The convergence between a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and mobile phone
is just about complete in HP's new, all-singing handheld computer, the hw6915.
Not much bigger than a Smartphone and with quad-band reception built-in, you
don't look foolish with it pressed up to your ear to take a call. It has a 1.3
megapixel camera built into its back, too.
The
iPAQ
hw6915 goes considerably further, though, with a 7.6cm colour screen which
is fully touch-sensitive to the stylus provided. There's full Windows Mobile
software built in, which includes Word, PowerPoint and Excel Mobile editions.
Below the screen is a physical QWERTY keypad which can be used with mobile
applications and, of course, messaging and texting. Those with large fingers may
have to resort to thumb and fingernails, but with a bit of practice it's
probably easier than the onscreen keyboard and stylus, which is still an option.
The key feature of the iPAQ hw6915, which separates it from most of its
competitors, is the built-in GPS receiver. There's no clip-on backpack to fit
and not even an aerial to flip up.
HP supplies UK roadmaps and a detailed maps of cities and surrounding areas
can be downloaded, both courtesy of Tom Tom. In practice, the GPS appears quite
sensitive and can be used when walking as well as when motoring.
The iPAQ hw6915 comes with 192MB of memory, which sounds a lot, but may need
supplementing if you install several maps. There's a mini-SD card slot in the
side of the device for this and it can take cards of up to 1GB.
There's both iPAQ hw6915 comes with both
Bluetooth
and Wifi support, so connections with hotspots and pairing with headsets and
earpieces are simple.
In essence, the iPAQ hw6915 really comes with virtually all the facilities
you might want from a handheld computer.
Also consider
Memory Map Mio P350 Navigator
A less sophisticated handheld computer, but with integrated GPS and maps of your
choice
All
gadget reviews
Reader comments