HP iPaq 212 PortableEarlier this week I started looking around eBay for replacement parts to repair my badly damaged HP iPaq 2210 PDA and HP zt3000-series notebook.  The PDA needs a new touch screen, and the notebook will soon require a screen inverter, power cord and processor fan.  Considering how both pieces of technology are over 5 years old and long surpassed their expected lifetimes, I shouldn’t complain too much.

Heck, considering the life and usefulness of these devices, I should really rename them Spirit and Opportunity.  That said, just like NASA, I just can’t afford the cost of new equipment right now.

Fate, it seems, is out to get me for this very reason.

Something caught my eye soon after typing “iPaq 22* screen” in eBay’s search bar.  Something that got my heart pumping like a teenage geek who just discovered porn.

A New Model

HP has recently released two new PDA’s to replace their aging models, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.  Finally, models that not only look good, but have no thumb keyboard!

I’ve never been a fan of the keyboard models as they reduce the screen size and make the unit look ugly as sin.  With two sexy new models, HP is sure to please the masses.

So which model has captured my attention?  Only the most seductive portable I’ve ever laid eyes on.

The HP 200-series

The HP 212 is their “Enterprise-Level” PDA, aimed at active businessmen and hardcore gadget enthusiasts.  Equipped with a super-crisp 4″ VGA screen and 624-Mhz processor, it’s both easy on the eyes and responsive to the touch.  Unlike the competition, it handles both the 802.11b and g standards.  And, perhaps best of all, comes with a monster amount of storage space.  128 MB ROM for Windows Mobile 6 Classic, and another 256 MB for documents and applications.  Of course, if you need more space, you can easily add storage through the high-capacity SDIO or CompactFlash slots.

How much is this exquisite blending of form and function, you ask?  A piddly $360.

Excuse Me … How Much?

Who would have thought you could get so much for so little?  HP doesn’t skimp on the features, either.

The 200-series PDA’s come with BlueTooth, a nice 2200 mAh battery for lots of usage, the usual suite of applications found on Windows Mobile devices and quite a bit more.  After reading the specs on HP’s site, I’m feeling hard pressed to spend $70 on a replacement screen and another $50 on shipping to maintain this older unit with half the features and one quarter the resolution.

So now comes the hard part … keeping the existing equipment running long enough to save for the PDA and shipping to Japan.  I refuse to wait for a Japanese version to be released.  Not because of the language barrier that would exist, or because Japanese menu designs are about as intuitive as Egyptian Heiroglyphs, but because I just couldn’t live with the knowledge that I would pay more for the exact same unit than if I had one imported from Canada.  Japan slaps some pretty heavy taxes and duties on imported technologies, so anything that’s not Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba or Fujitsu are priced 25 to 60% higher than you’d find in other countries.

I’m really looking forward to getting my hands on one of these, preferrably before September.  As it stands, my iPaq has more than lived up to its requirements, but it’s time for something that doesn’t require so much maintenance or jury rigging.

If you’re in the market for a PDA, this one seems to be the best thing since sliced bread :eek: