The Hidden Gems inside the New iPAQ H5450

[Jason Dunn]

Chris Hendriks, one of the 230+ people who applied for the Thoughts reviewer team, has written a trial article so interesting I wanted to publish it right away. I love it when I learn new things, and if you do too, give this article a read.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/20665470_1_overview_300.gif" /> <br /><br />"The new iPAQ H5450 is a must have item for those power users who are corridor or road warriors. A sleek, powerful Pocket PC that integrates four distinct wireless technologies within the updated but classic IPAQ form factor. Within this deceivingly similar form factor reminiscent of the H3800 and H3900 series, hides a number of firsts or “hidden gems” for the iPAQ line of PDAs."<!><br /><br />The new iPAQ H5450 is a must have item for those power users who are corridor or road warriors. A sleek, powerful Pocket PC that integrates four distinct wireless technologies within the updated but classic IPAQ form factor. Within this deceivingly similar form factor reminiscent of the H3800 and H3900 series, hides a number of firsts or “hidden gems” for the iPAQ line of PDAs.<br /><br />The first of these is the new MediaQ MQ-1100 video controller. To quote the MediaQ press release … <br /><br /><i>“The MediaQ platform controller provides stunning new 3.8-inch transflective-TFT color screens with support for 240x320-resolution and 65k vivid colors in the iPAQ Pocket PC h5400. MediaQ's graphic acceleration solution sets the industry standard by providing a rich visual environment that enables multimedia applications and data services delivered over wireless networks. The controller features a full 64-bit 2D graphics engine and 256KB embedded SRAM, which simultaneously improves the graphics performance of applications while reducing overall system power consumption.”</i><br /><br />The graphics chip also adds hardware support for screen rotation by 90, 180, or 270 degrees. Software developers will make use of this feature especially for gaming. <br /><br /><b><span>A Screen to Die For</span></b><br /><br />A second “hidden gem” is the new 3.8” transflective TFT color screen that was designed for a truly vivid user experience. Though the 3900 series iPAQ uses a similar transflective technology, the 5400 series takes this experience to a new level. The 5400 series screen was designed from the beginning to support Microsoft ClearType and to provide a bright yet True Color display. The “blue glow” or “bluish white background” reminiscent of other iPAQs is no more.<br /><br /><b><span>Can You Hear That?</span></b><br /><br />The 5400 series is the first iPAQ to offer a custom 16-bit integrated audio controller with separate stereo headphone and mono speaker amplifiers designed to eliminate that annoying speaker “pop” (the third hidden gem). The definition for 16-bit audio describes the benefit of this new feature:<br /><br /><i>“A unit of measure that indicates the resolution of a digitized sound sample. The higher the resolution, the better the audio fidelity. 16-bit audio is the standard used for standard audio Compact Discs (CD-DA).”</i><br /><br />Those of us who often listen to audio files should be in for a distinct treat when listening to our favorite music selections by headphones or powered speakers. The audio system adds a couple more firsts for the iPAQ line. The speaker is at the top and the microphone at the bottom of the PDA (great for VoIP or just recording notes). For the first time, the audio out jack offers not only stereo out but also microphone out. Many of us will be able to tape personal, meeting, or lecture notes using a more directional microphone as an accessory than the one built into the PDA. The old “record” button on the top left hand side has been changed to support the volume up (with an upwards toggle), volume down (with a downward toggle), and voice record (with a press in the center of the toggle switch).<br /><br /><b><span>A One-Two Punch: Battery &amp; Wireless</span></b><br /><br />The fourth “hidden” gem is not that hidden but quite obvious – the new removable and re-chargeable battery. Wow, I love this feature! I can order another standard or extended battery and quickly exchange it with the discharged one and I am back in business.<br /><br />Finally, the new 5400 series iPAQ integrates four wireless technologies:<br /><br />• SIR – Serial IR for standard file transfer<br />• CIR – Consumer IR or the new Universal Remote feature first seen in the 3900 series but further refined in the 5400 series. Control your audio and video equipment!<br />• WLAN 802.11b – Wireless LAN for roaming the hallways and corridors between meetings yet still staying in touch with email, Instant Messaging (IM), and VoIP (chat with your colleagues)<br />• Bluetooth – Connect to your Bluetooth cell phone when on the road to get email or other information. Print out files to Bluetooth enable printers. Use one of the other new Bluetooth profiles that are first to the 5400 series.<br /><br /><b><span>This Isn't Your Father's Pocket PC...</span></b><br /><br />Obviously the new feature rich iPAQ H5450 Pocket PC is not for everyone. I wouldn’t buy one for my mother who has never used a PDA before. This new PDA is definitely designed for the technophile, the corridor warrior, and the road warrior. This is the perfect PDA for the individual who must be connected but likes the convenience of having separate data and voice devices that can be easily connected via Bluetooth. Going out for dinner or a movie on the weekend? Leave your iPAQ at home and just bring your small unobtrusive mobile phone. Going on a business trip? Pack both your iPAQ and mobile phone for maximum convenience.<br /><br />I must add a final word of caution for any owner of the new iPAQ H5450. You WILL disrupt any business meeting or event when you pull out the 5450. Please be prepared to get to your meeting or event early so that you can demo and pass it around to all your colleagues. Be prepared for total strangers to walk up to you in order to see your new 5450 – especially if using VoIP! Also, make sure that your boss has own 5450 <u>before</u> he sees yours!<br /><br />You have been warned – now enjoy!

