HP iPAQ hw6515 - Part 1 - The External Hardware

HP iPAQ hw6515 Mobile Messenger Review Part I - The Externals Supplier: Clove Technology Limited Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard Product: HP iPAQ hw6515 Mobile Messenger Colour: Silver / Gunmetal Grey Cost: £382 (£448.85 inc VAT) Supplier Web Site: www.clove.co.uk Supplier Product Web Site: HP IPAQ hw6515 (IPAQ-6515) Manufacturers Page: Hewlett Packard Thanks to Clove Technology 4WM has been given the chance to review one of the more interesting Windows Mobile devices to reach the marketplace in recent months. We are of course talking about the HP iPAQ hw6515 Mobile Messenger which is the first WM device to feature a square screen and high speed EDGE communications technology. In this review we will strive to look at the 6515 from all angles, detailing the external features, internal ROM supplied software and finally how the device performs in usage and daily operation. For your delectation all photographs are thumbnails which may be clicked on to load a image. Official Specifications Processor, Operating System and Memory Operating system installed Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition Software, Phone Edition, Pocket Versions of Microsoft® software are included (Outlook, Word, Excel and Internet Explorer for Pocket PC) Processor Intel® PXA270 Processor 312 MHz Memory Type 128 MB total memory (64 MB ROM and 64 MB SDRAM), up to 56 MB user available memory including 12 MB iPAQ File Store Memory slots SD and Mini SD Slots: support 1-bit SDIO and 4-bit SD/MMC type memory standard Included/Pre-installed Software Operating system applications: Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Voice Recorder, Notes, Pocket Word Pocket Excel, Pocket Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player 10, Inbox, Microsoft Reader, File Explorer, VPN Client, Infrared Beaming, Volume control Software Included HP exclusive applications: iPAQ Wireless, GSM/GPRS Settings Manager, GPS Navigation from TomTom products, HP Profiles, MMS Composer, Bluetooth Manager, iPAQ File Store, iPAQ Backup, HP Photosmart Camera, HP Image Zone for Pocket PC System features Dimensions, Metric description 7.1 x 2.1 x 11.8 cm Weight, Metric description 165 g Display 3.0" transflective TFT QVGA, 64K colours, LED backlight Wireless Technologies description Integrated quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth, IrDA Integrated camera description Built-in SXGA, HP Photosmart 1.3 MP, 1280 x 1024 resolution Expansion Slot SD Slot: supports 1-bit SDIO and 4-bit SD/MMC type memory standard Power Features Battery: removable/rechargeable 1200 mAh Lithium-Ion (user changeable), optional extended 1800 mAh Power Requirements AC Power - AC Input: 100~240 Vac, 50/60 Hz, AC Input Current: 0.3 Aac max, Output Voltage: 5Vdc (typical), Output Current: 2A (typical) Mouse/Pointing Device description Touch-sensitive display for stylus or fingertip Keyboard description Integrated Keyboard External I/O Ports Integrated IrDA (SIR), USB 1.1 Client, Serial RS232 Internal Audio Integrated microphone, receiver, speaker and one 2.5 mm stereo headphone Jack, MP3 stereo (through headphone Jack) Warranty One-year parts and labour in most regions, 90 days technical support for software in most regions. Additional offers may vary by region Box Contents Removable/rechargeable battery, removable flip cover, stereo earbud style headset with 2.5 mm jack, AC adapter, charger adapter USB desktop synchronisation cradle, stylus, belt case, Getting Started Guide, How Do I…? Guide and HP iPAQ Pocket PC Companion CD Ergonomic features 4 programmable application quick-launch buttons, 5-way navigation joystick, touch-sensitive display for stylus or fingertip, voice record button, microphone and speaker Operating Temperature Range 0 to 40° C Storage Temperature Range -20 to 60° C Operating Humidity Range 90% RH THE PACKAGING For me one of the most anticipated moments with a new device is when it first arrives and the time comes for the removal from the shipping packaging. Now you can see what you have taken proud ownership of! As expected from HP the actual device packaging follows the HP 'house style' with the bold blue and red colouration very much in evidence and plenty of textual information on the enclosed device. The text panels on the box give details of the specification of the device, it's capabilities as well as confirming which model is enclosed (6505 - without camera, or the 6515 with the camera). Data specific to the machine itself such as the IMEI details are given on the end panel. THE GOODIES INSIDE After breaking the HP seal on the box we can, with trembling fingers, lift the lid and see what is inside. The first surprise is the addition of 'Setting Up..' instructions which have been printed inside the lid of the box. These have been positioned exactly where they will be highly visible and the red primary colouration also ensures high visibility. Again HP standards for PDA packaging apply with the top part of the package being a removable try which holds the extensive documentation pack. This tray is lifted out to reveal the iPAQ 6515 and accessories packaged neatly underneath. The documentation package includes: Getting Started Manual - which details the basics