For someone who has no patience in reading manuals, the HP iPAQ 312 proved to be very friendly indeed. It’s a complete out-of-the-box experience in about five minutes, complete with geographical triangulation, and even some customisations to timezone and location. Its 800x480 pixels 4.3-inch WVGA touchscreen is pleasant to look at and sensitive enough for finger jabs. A short plastic stylus is cleverly accessible from the top-left corner of the device for non-barbaric users.

Navigating Singapore with the HP iPAQ 312 is a breeze, but not all locations are readily available down to the specifics. While all HDBs are listed, commercial buildings have to be located from a Points of Interest (POI) feature based on the street or area. Therefore, the GPS on the iPAQ 312 is more of a street-to-street service that can be zero’ed in quick enough when you’re out in the open.

Besides GPS, the HP iPAQ 312 is a media player (picture, video, music and games) with a sizeable 2GB internal memory. External memory comes in the form of SD memory card support. The device can also talk to your Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone which allows you to access your contact list and also make calls hands-free.

Summing it all up, the HP iPAQ 312 is a powerful device with great media capabilities. Its GPS works fast enough for a nice cruise around the city.

Pros: Quick triangulation. Responsive touchscreen. It's also a media player.
Cons: Commercial buildings not all directly searchable unless POI feature is used.

Quick Bites
S$699
HP Singapore
www.hp.com.sg

Quick Specs
System: 600MHz SiRF Titan processor. Windows CE 5.0 with custom HP UI.
Screen: 4.3-inch, 800x480 resolution
Tech: SiRF GPS receiver, Bluetooth 2.0
Storage: 128MB RAM, SD slot

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