The HP Jornada 690 goes beyond the remit of what you'd normally expect from a PDA. Including the Microsoft Windows Handheld PC Professional operating system, you have a device that can perform most tasks that your mobile professional will need. For office tasks you have pocket versions of Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint, plus cut-down versions of Outlook and Internet Explorer. Power comes at a price, and in this case it's portability. The stylish two-tone blue and silver finished clamshell device weighs in at 510g and measures almost 20x10cm. This makes it seem positively gargantuan compared to the likes of Palm and Handspring PDAs. However, the Jornada 690 is designed for a different market. Open the case and you have a 640x240 colour touch-sensitive display and a perfectly useable keyboard, complete with a set of quick launch buttons. A 56K software modem is included, with a neat connector for the included phone cable. There is also an infra-red port which enables those looking for a truly mobile Internet solution to connect up with infra-red GSM modems. Additional features include voice recording buttons built into the external casing, plus a dual-purpose expansion slot, for either a Type II PCMCIA card, a Compact Flash card, or both.
The Windows operating system makes this a familiar experience for any desktop PC user. Synchronisation is catered for by the very straightforward ActiveSync 3 and the supplied serial port docking station.
The Jornada 690 spans the divide between PDA and laptop computer. As a laptop alternative, it lacks the compatibilty with your existing desktop programs, but has the advantage of being far less cumbersome and that it can provide a full days work from a single charge of the L-Ion rechargeable battery. A bonus that any professional who has tried to be genuinely productive for the full duration of a long-haul flight will surely appreciate. --Jason Weston