[beyondallcom]

When did HP ever have a "reviewer team"? :cry:

oh well...

[R K]

Hey Jason,
Is there really a need for a seperate "Full Text" link when the full text can almost always be found in the discussion of the article?
Maybe this can help cut down on your work.

[portus]

Same question here. Was it an article based on gathered information here and there? Or is he an insider? Are you looking for a "reviewer" or a news poster? :?:

[xbalance]

I envy all you rich dudes with money to burn (or with Coporate sponsors).

Actually, Dude, I'm getting a Dell and I couldn't be happier.

Great article!

[Paragon]

Edited for stupidity

[Brad Adrian]

Great review, Chris! It only succeeded in making me covet one of the new devices even more!

[Ed Hansberry]

For info on the reviewer team, see http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4514&highlight=review%2A

[Jason Dunn]

Hey Jason,
Is there really a need for a seperate "Full Text" link when the full text can almost always be found in the discussion of the article?
Maybe this can help cut down on your work.

One word: formatting. The article formatting is much easier to read, and parses out the redundant front page information (notice that in the forum view the text repeats itself). It's always best to read articles in the article view - there's a DISCUSS hyperlink at the bottom if you want to comment.

[Jason Dunn]

Same question here. Was it an article based on gathered information here and there? Or is he an insider? Are you looking for a "reviewer" or a news poster? :?:

It would seem he has some sort of insider information, or perhaps he's just a really good researcher. :-)

I'm looking for people who can write reviews primarily, but if they have the urge to write a column, step by step tutorial, or tip, we'll certainly publish it.

[paris]

I envy all you rich dudes with money to burn (or with Coporate sponsors).

Actually, Dude, I'm getting a Dell and I couldn't be happier.

Great article!

I laugh when I see comments mentioning the dell against any iPaq.

Did you see the size of that thing? I think the Pocket PC refers to devices that will fit in your pocket and not bricks.

[Orange]

I'm wondering if the mic-in jack provides sufficient power to a decent mic. It'd be nice if I could use one of these to tape live concerts, practice sessions, or recordings using my external mic...with realtime mp3 recording (not even sure if this exists...), one could store a good deal of music on a 128 mb sd card...

[vincentsiaw]

that's true that this new ipaq is indeed very powerfull, but i got a feeling some of us is never ever satisfied, and still demand a pda which susbstitude a pc!

direct mp3 conversion, watching 46 fps mpeg movie, 512 mb of ram, 2ghz processor, infrared keyboard, wireless charging, etc....

perhaps later, this thing became reality, and i just hope, i'm not too old to enjoy this stuff!

[Jeff Rutledge]

Great info Chris! I'm fairly certain I'll be shelling out for a 5600; this makes me feel better about it.

