Multimedia Phone Reviews

CNET have reviewed the HP iPAQ hw6920 Smart Phone. ' The design of the HP iPaq hw6900 series has not changed much from the hw6500 series. It retains that PDA-like form factor, which is to say that it's a bit blocky (4.6x2.8x0.7 inches) and heavy (6.3 ounces) for a phone. Though it's not any bigger than the Nokia E62 or Palm Treo 700wx, if you haven't used a Pocket PC phone before, its wider body might require some acclimation when using it as a phone.

The Gadgeteer has posted a "Hands-On" review of the HP iPAQ hw6945 Mobile Messenger. 'Trying to find my perfect smartphone has been causing me the same frustration as trying to find my perfect gear bag. The quest just never ends because I've come to realize that there isn't any one perfect phone (or gear bag) out there for me. The whole trick is to find one that comes as close as possible. This review is for the Hewlett Packard iPAQ hw6945 Mobile Messenger; a Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC phone. The question is, will it become my new "perfect" smartphone?'

PC Magazine have posted a review of the HP iPAQ hw6925 device which combines a PDA, phone and GPS functions. 'First, a note about model numbers, which HP makes unnecessarily complicated. The iPAQ hw6925 and hw6945 are the same device; the 6925 is the Cingular model, whereas the 6945 is unlocked. The 6920 and 6940 are the same gadget without the camera. So most of my references to the hw6925 apply to all four models.

A review of the HP iPAQ hw6925 Pocket PC phone has been posted over at Brighthand. 'HP's newest Pocket PC phone, the iPAQ hw6900 series, comes in several different models. Foremost among these are the hw6920 and hw6925. While these are both Cingular-branded models, and locked to that carrier's network, the difference between them is that the hw6925 has a camera, while the hw6920 does not. Related models include the hw6945 and hw6940, which are unlocked units usable with any carrier, again with and without the camera. The unit loaned to us for review was the hw6925, including the 1.3 megapixel camera.

ZDNet have published a review of the HP iPaq 510 smartphone which features Windows Mobile 6 operating system and up to six hours of continuous talk time on a fully charged battery 'Here it is: The first Windows Mobile 6 smart phone, and it comes from none other than HP. It's a good choice for mobile professionals who want to keep on top of their e-mail and occasionally work on documents while on the road. The HP iPaq 510 Voice Messenger is a departure from the company's other smart phones as it focuses more on voice features and fills a void in its mobile device lineup, falling somewhere between its workhorse Pocket PC phones and standalone PDAs. Comparable to the Cingular 2125 or the T-Mobile SDA, the iPaq 510 looks and feels like a cell phone with its compact design; consequently, the controls are a touch cramped. However, this design flaw is tempered slightly by the fact that the smart phone has outstanding voice-command capabilities and convenient shortcuts to frequently used programs.'

IT Week have published a review of the HP iPAQ 514 Voice Messenger business smartphone. 'The iPaq 514 is a quad-band GPRS phone, although it lacks 3G support for high-speed data. However, it does have 802.11b/g Wi-Fi capability. As might be expected, we found browsing the web much faster when connected to a Wi-Fi access point than with GPRS. HP also enables users to make VoIP calls using the Microsoft Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) client in Windows Mobile 6. This is intended to link to a corporate IP PBX or SIP server, but lacking such infrastructure, we found we could use the iPaq to make internet calls using an online SIP service accessed via a broadband connection. We found the call quality impressive, but the volume was a little on the quiet side even when we turned the sound up.'

A preview of the new HP iPAQ 210 handheld has been posted over at Brighthand.com. ‘HP recently made an announcement that was music to many hard-core handheld users' ears: it is releasing the iPAQ 210 Enterprise Handheld. This will be a device loaded with high-end features, like a 4-inch, 640-by-480-pixel (VGA), 260K-color touchscreen and a 624 MHz processor. This model hasn't been released yet, but I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with a prototype, and I wanted to share some of my first impressions.’

Computeractive have published their review of the HP iPaq 514 smartphone. 'HP is well known for its iPaq range of handheld computers, but this is the company's first phone, and as such, it's a smartphone. It runs the Windows Mobile operating system, so the display and usability are very similar to the Orange SPV line of phones, which use the same software. The phone uses the new Windows Mobile 6, which adds a couple of clever touches, such as being able to search through a folder of text messages easily using the keypad. The 514's camera is only a 1.3-megapixel model, which is an indication of where the phone's priorities are.'