of assembling, charging and operating the 6515 with an overview of the controls Read This Before Using GPS Navigation - which details how to obtain your free TomTom City Map and the use of the GPS Connection utility End User License Agreement - the standard terms for device and software licenses License for Windows Mobile 2003 - giving you permission to use the OS on the device Global Limited Warranty and Technical Support - 1 years hardware warranty HP Care Pack data - how to extend the support on your device iPAQ Choice Brochure - how to use it and download additional free software Know Your Options Brochure - detailing accessories available for iPAQ product range Cases Online Brochure - Not very useful as so far they do not have any cases for the 6500 series How Do I... ? - A written Frequently Asked Questions booklet concerning use of the 6500 series HP iPAQ Companion CD Underneath: Safely stowed underneath the documentation pack is the 6515 and accessories which comprise of: The HP iPAQ hw6515 Mobile Messenger The ActiveSync cradle Removable battery Power Supply with charging adaptor Hands-Free kit Belt Holder The CD contains: Basics: View Users Guide Preview and Install Software Purchase Accessories Register your HP iPAQ Check Additional Resources Desktop Software: Users Guide in PDF format MS Outlook 2002 MS ActiveSync 3.8 MS Windows Media Player 10 HP Image Transfer - automatically unloads pictures that you take with your HP iPAQ Photosmart Camera. HP iPAQ Quick GPS Connection Utility - PC agent passes Quick GPS data to your iPAQ via an ActiveSync connection. BVRP Software's GSM/GPRS Manager - pre-installed application that will automatically configure your PDA with the correct GSM and GPRS settings for your network. Adobe Reader for PC iPAQ Software: ClearVue Office Suite™ - ClearVue provides the ability to open and view native Microsoft Office files directly on your Pocket PC. Featured Software Links: Pocket PC Games - Minesweeper, Reversi, or Hearts. AvantGo - With AvantGo you can browse your favourite Web sites or access more than 1,000 brand-name channels HP iPAQ Wireless Modem Application - Take advantage of the GPRS/EDGE wireless modem capability in the HP iPAQ hw 6500 to connect your personal computer to the internet using your mobile phone service data account. GPS Navigation Powered By TomTom - Link to allow you to buy the full version Downloadable Software - Link to www.ipaqchoice.com HP iPAQ Accessories - Link to the HP iPAQ Accessories online store One of the first things that most new PPC owners do is to of course unwrap the machine itself to take a close look the machine, even before SIM/battery installation and charging. I am of course no exception to this rule and the 6515 was unwrapped from it's protective plastic first. Once the plastic bag has been removed and placed on one side you will however have to remove the two protectors that HP have placed on the outside and inside of the front protective flap. These of course serve to make sure that your device arrives in pristine condition but also make sure that you are aware of how to care for you screen and maintain your HP warranty. For initial handling I removed the internal warning protector only and left the external protector in place to give a little extra protection Once the protector(s) are out of the way one can start to handle the device and take a close look at it's features. The initial aspects which 'shout' out at you are; the small size (compared to my iPAQ 4705), the square screen, the keyboard and the front flip cover. I spent an estimated 3 minutes opening and closing the flap, turning the 6515 round over and over (with a silly grin on my face) before I even started to look at the features. Okay so down to business The front face of the 6515 features top centre the speaker used for general sound output and of course for listening to phone calls. To the right of this are two LEDs, the first indicating the status; orange for charging, green for fully charged, the second LED glows blue if Bluetooth is activated. On the far right hand side is the on/off (suspend button) as per most WM devices pressing and holding this button serves to toggle the screen backlight on or off. Below these buttons is the 240 x 240 resolution screen which (if you have owned a PPC previously )takes some getting used to. Below this is the main control console featuring the lit green 'answer call' button, contacts button, joystick, e-mail button and lit red 'end call' button. And finally we come to the main 'messaging' interface - the keyboard. Even though the keys are small in size the spacing and mounded shape of the buttons allows a positive typing action to be performed meaning that typing is surprisingly fast and pleasant to carry out. [More on the keyboard functionality later in the review]. The left hand side of the iPAQ 6515 sports only two controls, the top control being a slider which serves to raise or lower the volume of the machine, either the system volume or the volume of any phone call in progress. This control can not be remapped at all for use as an up/down navigation button. The lower control defaults to calling up the Photosmart Camera application. However as per HPs iPAQ's each standard button on the device has a dual function, that