[M4X P0W3R]

This review glows way too much for no good reason, and a good proof of that is the "gem" called the mediaQ graphics controller. Hello, welcome to the Toshiba e310? That had a 256K mediaQ graphics controller, and it was the original price-buster Pocket PC. That being said, it would seem to me as though the reviewer is impressed simply because HE'S NEVER SEEN A MODERN POCKET PC.
That aside, the review is not in any way critical, so it fails to do the job of a review, which in my opinion is give us consumers an idea of whether or not this product is worth $700. Seeing that one of the few "gems" is available on a bargain Pocket PC, yet he portrays it as though it's an exclusive feature of the new 5450, he's actually doing a job contrary to that of a reviewer, more like the job of an advertiser. I can only hope I never see a "review" like this on this site ever again....... :roll:

[mookie123]

what is the standard of his audio review? True it has some impressive number but not until one put a good pair of headphones and test direct wav file straight from CD without compression, I am afraid nobody can say excellent audio fidelity.

a slightly lower quality audio test maybe low compression mp3 at 2-300kps rate and see how it sounds. (MP3 chops off a lot of high frequencies data in high compression, you can forget about listening to hapsicord with mp3)

so not until I put a wav file of any ECM albums and like how it sounds, I won't believe PDA is worth to claim as the champ of protable audio capable of hair raising fidelity. Able to create resemblance of Britney spears mp3 rip at 64kbps doesn't count.

[Jason Dunn]

Uh, I'm not sure if you guys bothered to read this word or not, but this is a COLUMN:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?id=4987

See that word column? That means "opinion" - so would you guys please relax a little? :D

And mookie123, there's no way to quantify sound quality in a written review, so your criticism is impossible to meet. Let's be realistic shall we? :wink:

[mookie123]

And mookie123, there's no way to quantify sound quality in a written review, so your criticism is impossible to meet. Let's be realistic shall we? :wink:

wot? I am shock. I thought PPCT has a team of audio expert, sound engineers and musicologist to test this sort of thing!

I am truely shock. :lol:

[farnold]

"The new iPAQ H5450 is a must have item for those power users
No doubt, the 5450 is an interesting device. Though, I'm old enough to know what I must have and what not. I don't read reaviews that try to incapacitate me. And where does the "power user" find the ability to use it as phone and GPS device? Oops, maybe that was too much power then :lol:

[Pony99CA]

Uh, I'm not sure if you guys bothered to read this word or not, but this is a COLUMN:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?id=4987

See that word column? That means "opinion" - so would you guys please relax a little? :D

I can think of two reasons for this oversight. First, you mentioned Chris was trying out for the reviewer team, so thinking it was a review isn't unreasonable.

Second, the "Column" only appears in what you called the Article View; it doesn't appear in the Discussion View, which some people may have read from.

That said, I'm glad you posted this. It was good to hear about some things that I haven't seen covered before.

However, he missed at least one gem -- the Vibrate feature. And, if he mentioned the not-so-hidden removable battery, he probably should have mentioned the fingerprint scanner.


And mookie123, there's no way to quantify sound quality in a written review, so your criticism is impossible to meet. Let's be realistic shall we? :wink:

I thought audio magazines earned their money by quantifying sound quality in written reviews. That's what S/N ratios, THD, IMD, slew rate, etc. are all about. :-)

Steve

[Pony99CA]

"The new iPAQ H5450 is a must have item for those power users
No doubt, the 5450 is an interesting device. Though, I'm old enough to know what I must have and what not. I don't read reaviews that try to incapacitate me.

OK, "must-have" is probably a hackneyed phrase, but come on. I'm also curious how a review could "incapacitate" you.


incapacitate (în´ke-pàs´î-tât´) verb, transitive
incapacitated, incapacitating, incapacitates
1. To deprive of strength or ability; disable.
2. To make legally ineligible; disqualify.

Maybe you have grounds for a lawsuit against Chris and/or Pocket PC Thoughts. :lol:


And where does the "power user" find the ability to use it as phone and GPS device? Oops, maybe that was too much power then :lol:

What do you think sleeves are for? :-) By your definition, I guess no major Pocket PCs are for power users, as none have GPS. :roll:

Steve

[aussieandre]

I am the current owner of an ipaq 3630, and about to become the former owner of a LOOX.

Chris, do you have an opinion on bluetooth in the 3970 v 5450. I want to be able to connect to my phone and sync over bluetooth. I gave up on this with the LOOX. Can both ipaq's do this easily, or is the blluetooth software in the 5450 superior?

Thanks

Andre

[Ed Hansberry]

I am the current owner of an ipaq 3630, and about to become the former owner of a LOOX.

Chris, do you have an opinion on bluetooth in the 3970 v 5450. I want to be able to connect to my phone and sync over bluetooth. I gave up on this with the LOOX. Can both ipaq's do this easily, or is the blluetooth software in the 5450 superior?
Can't speak for the 5450, but connecting to my T68 with either a 3970 or 3870 is a totally brainless operation. I sync all of the time that way to either my IMAP email server or ActiveSync if my machine at the office is logged in.

