Rating: 
Summary: Very satisfied
Review: I have been using the Jornada 525 for about week, and I am very satisfied with the quality of this product. The unit has a nice solid feel, and there are rubber grips on each side to make it easier to hold. The leather case that is included works well, and has a sleeve inside for holding the stylus. The 12-bit (that's 4096 colors) 240x320 display is surprisingly detailed and sharp compared to other similarly priced products. The Jornada is also equipped with a built-in speaker and a stereo headphone jack. The "up to 8 hours of battery life" for the rechargable battery usually turn out to be around 5-6 hours on low power use settings. The screen responds very well to touch, but I would recommend buying screen protectors to prevent scratching. There are thousands of third party applications and games out there to load onto the Jornada as well. Installing programs is very easy- you just have to download the installation file, sync the Jornada to your PC, and run the installation file. The program will take a minute or two to transfer depending on the size. Here are a few of the things I like/don't like about the Jornada: GOOD: - Performance vs. price (compare to Palm IIIc, Handspring Visor Platinum, other Windows CE handhelds) - Sharp, colorful, well lit display (fully adjustable brightness/contrast) - Fast. Very few delays while opening programs or navigating menus. - Included items: A/C adapter, serial sync cable, carrying case - Easy to use. Windows CE should be simple to pick up for anyone familiar with windows 9x/NT. - Shortcut buttons. You can access your calendar, daily tasks, etc. with one touch of a button instead of navigating menus. BAD: - Short battery life compared to less powerful handhelds. - The included stylus is very light. (Most people prefer heavier, more solid ones) - The rubber pieces on the sides of the device (the smaller ones near the top) are too easy to peel open (they are not intended to be opened) They push easily back into place, though. - The cover to the expansion slot is a little flimsy. - Windows CE bugs. I have encountered a couple bugs, but all I had to do was reset the OS with the red button on the back of the unit to put things back to normal. This does not erase your data. I would recommend the Jornada to anyone who wants a powerful handheld computer for keeping notes and appointments as well as playing games, viewing pictures, working on word/excel documents, and listening to music. For people who just want to keep calendar dates and simple notes, I would suggest buying a less powerful handheld with a longer battery life.
Rating: 
Summary: Great machine, especially for the price
Review: I have been working with the Jornada 525 for two weeks now. I love it! Nothing about it is outstanding, but it is a fine machine that I got mostly so I could run ListPro, by Ilium Software. And it runs that nifty little program really well. Most of the new machines cost three or four hundred dollars more than I just paid for the 525. If I'd paid that much I might be disappointed with some of the streaking in the colors on the screen, and the fact that the stylus is in the cheap case and not stored in the device. Also, the Microsoft applications are pretty weak, even though they do the job -- this is the older PocketPC opperating system, not the new version that just came out. All in all, for the money, this machine is great. And I had great service from Amazon!
Rating: 
Summary: Great, except you can't use it outside!
Review: I love this little pc. I really do. It's been great in most every way, BUT I think, as another reviewer succinctly stated, that the screen needs to be VISIBLE OUTSIDE. Supposedly, there is an adjustment to accomodate for outside visibility, but as far as I can (barely) see, even with contrast adjusted to the max, outside usage is virtually impossible. In my opinion, this is an unacceptable limitation for a device whose very function is meant to accomodate usage in different environments. Also, sure would be nice if it had a simple "back" button. I do appreciate the flexibility and interfacing capabilities with the Word and Excel. This is precisely why I bought the thing. It also seems to me that HP should have included the metal cover that is considered an accessory for the Jornada instead of the cheesy pouch that doesn't actually cover the pc. Guess they may have had these left over from another product and thought they'd stick it in with the Jornada.
Rating:
Summary: MY FIRST POCKET PC
Review: I moved over a Visor Prism last week and even though I still love my Visor I am very satisfied with the HP 525. It has a very nice sleek metal design and it feels solid in my hand. I have to tell you that I spent around 3 long nights figuring out the last detail of the software and the "infamous" windows CE. Maybe not that easy to handle compared to the Plam OS but the more I got into the new system, the more I liked it. Running at 133mhz it handles the programs well when you are not using multitask. The 256 colors do nicely on the programs but this is not a multimedia device specially if you want to play a video or to watch high resolution pictures. The MP3 player sounds great with my headphones and with a built in compact flash you have no problem with the space. I have to tell you that I wasn't sure about buying a Pocket Pc since I have been with palm devices for the last 3 years but I wanted more features out of the box for less money this time. What I don't like about it?? Well, it doesn't have a metal cover, you can't hold your stylus inside the device, it only has 16mb, it doesn't use USB to Sync, no cradle and short battery life. Putting aside all the limitations, the HP 525 is a nice machine with an elegant design. If you are moving from a Palm handheld this could be a very good and affordable option for you.
Rating:
Summary: I Love It!!!
Review: I purchased this with the intentions of downloading free drug and medical information for my practice as a nurse practitioner. I "shopped" the net for about 2 weeks, looking at the pros and cons of just about every handheld. I finally decided on the HP Jornada 525 because of the price [price] and the features, and I have no regrets. I also purchased extra stylus' (I already lost one!!!) and the battery pack. The AC adapter was included. This pocket PC is reliable and well worth the price. It's easy on the eyes, too. The ability to handwrite notes and make voice recordings is also an asset. I can see why this has sold out and I am glad that I purchased it when I did. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an affordable handheld PC.
