While I liked the look and feel of the Travel Companion 310, I wish the audio quality were better. But its high-resolution screen is an example to follow for other GPS makers.

PLUS

• Vibrant screen and beautiful 2D and 3D maps
• Sync over Outlook contacts
• Set up routes on iPAQ Website

MINUS

• Audio quality lacks clarity
• Route recalculations are circuitrous
• Windshield dock isn't the best.

This is HP's second-generation GPS unit, following up on last year's iPAQ 5900. That model was essentially a Personal Data Assistant (PDA) that incorporated GPS functionality using maps supplied by TomTom. Now HP has developed its own navigation software with TeleAtlas maps, changing much about how the iPAQ 310 Travel Companion looks and how it works.
The new design is sleek and stylish, with a nice textured-looking black veneer, and a softer rubberized surface on the back. The power button is placed in the middle directly above the 4.3-inch TFT touchscreen, with 800x480-pixel resolution. It has 2GB of internal flash memory holding maps of all of Canada and the U.S.

The supplied software on the DVD offers you free downloads, like a sync tool where you can manage navigation routes and transfer your Microsoft Outlook contacts. It also has Windows Media Player for music, video and photo playback. HP even included five games in the device.

Integrated Bluetooth functionality allowed me to make and take calls handsfree with my cell phone. People I spoke to could hear me much better when the 310 was placed on the driver's side window, but sound quality was always a frustration.

The 310 displays maps beautifully on its vibrant, high-resolution screen. But audio quality is disappointing, for spoken directions as well as handsfree calls. It sounds muffled and distorted, making it difficult to hear. On the highway, I had to strain to hear everything. Even raising the volume to maximum didn't help matters much.