It's been a while since I've used a standalone PDA, so getting to use the HP iPAQ rx5900 surprised me a bit. From a few minutes of use, the Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC provided a pretty impressive experience.

Connectivity wise, everything's here. You've got Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and for the pièce de résistance, built-in GPS. That's right, as long as you have the required maps installed, the aptly-named Travel Companion will help you find your way around. And it comes with an easily mounted windshield cradle, so you'll have a navigator for your road trips.

Since this PDA also comes with 2GB of memory (aside from the 64MB of RAM used to run programs) it somewhat fulfills its billing as a multimedia powerhouse. You have a bright 3.5" QVGA screen to watch videos, and a speaker or earphone jack for music. You can listen to your favorite tunes even while the GPS is on.

The GPS has a hard time finding signal indoors though. And I've been told when the receiver is on, the battery drains like water down a pipe. Then you also have glaring (for convergionists at least) omissions like no phone and camera built-in. The rx9500 is also a little clunky, big for even my hand (it's 8" from my wrist to the tip of my middle finger), and the stylus comes out from a weird place.

But thankfully, the rx5900 is responsive. It better be, with a 400Mhz Samsung processor! Seriously though, the gadget was reactive and the quickly loading pages made for great surfing. Without the benefit of a full review, I can already say this PDA from HP will appeal to users looking for the ultimate PDA/PMP/GPS hybrid.