Rating:
Summary: HP Jornada 525 does the job with a couple of extra perks
Review: i usually am the tech pioneer in my circle of family and friends, but when it came to the Palm/PDA revoluation i was slow to jump on the wagon. when i finally decided that i was going to get one, there were so many options to choose from...with the creation of the "low-end" palms, the handspring and all its attachments, and the pocket pcs... what i really NEEDED to have in my handheld features were contacts, scheduling, notes, and tasks....even the low-end handhelds had these basic capabilites, but with the drop in price of the HP Jornada 525, i was able to get a couple more perks to the basic functions that i needed for about the same price. compared to the memory of the Palms, the pocket pcs kick a lot of (...), standard with the HP 525 is 32 MB, and comes with an expansion for even more memory (which i have put into use with an added 128 MB). the added memory helps to keep the unit functioning at a great speed, and lets you download a lot more music... it's got a color screen, which palm as well as other handhelds offer, but of course, still at a much lower price. the screen is, however, hard to read outdoors, and even in some cases, almost impossible outdoors, which is one of my few complaints. i didn't need to have word or excel or even ms money, but since having the HP 525, have been able to utilize these programs, and if anything, comes in handy in transporting files to and from the office, or reviewing documents while in transit... and with pocket money, don't need to lug around my checkbook register to stay on top of my accounts, makes it much easier and neater to log purchases and keep everything balanced. pocket streets is also part of the bonus software, which at some point may come in handy, but have yet to use. HP 525 comes with the media player, which was one of the reasons why i chose this over getting the price-comparable palm of handspring. it was nice to have the player built in, and not have to buy and 'added accesory' for that luxury. and for those who already use PCs transferring songs is easy as pie....note, transferring music files should be done through the serial cable versus infrared. the newer pocket pcs have 'faster' processors but, it's not as slow as described by reviewed by tech editors. another peeve with the handhelds that i have overall is that the OS cannot be upgraded, but i think that's the case across the board with both the palm OS and pocket pc OS (i'm not positive) there are more handhelds out there with more processing power and even MORE capabilities. But if you're not looking to conquer the universe with your handheld, and hope to keep your names and dates in order with a little pizzaz and a couple of extra perks (such as color screen and music player) this is the right product for you with a price that's just right.
Rating:
Summary: Best PDA Ever
Review: If you are looking for a Pocket PC, this is the one for you. It has everything you could ever need. You can type documents in Word and Excel with incredible ease. It even has a built in MP3 player and a lot of memory. THe only drawbacks are that its screen scratches very easily and it doesn't come with a hard cover or a place to store the stylus on the PDA. Oter thatn that, this is a great PC and a great buy.
Rating:
Summary: Great Product for the Money
Review: If you dont need all the bells and whistles that an extra 16-32 MB would afford you -- this is the PDA for you! I was a loyal Palm user for three years - but the quality graphics, COLOR, design, and added functionality on the HP 525 blew me away. If you use Outlook -- this synchronizes quite nicely. I recommend purchasing a hard cover to protect the screen and to hold the stylus. The only thing I dont like: I miss the Palm scratch - HP requires a more "pick and peck" writing method, and the alternative "character recognizer" is pretty weak.
Rating:
Summary: OK but not worth $359
Review: If you're looking for a device to reads ebooks, access simple spreadsheets, keep contacts, view your calendar and make lists the 525 will fill your needs. If you need more you may want to look elsewhere. The 133Mhz Hitachi processor is the slowest processor available in the current crop of pocketPCs and it shows. The passive display can only display 256 colors simultaneously so many games written for the 540 series wont run on the 520s. I found the action games it came with unusable because of the poor display. However text is clear and easy to read, except outside in daylight. The serial connection is slow. Its fine for syncing with you're calendar and Avantgo, but too slow if you were planning to copy over large files like MP3s. With the built in compact flash slot you can easily add extra storage and have the 525 double as an mp3 player. That is as long as media player is the only application running, using IE or MS Reader at the same time will cause defects in the sound, like muffled cymbals. Expect at most four hours of real-world use before you need a recharge. .... If you do decide to buy one, download PocKetNav and dTree, two very useful and free utilities. Also, you might find that removing some of the items in the startup folder will increase the speed since you'll have less processes running. Whatever you decide, note that CE 4.0 is reportedly due this fall/winter, to upgrade to the new OS you’ll need a ROM upgrade. And unlike the flashable ROMs on the iPAQs, I doubt that this will be possible for the Jornadas since it will mean replacing hardware.
Rating: 
Summary: Lotus Notes users--out of luck.
Review: It wasn't until I received my Jordana 525 that I realized that it couldn't synchronize with Lotus Notes. Lotus notes us nearly ubiquitous in business and is universally used in my company of @60,000 employees. Without this synchronicity, the product is nearly useless. HP didn't help much with recommendations for third-party solutions--although I hear they exist. I didn't want to take the risk of trying any, so I sent the Jordana packing.
Other problems: The screen is difficult to see--even at full brightness (not active matrix). The design of the cover for the accessory slot is VERY flimsy and is easily upset--it would quickly break off.
On the positive side, the CE operating software looks to have broad functionality and the sound is a nice addition. One more thing: The stylus is separate from the unit and is stored in the case--awkward. The 525 is twice the weight and size of a PalmVx. All in all, for most needs as an organizer, the Palm seems to me to be much better. If you want MP3 to go, games and memory, MAYBE the 525 is for you.
Im a bit disappointed in the HP support as well.
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