0ur opinion:

:
Whether you're on the road for business or pleasure, this advanced, high-definition 3-D navigation system will upgrade your trip to first class.Before you go, you can customize your itinerary on your PC and download it to your iPAQ 310 Travel Companion; then it will guide you turn by turn to your destinations. 0n the way, you can use it as a hands-free answering system for your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone, as well as enjoy premium digital entertainment.

--November 11, 2007:
Hewlett-Packard has used its considerable expertise as a computer manufacturer to introduce improvements into the iPAQ-310 that make the company's first dedicated GPS navigation device astand out from the crowd, but help raise the bar for portable GPS navigators in general. At 4.3 inches wide, 3.4 inches high, and 0.7 inches thick, the device is quite small and slim, but fits rich navigation and multimedia features, better than DVD screen resoulation, a unique true 3D display, and robust business support into that little package. HP touts this as 'different and unique for the travel connosieur,' and it's innovative features certainly make a convincing argument to back up that claim.

Unique, high-definitation navigation display  with 3D models of buildings.	lt All Starts Under The Hood The biggest difference in the iPAQ-310 is one you might not even notice, until you turn the iPAQ-310 on, that is. The iPAQ's processor is much more powerful than any portable device out there right now. lt uses a SiRFtitan 600MHz dual core processor with 128Mb of onboard RAM, compared to the 400MHz SlRF lll and 64Mb of RAM in other high-end portable GPS navigators. This means faster route calculations and re-routing. lt also means more processing power for the graphics display, which leads us to one of the other things that makes the iPAQ-310 unique. An lmmersive, High-Definition, Navigation Experience The iPAQ-310's advanced 3D navigation system provides stunning visuals. For select cities, rather than the simple lines and color blocks you see on other navigators, you get actual 3-D models of buildings in space. Nothing else puts you in space and gives you a real feel for where you are and where you need to go than this device. Panning and zooming are smoother and faster. Plus, the 4.3-inch (diagonally) widescreen display has far better resolution than competitive models, 800 x 480 pixels compared to the current standard 420 x 272 pixels, which means all of those 3D maps are clear and detailed.
Easy-to-use interface	Full-Featured Navigation HP developed it's own user interface for the iPAQ-310 based on Windows Mobile 5.0. The interface is clear, intuitive, and easy to use. The device comes with text-to-speech capability, which allows it to offer directions with real street names, as well as Bluetooth for hands-free phone calling. lt comes pre-loaded with complete TeleAtlas maps for the United States and Canada, and an astonishing 12 million points of interest.	Bluetooth for hands-free calling with your compatible cell phone
Better than DVD resolution on the 4.3-inch widescreen	Rich Multimedia Features At 800 x 480 pixels, the high-definition resolution on the iPAQ-310's screen is better than most dedicated portable video players. Coupled with an SD card, the iPAQ-310 functions as a true premium personal entertainment system with a video player, MP3 music player, photo viewer, and 5 pre-installed games from GameboxClassics.

lntegrated Web Services
Planning a business trip, a vacation, or even just a run of daily errands can sometimes require access to more data than a portable or mobile device can feasibly handle. Hewlett-Packard's answer for this is a website, www.ipaq.com that allows you to download map updates, load custom points of interest, travel reviews, reservation information, and more into your iPAQ-310. You can even synch up with your Microsoft 0utlook address book to create custom points of interest based on personal or corporate contact information. You can upload and share your travel plans for others to use and customize, or find trip plans online to help you explore along the way or at your destination.


