the bottom of the screen displays useful information, such as the next instruction, remaining distance, and estimated time of arrival. There are also two icons in the upper right and left corners that let you zoom in and out of maps. You can add real-time traffic information, safety camera alerts, and other advanced nav features via TomTom’s subscription-based Plus services.

more pics after the jump..

full review