is if the button is pressed and held a secondary application is called. On the 6515 the secondary buttons map as follows: Contacts - Calendar Messaging - Today Screen Camera - Record Button You can also see in this view the angle of the front flap when fully opened, not too obtrusive, and suspiciously reminding me of a 'communicator' from a well known TV series. The base of the 6515 is spartan as with most WM devices; left to right we have the 2.5mm stereo handsfree connector, microphone, ActiveSync/Power connector, and the soft reset hole. The top of the device is even more spartan with the only part visible being the top portion of the stylus. The right hand side of the unit is more interesting as here are housed the SD-Slot and MiniSD-slot - both used for the addition of external memory or (as these are SIDO - SD Input / Output slots) external hardware devices. The only snag here is that an SD card such as a WiFi card will protrude a fair amount out of the side of the device. HP have standardised the stylus used in the iPAQ models as the one (yes only one) supplied with the 6515 is identical to that supplied with the 4705. Again the stylus mounts into the back right hand corner of the machine and the finger is drawn upwards to engage the removal lug and draw it out of the body of the machine. Docking of the stylus is a simple matter of pushing it into the slot as it will auto-rotate to the correct orientation before sliding fully home. As anticipated the stylus is held in place via friction, no locking mechanism is used (which could break) at all. This does mean however that initially the stylus is help in place very firmly, but after a few days operation loosens off to a comfortable feel and operation. The back of the iPAQ contains top centre a port an external antenna (even though I've never come across anyone who has ever used one), which seems to be expected on a phone device. Below that is the Windows Mobile Premium identification label and below this the 1.3 MegaPixel camera console. This includes a bright LED flash, the camera unit itself and the usual mirror to allow you to take a self portrait. To the right of the camera console is the rear speaker which serves as the main sound output for the machine as well as serving as the output for the SpeakerPhone when that facility is engaged. Finally the bottom section houses the battery/SIM cover which is removed by pressing the release button and sliding the cover gently downwards. Now that we have the back cover removed we can start thinking of preparing the unit for operation. This involves fitting the SIM card and the battery. The SIM card slides into the side of the housing just to the right of the 'Warranty Void if Broken' label. Be warned this is a tight fit, which will ensure that the SIM does not come loose while in operation but it can make it somewhat awkward to insert the SIM. My fingers were getting very close to piercing that 'Void' sticker while getting it in place. Next comes the fitting of the battery which is very easy to do, just slide it in sideways against the power connector while holding the removal strip out of the way. Once in position press gently and it will seat quite firmly into place. Once the battery has been fitted the device should of course be charged fully - HP recommend a minimum of 4 hours charge before use. However I don't think that anyone at this point can resist pressing the ON button to wake the machine and see what the screen looks like. Once turned on you are immediately greeted by the normal HP boot screen with the boot progress bar, however instead of the anticipate configuration routine taking place I was surprised to see an auto-install operation commence. This included loading various HP specific utilities like the Quick Connect GPRS application and of course TomTom navigation. Once this had completed the standard set-up screens for WM2003SE Premium were followed and the device completed initial configuration. As this point these pictures were taken and the machine turned off. The desire and tendency to 'play' a little was firmly suppressed and the device was put on charge over night Once the initial charge had been completed the 6515 was turned on.......... First impressions were WOW! The screen although small was gloriously bright and colourful, with no evidence of colour inaccuracy as experienced on the Xda [acronym="The third generation organiser (PPC) and phone from O2"]IIs[/acronym] machines. The screen is exactly the same quality than that on my iPAQ 4705 and maybe slightly brighter. I was impressed straight away! While still looking at the screen I noticed the signal strength indicator stated at three bars and then went up to the highest level of signal strength (4 bars) this is on par with my Motorola MPx220 and Xda II - the Xda [acronym="The third generation organiser (PPC) and phone from O2"]IIs[/acronym] only reached 3 bars at home. A good point straight away. The iPAQ was then handled meaning that all controls were operated to check for looseness or problems. Everything operation perfectly with one exception and all controls (including the keyboard) worked in the manner expected of a device from HP - no looseness or rattle at all (remember the rattling volume slider on the Xda II). The only