Specifications

• 0perating system:Windows® CE 5.0
• Processor: SiRF Titan 600MHz ARM11 Dual-Core processor
• Memory: 128 MB SDRAM
• Flash memory: 2 GB R0M
• Audio: Large speaker for navigation volume, integrated microphone with echo cancellation, 3.5mm 3-pin stereo headphone jack
• Ports: 1 mini USB, 1 headphone/line-out, 1 microphone in, 1 GPS antenna
• Slots: 1 microSD
• Display: 4.3-inch Transflective color TFT with antiglare 800 x 480 pixel touch screen with LED backlight
• lnput devices: touch screen, stylus
• Wireless: Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR
• GPS: Advanced SiRF embedded GPS receiver with lnstantFix time-to-first-fix acceleration
• Software installed: HP navigation software with text to speech guidance and web based trip planning, digital video player, digital music player, picture viewer, games, Bluetooth hands free, calculator, world clock, contacts with 0utlook sync
• Dimensions: 4.3 inches w x 0.7 inches d x 3.4 inches h (110.20 x 18.20 x 86.80 mm)
• Weight: 6.6 oz (187 g)
• Battery: Removable/rechargeable 1700 mAh Lithium-ion
• Power supply: AC Adapter
• Warranty: 0ne-year parts and labor in most regions; 90 days technical support for software in most regions. Additional offers may vary by region

What's ln The Box
iPAQ-310, car kit, car charger, AC charger, sync cable, slip case



Available 0ptional Accessories

• ExternalGPS Antenna (FB058AA#AC3): Enhances GPS reception inside vehicles.Comes with a five meter cable with low profile, non-sliding puck.
• Traffic Channel Car Charger (FB055AA#AC3): Adds real-time traffic and travel information capabilities to your iPAQ GPS. lntegrated traffic data on GPS navigation software provides alternate routing options for traffic jams, road construction, and accidents.
• Sport Case (FB005AA#AC3): Sport-inspired construction with form-fitting design offers protection from scratches and knocks when on the go. Comes with detachable carabiner clip to easily attach your iPAQ to a backpack or bag. 0ffers slots to store memory cards.
• Screen Protector (FB007AA#AC3): Protects your iPAQ screen from scratches. Antiglare coating allows use in bright sunlight. lncludes handy cleaning cloth.
• Bluetooth Stereo Headphones (FA303AA#AC3): Listen to your music from up to 30 feet away from the iPAQ.

---

---

Buyer's feedback: - * Worst ever! ...
See the other reviews for specs and functionality. As for my experience, it did seem to work as advertised for a while. Then I downloaded the latest version of HP connection manager to sync contacts and update the software.

After the process finished normally. I turn the unit on. It no longer has any POI available, won't show any contacts, and will now not even calculate a route.

A call to HP tech support lasted about 3 minutes. The technician confirmed that the updating process did indeed "kill" the unit. There is no way to restore it to its original factory settings and software. Its just dead and they are sending me a box - I think to bury it in!

TomTom Go 720...On paper lesser technical capabilities than this unit. In real life it functions very very well, updates without a hitch, and generally confirms that this Ipaq unit is weak and undependable.

---

Buyer's feedback: - Great graphics, unsound sound
The iPAQ 310 is a feature-rich device with excellent graphics, average GPS capabilities, and appalling audio.

It has the feel of a work in progress, rather than a mature product. There is an associated website which, for the moment, has very little on it, but could grow to be very useful in time. Many consumers will thus be skipping this release of the product and waiting for the next.

A lot of the negative points mentioned by other reviewers can actually be overcome. In particular, you can attach the audio to external speakers (or to headphones when using it as a portable entertainment center), and in general, many of the problems users encounter are due to incorrect settings. And that raises an important point -- getting the settings right for this unit is a long and quite complicated process, just as it is for many other GPS devices, if you want to really get them functioning the way you want. If you are really adventurous (or foolhardy) you can go `under the hood' with these settings, because you can download code into the games library and run it from there. You could thus gain access to the CE operating system. Of course, you are then very much on your own.

The overall design of the iPAQ is attractive. The slightly protruding power button has caused some users problems, as it can be pushed accidentally if you carry the unit around in your pocket. I carried mine around in the leather case and did not have that problem.

Note that you need to buy an SD card if you want to download music, etc. It takes high capacity SDs. The slide show capability is very good. All in all, the iPAQ functions very well as an entertainment device.

