First Test – HP iPAQ 312 Travel Companion

So far so good. However, there are two chinks in this iPAQ 312 armour. The unit takes at least 2 to 3 minutes to pick up a GPS signal. Not great, but acceptable by our standards, considering that the Packard Bell Compasseo 600 takes an additional three minutes more.

And because it has one of the biggest screens around, you should never leave home without the supplied car charger or you will find yourself lost within 2 hours of your journey when the unit quits on you.

The HP iPAQ 312 is indeed a formidable GPS unit that integrates entertainment, Bluetooth phone functionality and a fairly sophisticated GPS guiding application all in one compact and easy to use package.

It may not be the PERFECT companion, but the unit is definitely set to win the hearts of road warriors who will appreciate the ease of use and fuss-free guidance from this Travel Companion.

The HP iPAQ 312 is now available at all leading HP retailers for $699.


• High resolution 4.3 inch WVGS(800x480) touch screen display
• SiRF Titan 600MHz Dual-Core processor
• Advanced SiRF GPS receiver with InstantFix time-to-first-fix acceleration
• 128MB RAM
• 2GB Memory
• Integrated Bluetooth v2.0 EDR with hands free calling
• SD card slot
• USB 2.0
• Premium entertainment system with digital music player, video player, picture viewer and games installed
• Contacts manager with Outlook sync tool
• Calculator and world clock with alarm
• Multi-language interface
• 110.2mm (w) x 86.8mm (h) x 18.2mm(d).
• 187g in weight

Credits: Story by Jarvis Seo, pictures by Azfar Hashim