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HP iPAQ 214

Published on: 18 June 2024 Category: mobile phones

My collection of mobile devices has been expanded by the HP iPAQ 214. I got it in exchange from a fellow collector who deals more with old PCs.

The device arrived in its original packaging, including all accessories, installation CDs and all manuals. It even contained the original sleeve, which was still sealed in cellophane, and apparently had never been used.

Even the PDA itself shows virtually no signs of use. The only minor flaw is the calendar button, which goes a bit stiff, but the functionality doesn't mind at all.

So far there hasn't been much time for any deeper testing, but I have tried the pre-installed UFO and also Age of Empires, the first version of which has been ported directly to Windows Mobile

AoE in particular is absolutely brilliant and brings back a lot of memories of my youth when I used to play this game on PC. I currently have an archive of the software for this device on my computer, so when I get some time I'll boot up one of the collection laptops to run ActiveSync on so I can use it to download new software to the device

I was a little concerned about the battery condition. I charged the battery to full yesterday afternoon, and when I did a quick check of the battery before heading to work today, the device showed 97%, which so far looks very satisfactory.

The system is quite responsive and there are no lags. The display is very nice for its time and the picture quality is very good. The sensitivity of the touch layer was also a pleasant surprise. The touch technology is resistive, but responds to a very light touch with both a finger and the included stylus

Another thing I'd like to try is the official port of SimCity 2000.I also discovered a very interesting device in the box that plugs into the SD slot. It was a bit of a pain to recognise, but it's probably supposed to be a barcode scanner

I eventually found some installation CDs to use it. You should be able to install the driver and applications on the device using this CD through a laptop with ActiveSync. So when I find a suitable machine, I'll definitely try and get this thing working.