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Compaq Aero 1550
Posted Tuesday, July 31, 2001 by PDA Center
After having some time to use the Compaq Aero 1550 Pocket PC, I have finally decided to review it.
This is one Pocket PC that could easily get Palm users to switch. And why not? This device boasts an ultra thin design, an IR port for communicating with other devices, a microphone for voice recording, a headphone jack for listening to music or other files privately, a backlight, and other features.
Similar to a Palm, the Aero 1550 has a monochrome display. Also similar to Palm are the Aero's programs. It has notes, to-dos, contacts, a calendar, and e-mail. You can also browse the internet with AvantGo. Not so like the Palm are some of the other programs. The Aero comes built in with Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Microsoft Money, Microsoft Reader, a calculator, Solitaire, and Windows Media Player. There are also others, like Pocket Streets, on the CD-ROM that comes with the device.
The input methods are also an improvement over Palm (in my opinion). The Character Recognizer recognizes your regular handwriting, rather than having to use Graffiti(tm). The keyboard isn't much different from the Palm. Microsoft Transcriber also comes on the CD. You can "train" it to recognize your type of handwriting.
Notes are a great improvement over the Handspring I used to own. You can voice record notes, handwrite them, or type them.
The main difference between the Palm and the Aero's Contacts is the number of fields. The Aero has many more fields, 29 fields to be exact.
The Aero comes with 16MB of memory, which can be increased with a CompactFlash Type I card. It also has a rechargeable battery, a back-up battery, and a battery charger.
Whether this would be your first PDA, or you are changing over from another device, this is a great PDA.
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