The Minstrel 540 Wireless Modem

Novatel Wireless was the first company to offer a wireless solution for Windows CE when they introduced the CONTACT in early 1998. It was based on HP's 320LX Handheld PC, but included built-in wireless capability. Since then, they've offered a number of wireless solutions, including the popular Minstrel series wireless modems, originally designed for Palm OS devices. Last year they joined forces with Hewlett-Packard Company to develop the Minstrel 540, a wireless modem for HP's Jornada 540 series Pocket PCs (www.novatelwireless.com/palmtop/minstrel540.html) or (www.hp.com/jornada/solutions/hardware/minstrel.html).

The Minstrel has been described as a wireless "sled" or "backpack" (see Screen 1). It's a cradle about the same size as the Jornada. Slip the HP Pocket PC into the Minstrel 540 and the combined solution is about 1" longer, 0.4" thicker, and 5 oz. heavier. It includes its own built-in Lithium Ion rechargeable battery so it won't drain the Jornada's main batteries.

Screen 1:  The Minstrel is a cradle that slips onto the back of the HP Jornada Pocket PC. The combined solution is about 1" longer, 0.4" thicker, and 5 oz heaver.

One of the big advantages of the sled configuration is that it leaves the Jornada's CompactFlash slot free for storage cards. This means you can download e-mail and attachments wirelessly and store them on a CompactFlash card instead of internal memory. I used the devices with a Lexar 320 MB Type I CF card (www.lexarmedia.com) and a SanDisk 192MB Type I CF card (www.sandisk.com). I found that both cards worked well with this system, with no degradation in speed or performance. The ability to download files and attachments to a CompactFlash card makes the Minstrel/Jornada combo a number one choice for power Internet users. (Note: A Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC equipped with CYNET's Type III Expansion Pack will also let you use a Type II wireless card and a storage card at the same time. Most wireless solutions occupy the Pocket PC card slots and prevent you from doing this.)

A little setup, and then it's "plug and play"

The first thing I did when I received my Minstrel 540 was to load the Novatel and OmniSky service software into the main memory of my Jornada 540 Pocket PC, configure the software as instructed, and try to "slap" the Minstrel onto the back of the Jornada. I quickly realized that you have to perform minor surgery on the Jornada before it will connect properly to the Minstrel. The wireless modem comes with a plastic "stabilizer wedge." You have to remove two small screws from the back of the Jornada (screwdriver included with Minstrel) and install the wedge with the longer screws supplied within the package. In less than five minutes everything fit perfectly, and the Jornada was secured.

After this minor surgery to the Jornada, the sled is truly "plug and play." There are no buttons to press or hardware controls to confuse you. There are three LEDs at the bottom right of the device. The first gives you information about the battery strength; the second indicates that you're accessing data and the third tells you that you are connected to the Web. The Minstrel did not add very much bulk or weight to my Jornada 540, but the combination no longer fits in my Pocket PC case. I would love to see someone make a case for both of those devices together.