Connecting with Jornada
For connectivity, the 820 comes with a built-in 56k, v.90 modem. While I only tested this function briefly, HP includes a really nice dialup wizard, which made my ISP setup fairly easy. Compared to the times I've had to set up DUN/RAS (Dial-up Networking/Remote Access Services) on other Windows CE machines, this was a joy. Even though I use HotMail (which can be painfully slow) as my main email provider, Web browser performance was pleasurable. I can certainly see myself purchasing a Jornada as a surfing machine for the times I'm trapped at night in my hotel room attending some dreadful trade show or short-term consulting assignment off the beaten track. Come to think of it, it would sure come in handy when I have to go on that Brady-Bunch style family vacation with my in-laws to Disney World this spring. Maybe the pneumonia will relapse if I'm really lucky! Well, maybe not.

Plugging into Jornada
The unit has some other nice amenities, although I was unable to test some of them due to time constraints and lack of physical strength. There's an SVGA-out port, should you need to show a PowerPoint presentation in high-resolution to an important client. Like a real laptop PC, the 820 has USB and 9-pin serial ports, as well as Type II PCMCIA and CompactFlash slots for future peripheral and memory expansion. Just for kicks, I connected up a Sierra Wireless PCMCIA cellular modem to the unit, which worked beautifully. Combined with the Jornada 820 (and about to mercilessly mix metaphors), any road warrior would be happy as a clam with this combination.

Will it be good for you?
After a week spending some very intimate time with the 820 and away from my PCs, I have to say I could certainly use it in place of a full-blown PC laptop without missing much. But keep in mind that contact management, email, Web browsing and word processing are my core applications. Once in a while, I do a PowerPoint presentation or use an Access database. For these applications, the 820 does the job quite handily.

However, if you have the absolute need to play Quake or use non-Windows CE applications on the road, this unit isn't for you. And if you're a real Windows CE freak, you might not want to use the Jornada as your main Windows CE machine yet. As of right now, the StrongARM processor in the 820 isn't widely supported by third-party application vendors because the chip is too new.

That said, the 820 is still a fine machine. Who said pneumonia couldn't be fun?

Product availability and resources You can find the Jornada at http://www.hp.com/jornada/. Get more information on the Sierra Wireless AirCard at http://www.sierrawireless.com/. Learn more about the StrongARM processor from http://www.arm.com. To get some chicken soup in honor of Jason, you can go to http://www.chickensoup.com.

Jason Perlow is a freelance writer and President of Argonaut Systems, a systems integration firm in Northern New Jersey. When he's not suffering from respiratory distress, he can be reached via email at perlow@hotmail.com.