13. Conclusion: Great Features, Super Battery, Disappointing Software

There were two main reasons why we liked HP's iPAQ rx3715 Mobile Media Companion. One is its very nice array of factory-installed features, such as an integrated PAN and WLAN module, a 1.2 Megapixel digital camera, stereo headphones and 192 MB of memory. The incredibly long eight-and-a-half hours of battery life of this Samsung S3C2440 microcontroller-based Windows PDA is another plus.

However, the pre-installed Mobile Media Software was a disappointment. This is really what is supposed to make the iPAQ rx3715 the "Mobile Media Companion" that its name purports. Operating this software, which HP has actually geared towards end users, is relatively confusing for one and gets hung up a lot. Secondly, the application does not support a wide enough range of audio and video formats to justify calling it "Mobile Media." "A few Mobile Media" seems to us like a more appropriate description. The price of $500/€580 is, thus, a "bit" high.

If you are looking for a multi-functional PDA, though, with long battery life and can live with only a basic digital camera that can really only be properly used outdoors, you should then still include the iPAQ rx3715 in your purchase considerations. After all, you can't expect to use a Leatherman to lay low a hundred-year oak.