control which fails on my machine is the joystick UP control - it moves but the machine does not respond. Clove Technology are exchanging the machine for a fully working model but this does make one worry a little about HP quality control, it is probably only an internal wire that has come loose while in transit around the world but it is some small cause for concern. I've mentioned in passing that this device feels small in the hand, and it is, at 7.1 x 2.1 x 11.8 cm compared to the 6.9 x 1.9 x 13.0 cm of the Xda II, or the 7.1 x 1.9 x 12.5 cm of the Xda [acronym="The third generation organiser (PPC) and phone from O2"]IIs[/acronym] the difference in height makes it feel really tiny. The slightly increased thickness compared to the Xda machines is not noticeable at all. Here you can see four machines compared; left to right: Xda IIS, the 6515, Xda II and the iPAQ 4705, top to bottom: iPAQ 4705, Xda [acronym="The third generation organiser (PPC) and phone from O2"]IIs[/acronym], the 6515 and the Xda II, as you can see it does look significantly smaller. One of the more unusual items supplied with the iPAQ 6515 is the belt holder which has been described within the family as 'The Strange Grippy Thing' (SGT). This name has been earned as it's not a regular belt holster or case as is usually supplied with some WM devices. It is constructed 100% of ABS plastic and is completely solid there are no protective soft parts that would enclose or cradle the somewhat delicate machine. The SGT utilises two spring clips within it's construction, one for holding the main clip onto the belt, and a slightly less powerful spring clip for holding the 6515 in position. Once positioned onto the belt the spring-clip together with the 'return' on the bottom of the clip serve to hold the SGT in place on the belt surprisingly firmly. I've only had one instance of the SGT coming off the belt and that was while dashing into the car the seat belt mount hit the bottom of the clip forcing it off the belt. The mount has remained in place even through the rigours of IT duty during the Engineering working week - which takes some doing! The only negative design aspect is that the back cover of the 6515, including the camera, are open to the air meaning that they could get damaged somewhat easier than if a regular holster / case design was used. The design of the iPAQ 6515 ActiveSync cradle is very similar to that of the other recent iPAQ products, as you can see here it is almost a clone of the iPAQ 4705 cradle. This means that the machine docks at a very pleasant angle for desk operation and is held firming in place. External Pro's & Con's Pro's Built in GPS Receiver The joystick is a real boon, positive in operation and easy to use - so far I prefer it in operation to any action button used on any prior PPC I've used. Feels very small and neat in operation Positive locking action on the battery / SIM cover Dual functionality of buttons as standard Good quality keyboard High level of build quality Unique 'SGT' belt mount Contoured construction means it is pleasant to hold in the hand High signal strength means a good quality aerial used Con's Not a great deal of free software included on the Companion CD - No Spb GPRS Monitor for example Side mounted SD/MiniSD card slots may preclude easy handling if some external cards are in use SGT does not protect the camera when worn on the belt External Conclusions It is immediately evident that HP have put a great deal of thought into the design of the iPAQ 6515, it looks and feels good both in operation and when docked in the AS cradle. External controls have been minimised as much as possible to allow the user to handle the device easily without any concerns as to what buttons may be inadvertently pressed. When held the iPAQ sits in the hand without any comfort or operational issues. The keyboard is manufactured to a high level of quality and should remain in good condition throughout the working life of the device. The keys are firm in operation and a respectable typing speed comparable to that of RIM Blackberry devices can be achieved. The screen although small compared to other WM devices is perfect in construction and after a few minutes of operation the lack of height is not noticed as an operating issue. The high brightness and visibility of LCD serves to offer good visibility in all lighting conditions, from heavy shadow to bright sunlight you will not have and difficulties in reading and displayed data. After using the 6515 for a day and moving back to my iPAQ 4705 I was mildly surprised to find that the 4705's screen seemed overly large and elongated The combination of the relatively small overall size, the square screen and the joystick make the device feel more like an enhanced SmartPhone rather than that of a Pocket PC. However you still have the redeeming features of a Pocket PC, that is more control buttons and of course the touch screen. The only lacks with the iPAQ 6515 are that there is no WiFi on board, the non-standard 2.5mm jack for the hands-free connection and the side mounted SIDO slots. However when you consider that the housing contains a full GPS receiver, 1.3MPixel camera, keyboard as well as the PDA itself HP can be allowed these deficiencies. 4WM Rating for External Design: 95%