A review of the HP iPAQ 210 Enterprise Handheld has been posted over at Brighthand.com. 'Though it shares a resemblance to both the smaller iPAQ 110 and the Axim X51v, the iPAQ 210 isn't as close to those two devices in design as you might initially think. Rather than their rounded edges and very organic design, the 210 has a more typical boxy and squared-off styling. This isn't to say that the 210 is uncomfortable to hold, but it doesn't just snug itself into your hand the way the other units do. By the same virtue, though, it doesn't resemble at all its nominal predecessor, the iPAQ hx4700, HP's last device with a VGA screen. The front of the casing is high-gloss black plastic, which is pretty to look at, but is also fairly easy to smudge up with fingerprint oils and the like. Fortunately, the smudges don't show too well under average light, so you shouldn't be consigned to perpetually wiping the thing down. I'd have preferred a flat black, but this works.'

Trusted Reviews have published a review of the HP iPAQ 614c Business Navigator. 'The iPAQ 614c Business Navigator is a large and ugly phone that's all drab black and grey plastics with no brushed aluminium highlights or chrome trim to set it off. It's pretty chunky, too, with porky dimensions of 60 x 117 x 18mm. And it's hardly a design masterpiece in other respects - its integrated numeric keypad has a rather cheap-looking, shiny finish and is topped by a pair of 'soft', context-sensitive keys that look like a pair of malevolent eyes leering at you as you write a text or surf the web.

Pocket-Lint have published a review of the HP iPAQ 914c smartphone. 'The iPAQ 914 may be aimed at business users, but, with its ease of use and media features as well as the office tools that come with Windows Mobile 6.1, it’s perfectly suited to anyone who needs a feature-rich smartphone. On a basic level, the phone sound quality was crystal clear although the touchscreen is very sensitive so you can sometimes cut off a call without meaning to if you hold the handset too close to your face. On the business front, you can set up a remote desktop mobile, use the usual Microsoft Office programs, ClearVue PDF, as well as calendar and task recording tools, and of course, the notepad so you can scrawl reminders to yourself.'

IT Reviews have published a review of the iPAQ 614c Business Navigator 'The iPAQ 614 Business Navigator is a Windows Mobile 6 Professional device in a candybar-style format. It has a large touch screen and number pad. It comes in two versions; one with a back-facing, 3-megapixel camera, one without. The one with is called the 614c, the one without is called the 614. Apart from this the two versions of the device are the same.

A review of the HP iPAQ 914 smartphone has been posted over at Tracy ansd Matt's Blog. 'The HP iPAQ 914 weighs in at 146g, and has a full QWERTY keyboard, and the size (64 x 16 x 113mm) which is a tad bigger than RIM’s BlackBerry Curve, which is its closest competitor. The screen has a QVGA 320 x 240 pixel touch display, this is common on Windows Mobile phones, The result is a rather clumsy user experience, and you will often find yourself frequently switching between the keypad controls and stylus or as I was, using my thumbs to navigate the on screen display, when accessing various functions on the go.'

The Gadgeteer have published a review of the HP iPAQ 910 Business Messenger. 'The navigation key layout and QWERTY keyboard are roomy and comfortable to use. The domed center select button is easy to locate with your thumb. Around it is a plastic ring that can be pressed up/down, Left and Right. There are the normal Green and Red call send and end buttons, along with buttons for the Left and Right menu soft keys. There is also a button to launch the calendar, start menu, email and OK. The thumb keyboard keys are dome shaped and easy to press. All of the keys have good tactile feedback and are backlit, making them easy to see in dim environments. I didn't have any issues or complaints using the keyboard for normal text input and text messaging.'

Pocket Now have published their review of the HP iPAQ 910 Business Messenger. 'I'm not really sure why HP chose to change their past design to this one, but I'm sure glad they did. In terms of specs, the 910 comes in with an Marvell CPU clocking at 416MHz, with 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM, running on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. The screen is 2.5" diagonal and is of QVGA resolution. It does Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and triband UMTS (850/1900/2100), plus adds HSDPA support. It also does WiFi b & g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and packs aGPS. The camera on the rear can take 3.1MP photos and includes a flash.'

PC Advisor have published a review of the HP iPaq 910c smartphone. 'In our tests, the HP iPaq 910c delivered adequate but not outstanding call quality. Unlike the iPhone 3G, it has a removable rechargeable battery, which is rated at 1940 mAh. The iPaq's battery provided 4 hours, 58 minutes of talk-time in our lab tests - a poorer-than-average figure among recently tested PDA phones, although it's not unusual for 3G phones to have shorter battery lives than non-3G phones. The iPaq 910c's design resembles that of the Palm Treo Pro to some extent: both are glossy black, candy-bar handsets that sport hardware qwerty keyboards. We give the HP the edge over the Palm for typing messages and email because of its keyboard's superbly sculpted keys and the device's slightly greater width.'