Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful, but with some quirks
Review: I love the size and the screen - completely usable in bright daylight. A huge improvement over my old Jornada. The Bluetooth ActiveSynch is great - no need to dock, and in fact at work I can stay "docked" for about a 100' radius. The Bluetooth connection to my PC allows me to surf the web as well - a great feature for boring meetings.
The 802.11b works as advertised, allowing me to be connected on my home wireless network. It does burn through the battery at an astounding rate however. I will soon purchase the extended battery.
There were some quirks getting synched, especially via Bluetooth, but a few tries and I got it working. For some reason it keeps turning itself on every few minutes to burn more battery I guess. The USB docking station doesn't reacharge reliably either ...
But all-in all, this is one heck of a package of neat techology - if you're a gadget lover, this one delivers ... for a price in time and $$
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful but Buggy
Review: It's been two months and everything worked fine until last week. Then I had to start angling the AC charger into the receptor at a very precise angle. The next day I had to prop it to an even more extreme angle to connect. Soon the unit wouldn't Active Sync and, today, nothing is connecting. I rang HP who said they'd send a padded mailer and have it back to me within four working days. We shall see. I'll keep you informed....
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad little bankruptcy causing pocket pc
Review: Overall this is a great device- although I haven't tried the WLAN yet. What you wil see in other reviews about the lack of documentation is true- there is a pamphlet on wireless LAN, bluetooth, and the fingerprint reader- but nothing on the PocketPC itself. There is some information on the CD- but not much. I previously owned a PalmIIIxe so this was a major step up- but I already had the gist of stuff so it wasn't too confusing.
Performance wise this thing is great. The only issue is that when you exit a program- it doesn't close and is still in memory. One must actually close the process by using the one touch button to the Compaq ITask Program or Settings/Memory. Most of the settings aren't to obvious until you start to play around with it.
The Ipaq5455 also works great as an MP3 player- although transfer times for files aren't so great. Sound quality with headphones is CD player quality- the speaker on the unit is pretty darn good also considering its size.
As far as the power issue/couldn't turn it on thing, that did happen to me. I took it out of the cradle 5 hours after getting it and all of a sudden it wouldn't turn on after that. I read the CD info and found this is what happens on a hard reset- the battery must be reactivated in order for it to work (although I did not perform the actions for a hard reset). I followed these instructions for reactivation and at first it didn't work, and I assumed I had also gotten a lemon. But finally it worked, but it had hard reset. Much to my displeasure, the sync software does NOT back stuff up automatically, it must be done manually, which I hadn't done, so I lost all of my settings and programs not still on my computer.
Other than that, its a great unit. Fingerprint reader is a little tricky to get used to (needs a special touch). I rated it four stars because of price to feature- I coud get an Ipaq 3800 series for less and pick up a WLAN Compactflash card for 80- and still save money (also, there is no Compactflash spot on the 5455). But if you want the latest and greatest like I did, this is a good way to go.
Rating:
Summary: Better documentation could make it a 5-star product
Review: I've owned the Ipaq 5455 for about a month now and after a rough initial week, I love it and use it regularly without experiencing the crashing most people mention. Why it's great:
(1) Durability: This Ipaq is extremely well built. The case that comes with it allows me to toss it into my backpack without worries. Handle the 5455 in one hand and any competitor's product in the other, you'll feel the difference.
(2) Usefulness: I love what I can do on this platform. Having pocket versions of Microsoft products available on the fly is great. When waiting for appointments, I'm able to work on spreadsheets, make lists, enter receipts into Pocket Money, or pass time by playing games.
(3) Expandability: Ipaq products are definitely the way to go if you are interested in a product that is truly expandable. Unlike Dell, where you must purchase all of the Axim's peripherals from them, Ipaq peripherals are available everywhere. Ultimately, this saves money as vendors compete for your business.
(4) Portability: The Ipaq may not be the lightest Pocket PC, but it feels the most portable in part because it's so durable. Other lighter Pocket PCs tend to be made primarily of brittle plastics that feel susceptible to wear and tear (making them more likely to be left at home). With the addition of a hefty SD memory card and built in Wifi and Bluetooth, I have no need for a compact flash expansion pack, keeping this gem light.
(5) Power: This handheld is powerful. It feels like a real computer and programs are zippy. With expanded memory, it's almost like having a miniature laptop. Some stumbling blocks that could be improved with better documentation (includes tips):
(1) Very poor documentation. The lack of a solid manual makes start up with the Ipaq quite difficult and not for the faint of heart. I was fortunate to have a friend who is a technical account manager at Microsoft set mine up for me.
(2) Wifi was initially fussy. Getting the Ipaq to work with my Linksys 801.11g wireless network required a hack (also performed by my friend). TIP: Be sure to check sources online to ensure compatibility before you buy. Also, be sure to turn Wifi off when you don't need it. Not only does it save you from using precious battery life, but it's a good habit to get into to system resources.
(3) Memory management was initially awkward and required soft and hard resets. Fortunately, my friend showed me a lesser known Ipaq TIP: From the Settings controls, click on the "System" tab and then the "Memory" control panel. Once in the "Memory" control panel, click on the "Running Programs" tab. Select "Stop All". This will close down all running programs and virtually eliminates the need for hard and soft resets. TIP: Get a sizeable SD card and keep all of your non-system files and programs on it. This will make a world of difference. I bought a 256 MB card at a big-box retailer for a song and I haven't had memory issues since.