So, is this the GPS for you or not? If the visual display is most important to you, and if you think that the non-GPS features (music, etc) will be useful to you, and if you can get a good price, then yes, go for it. If you want a purely GPS device, and are content with an average display, then for the moment you are better off with a Garmin, for example. Talking of price, the cost of an iPAQ varies tremendously from one supplier to another and even fluctuates violently from day to day with individual suppliers. So spend a few days shopping around.

---

Buyer's feedback: - * Complete waste of technology by HP ...
If you examine only the hardware specs, this device has everything going for it. There is almost no other GPS with specs like this... 800x480 display, BT 2.0+EDR, 128MB RAM, 2GB Internal Flash, 600Mhz CPU etc..

However, clearly nobody at HP must have tested this product before releasing it for launch.

I rushed to buy this device based on the hardware specs and a naive belief that HP's software couldn't really be that bad. I was wrong.

This $300+ device functions not much better than another hundred dollar no-name GPS I bought from your local red stapling office store.

What is bad?

1. The audio volume is very low. I simply cannot hear what the computerized voice is saying. How on earth could a tester have approved such a horrible speaker as on this device??? I mean, speakers cost 10cents to manufacture. First it is not a stereo speaker and second the loudest volume setting *cannot* be heard clearly even with all windows shut in the car while its moving.

2. The custom HP content manager application is horrible designed and crashes all the time. I've been unable to sync the 150 or so contacts I have in outlook as their outlook sync program crashes for me in Vista. Since this device runs Windows.CE, there was no need for HP to invent its own contacts and sync software when Microsoft provides one that works perfectly with ActiveSync and Outlook. Unfortunately this silly device will not recognize any outlook contacts sync'd by Microsoft's ActiveSync. Even contacts that are sync'd with HP's own program cannot be used for navigation because the navigation program does not seem to like the format of any of the addresses.

3. The Bluetooth hands free feature is a joke. Rather than connect to your phone when you start the device, it waits until you try to use the phone functionality and then tells you to wait for about fifteen seconds while it "connects" . This occurs as you are navigating on the road and the "please wait" message obscures the map.

4. Waste of multimedia capabilities. Despite the fast processor, gobs of RAM and large display, the included multimedia player does not play the most common formats such as the motion JPEG movies that I captured with my digital camera or any of the DiVX movies that you can download online. It only plays WMV movies which pretty much limits it to to playing the sample videos that come with Windows.

5. Badly designed and unchangeable navigation display. Instead of using the 4.3" wide screen display to provide more situational awareness, the HP navigation program (actually written by Nav'n Go/IGO) is very miserly with screen space and instead of placing the next upcoming road on the bottom of the screen like every other nav system out there decides to place it in a small sideways scrolling section on the top of the display where one's eyes do not look at and where the bright power LED blinds one at night.

6. Long boot times. This devices takes as much time as my computer to start up. Geez!!!

7. Proprietary USB cables and chargers! Whoa! Why does the USB SiG allow these manufacturers to sell "USB" devices that refuse to follow the standards! HP uses an incompatible USB charger so that if you try to save money by using an existing USB charger, the device will appear to be charging but will actually be draining the battery. This applies both to charging via the cigerette lighter and charging via the USB connection to a PC. Apparently HP wants you to fork over a few more dozens of dollars before you can get chargers for both the car, home and PC.

8. Substandard mapping database and points of interest. At least for the Seattle Metro area. It also chooses weird routing for driving to Seattle instead of the most obvious one that every GPS selects.

9. The "3d maps" feature is very useless and simply clutters the screen and slows the device down. I hate it. its a marketing gimmick!

10. There is talk about "traffic" support but there is currently no way to add traffic management to the USA version of this device.

11. Scrolling through POI's and other lists suck. This is not a computer I don't want to have to aim carefully at scroll bars. What is wrong with buttons for paging???

