Upgraded ROM Gives HP 620/660LX New Life

Hewlett Packard's 620LX can be upgraded to an H/PC Pro with the HP 600 Series Upgrade Module.

In the world of computer technology, promises of upgrades are met with suspicion. Introduction of the upgrade always seems to be delayed, and when you finally get the new and improved product, it rarely lives up to the hype. Fortunately, this is not the case with the HP 600 Series Upgrade Module. This is one of those rare exceptions that truly gives you a big bang for your buck.

In its time (last year, that is) the HP 620LX was the best Handheld PC around. But then HP came out with their new 680 Jornada. It was about the same size as the 620LX, but came with a better keyboard, built-in 56k modem, and a faster processor. Best of all, it had the newer H/PC Pro set of built-in applications, including Pocket Access and improved versions of the others.

I upgraded to the 680, but with a little reluctance. You see, there are many features of the 620LX (and 660LX) that I actually like better than the Jornada 680. For one, the 620 has a slightly larger and more readable screen. It also has larger and easier to access shortcut keys. Finally, I'd already adapted to its keyboard and found it quite useable. (See my review of the Jornada 680 in the July/August 1999 issue of Handheld PC Magazine.)

Time to dust off that old 620LX

When I heard that HP was offering 620/660LX owners a way to upgrade their devices to H/PC Pro status I pulled out my 620 LX, dusted it off, and bought the HP 600 Series ROM Upgrade Module.

The ROM Upgrade Module is a small, easy-to-install ROM board that slips into the 620/660's ROM expansion slot. First, back up your 620/660 onto your desktop PC (your device will lose ALL of its data). Then pull out the old ROM module (just under the main battery), and plug in the new one. Restore the data you backed up and your ready to go. It's that easy.

This upgrade module turns your 620/660LX into a full-fledged Handheld PC Pro with all of the great "Pro" features and software enhancements including the Pocket Access database application. It addition, the ROM Upgrade adds the special applications created by HP for the Jornada 680. These include HP Backup and restore, HP Dialup, HP Quick Pad, HP Viewer, HP Hot Keys, HP Settings, and HP Macros. (See review of the Jornada 680 in the July/August 1999 issue for a complete description of these HP applications.)

On top of all of these enhancements, 620LX users get an additional 16Mb of internal RAM (total of 32Mb) for running programs and storing data. The HP 660LX's 32Mb of existing RAM is not increased. The module also converts both devices from a 256 color to a 64k color screen. (Note: Existing Jornada 680 owners can update their screens to 64k colors by installing a software patch available for free download on HP's web site at: www.hp.com/cposupport/handheld_computers/software
/680ddi64.zip.html.)