(4) Less than steller battery life. TIP: By turning the screen brightness down and disabling Wifi and sound when I don't need it, I've been able to greatly extend the battery life of this unit. All in all, I'm very happy with the 5455. HP just needs to work on a smoother transition period for new users with better documentation and I'm sure this unit will be a classic.
Rating: 
Summary: Had a bad case of PPC envy - but going back to Palm OS
Review: I've been a long time Palm user starting with a Pro and owning 6 or 7 since, most recently an M515. The screen was what first attracted me to this unit plus the wireless network, well, it 'sort of' worked for a month, but I've had enough. This unit seems like it would be a good idea, but isn't. Installation and initial sync went very smooth, but that was only the beginning.
DAY 1: First day carrying it, it locked up solidly - it wouldn't turn off or soft reset, I didn't have the CD w/the manual on it (bad idea) with me, so I didn't know how to hard reset. I tried taking the battery off, but the unit just came back on (in it's locked up state) when the battery was reinstalled - so I just let it die. I spent that evening getting it running again and trying to get the wireless networking to connect to my Linksys WAP11. After fiddling way too much, I finally got my mail and MSN Messenger to work, but not the browser. Finally I called HP's support site and was warned that any help he gave me was on a 'best try only' basis - no promises - we couldn't get the thing to work.
DAY 2: I left the wireless networking enabled and went to work - the battery was completely dead by Noon - with wireless enabled the battery seems to have a painfully short life. So I spent that evening restoring it again. I went to HP's website and found an external battery ... Perfect huh? - Ordered this puppy immediately - only to find it only works with the expansion pack which adds expansion slots, but also a LOT of bulk - just to have a reasonable battery life? I called HP to return it and the agent sent me to the parts department for a second battery to carry. .... he assured me that I didn't have the skills to replace the battery. I told him that it just had a little latch on it and it flipped out and I was quite sure I could handle it. He replied that the case was sealed and that no one but HP was authorized to open it. I told him that tech support had asked me to remove the battery to retrieve the serial number from the label under it and didn't see the problem with removing it. He was then VERY annoyed, told me that I didn't know what I was talking about, and hung up. I figured that there will be higher capacity batteries in the aftermarket soon. Now it's over 3 weeks later and although I haven't missed any meetings or anything because this thing failed me, I've come close, and instead of just grabbing my Palm and using it without giving it any thought, I find myself reaching for it and wondering if it's going to work. I finally decided I've had enough. I picked out one of the new [brand name] Palm OS units w/MP3 and ordered it. I then decided to call HP and see if they would consider a return for a one month old order - they did so without hesitation - they looked at their records and saw that I had several tech support contacts on it, appologized that it didn't work out and even sent FedEx with a pickup tag. The Palm is by far a better platform for simple organizer tasks, but the PPC 'horsepower' is great when using spreadsheets and the like - I thought I could have both. ...
Rating: 
Summary: EXCELLENT!!!
Review: I just purchased this great pocket pc and love it! It's light years ahead of my old Palm m515. It includes built-in Wi-Fi so I don't even have to worry about plugging in wires to access my wireless network at home and work! My hat goes off to the folks at ipaq for making my life easier!
Rating:
Summary: Good little PDA
Review: I love reading all of these reviews about people "Can'get it working." I have had my 5450 for almost a month, and yes I have had to do soft resets but so what. I can check e-mail, browse the web, and I also got the GPS attachment for my car and now have a great GPS. If you are are a current Palm user, this is a little more complicated, just take the time to learn it. It will be worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't stink more!!!
Review: couldn't get t68i to do GPRS with 5455, couldn't turn on several times a day without hard resets, couldn't turn on at all after only a week! get 3955 instead, or if you must have bluetooth, get the 3975. both 3955 and 3975 are wonderful machines that deserve the ipaq logo. 3900 series is lighter, more elegant looking, and with a joystick that is comfortable to use--good old ipaq style! 5400 series doesn't deserve the ipaq logo. this 5455 took me as a test dummy, and all I got out of spending [money] was crashing, crashing, and crashing... what's going on with hp/compaq engineer teams? are ipaq engineers forced to step into an inferior position compared to hp's jornada team? why is the rom update being delayed?
Rating:
Summary: Glad to say I don't own it, but...
Review: I work for a large retail computer store. I have finially started refusing to sell these units. Atleast half of the units come back with some type of power problem. We cannot get the units in fast enough. Not for new purchases, but for people that have had the units for a few weeks. Right now, I have a list of 6 people waiting for our store to recieve them in. HP did a fantastic job on their H1910. The unit has it's flaws but works excellently. With the kind of mess the 5455 turned into, Dell is going to start seing a lot more of the market share. If you like the Ipaqs, and you want all the gadgets, go with the 3955, for the extra 200 bucks you can buy the USEFULL gadgets that the 5455 has. The screen may look great on both of the units, but compare the flex of the screens and you'll see the 3955 hardly moves.
Rating:
Summary: Great Design - Poor Implementation
Review: This should have been the ideal PocketPC for me. With built-in Bluetooth and Wifi, it is a networking powerhouse without the need for sleds. Unfortunately, there appear to be severe production problems with this unit. I purchased one and had to return it due to frequent lockups. Sure, it's Windows - it crashes, but this was obscene. I booted between 7 and 20 times per day! I returned the unit assuming that I had a bad unit and the other one was the same way. Another collegue bought one and it went totally dark after two weeks. We are zero for three. The CompUSA store looked it up on the computer and noted 13 returns in 22 days. This unit is a disaster. Perhaps in a few months after a ROM pack is released this will be good, but the current (23-Feb-2003) version of 1.00.45 should never have been released.
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