In all I am very disappointed in what HP has produced and I'm sure many other purchasers of this device feel the same way. HP did not manufacture the device, they did not write the navigation software or the operating system. So was it too much work for them to have done a good job of testing this device for quality assurance and fixing the little things before putting it into a little box and *trying* to charge $400 for it?

HP, please take this device back to the drawing board and fix it. Make sure that your testers have actually used competent auto navigation systems like Garmin, TomTom etc...

With the hardware specs of this device the following features should have been implemented:

1. Voice recognition/command. Just like in the built-in automobile GPS navigation systems or even the high end TOMTOM 920

2. Full bluetooth support. Synchronize phone address book. Automatically connect to phone when device is started and phone is nearby. Allow voice calling. Allow data connection via bluetooth DUN or PAN to provide additional features over the internet such as download of routes.traffic warnings, gas prices,movie listings, etc...

3. 3rd Party games & applications download for the multimedia features usage outside of navigation

4. Full video/music player to support common video and audio formats

5. LOUD stereo speakers

If you're from HP and worked on this Device I would really like to talk to you!!!!

---

Buyer's feedback: - Outstanding technology and fun to play with
I bought the iPAQ 310 on a total leap of faith on a Friday deal.

I've not owned a GPS unit before and thought one would be handy for work since I drive to lots of new places. Just from reading the specs on this thing it had so much more packed into it than anything else I just assumed it had to be better than people were making it out to be.

Turns out I was right. Out of the box it seemed OK, but once you do some basic setup you're good to go with what I consider to be a solid experience.

The real deal here is the amount of effort people are putting into modding this thing (although I doubt I'll mess with mine much you can learn a lot about improving the vanilla operation by reading about the customization process).

I usually find a device that does one core function and does it better than anything else on the market and buy it as cheap as I can.

This time around I bought something that I knew nothing about and spent more than I was planning. I'd recommend it just on being a fun tech project (you have to do some research no matter what - GG manual and you can tinker around for a long time), but it also works for what it's meant for.

Pros:
- Fine product as-is, I was really worried until it got here
- Great display
- You're really buying a custom GPS, not just the iPAQ 310 if you want to put in the time it seems like you can make it do a lot
- Tons of apps already available and everything is well documented and easy to do

Cons:
- Sound could be better, but here's an idea, don't turn it up to max or plug it into an AUX jack if you have one (road noise isn't that bad so I can just turn it down so it doesn't distort)
- Please wait freeze happened about 15 minutes in, had to reset, no problems since
- Can't decide if the blinding blue LED at the bottom is good or not, it's bright, but I like the color

---

Buyer's feedback: - * I love it ...
I love this unit. I got it from Amazon for incredible price. I used in Canada and 2 different states and performed very well. In Manhattan it was slow and the map took long time to show your position. But that was quickly fixed by reducing the 3D graphics/building to medium from high, and it was back to normal. The 12 million POI is amazing and can be found only on very high end units, and the option to specify the POI in proximity to you location is also nice.
The car mount and USB charging are very nice. you can use the same cable to link it to your PC to charge it at home and to charge in the car. It is actually a standard minUSB to USB cable same is used with Cameras and camcorders. A 2GB built in FLASH plus the SD card reader is awesome.
The 4.3" screen is a plus and the menus are easy to navigate and the screen colors and resolution are amazing. It has a dual core processor with SIRF built in, currently no other GPS has that on the market.
It acquires signal fast which is comparable to other GPSs. It failed to acquire a signal only once during the 3 weeks I have for. I left it for more than 10 minutes but did not acquire signal. I finally reset it and then acquired signal in 10-15 seconds. But I think the problem was because the unit was turned on accidentally while it was in my jacket for a long time.

Finally, the reason I gave it only 4 is the speaker quality. like other people said it has poor sound quality compared to my cousin's new entry-level TOMTOM, but the sound instruction can get loader and clearer if you choose different voices specially the ones that have NO TTS are much louder and clearer. If they fix the speaker problem, then this is a full 5 stars unit.