[peterawest]

Very nice article.

This is exactly why I decided not to try out for the Reviewer Team. He writes much better than I think I can. :lol:

[Mobile Bob]

I am the current owner of an ipaq 3630, and about to become the former owner of a LOOX.

Chris, do you have an opinion on bluetooth in the 3970 v 5450. I want to be able to connect to my phone and sync over bluetooth. I gave up on this with the LOOX. Can both ipaq's do this easily, or is the blluetooth software in the 5450 superior?
Can't speak for the 5450, but connecting to my T68 with either a 3970 or 3870 is a totally brainless operation. I sync all of the time that way to either my IMAP email server or ActiveSync if my machine at the office is logged in.

For those who want to connect their Bluetooth PPC to a Bluetooth phone, Amazon has re-stocked their supply of the Sony Ericsson T68i (a very good cell phone), and is offering a great deal. With the purchase of a T-Mobile plan: $300 - 250 (rebate) = $50. This is a great way to access your e-mail and surf the web with your PPC. :D

[kaiden.1]

Nice article, but I'm still getting a Dell. HP is still going to have a tough time selling higher end PPC's when so many other really good PPC's are out there. I believe that market share is really going to spread out and HP isn't going to have all the sales that they've had in the past just by ther shear number of new PPC's available.

This is a good thing though, it will cause the manufaturers to up the anty and we the customers will be there to smile and say thanks!

But I'm still getting a Dell!

[Pony99CA]

I am the current owner of an ipaq 3630, and about to become the former owner of a LOOX.

Chris, do you have an opinion on bluetooth in the 3970 v 5450. I want to be able to connect to my phone and sync over bluetooth. I gave up on this with the LOOX. Can both ipaq's do this easily, or is the blluetooth software in the 5450 superior?
Can't speak for the 5450, but connecting to my T68 with either a 3970 or 3870 is a totally brainless operation. I sync all of the time that way to either my IMAP email server or ActiveSync if my machine at the office is logged in.
The 5450's software is supposed to be easier, I think. Whether it turns out to be is a personal decision, I think, but it certainly looks prettier. :-) Let's hope is not a Connection Manager fiasco....

Steve

[Chris Hendriks]

I am the current owner of an ipaq 3630, and about to become the former owner of a LOOX.

Chris, do you have an opinion on bluetooth in the 3970 v 5450. I want to be able to connect to my phone and sync over bluetooth. I gave up on this with the LOOX. Can both ipaq's do this easily, or is the blluetooth software in the 5450 superior?

Thanks

Andre

Sorry, for the late reply...

The 3900 series software was just updated (new ROM upgrade). The 5450 supports more profiles.

personal choice (I guess) :) as to what other features you are looking for

[Chris Hendriks]

Nice article, but I'm still getting a Dell. HP is still going to have a tough time selling higher end PPC's when so many other really good PPC's are out there. I believe that market share is really going to spread out and HP isn't going to have all the sales that they've had in the past just by ther shear number of new PPC's available.

This is a good thing though, it will cause the manufaturers to up the anty and we the customers will be there to smile and say thanks!

But I'm still getting a Dell!

Dell is offering an excellent device and is a good value. However, the 5450 is a high end device. Again, it is a function of your personal needs.
:)

[Chris Hendriks]

This review glows way too much for no good reason, and a good proof of that is the "gem" called the mediaQ graphics controller. Hello, welcome to the Toshiba e310? That had a 256K mediaQ graphics controller, and it was the original price-buster Pocket PC. That being said, it would seem to me as though the reviewer is impressed simply because HE'S NEVER SEEN A MODERN POCKET PC.
That aside, the review is not in any way critical, so it fails to do the job of a review, which in my opinion is give us consumers an idea of whether or not this product is worth $700. Seeing that one of the few "gems" is available on a bargain Pocket PC, yet he portrays it as though it's an exclusive feature of the new 5450, he's actually doing a job contrary to that of a reviewer, more like the job of an advertiser. I can only hope I never see a "review" like this on this site ever again....... :roll:

You are correct, instead this article should have been characterized as a column. I initially had no idea that it would be published as it was my "entry" to show writing style, literacy, etc. in order to become a reviewer. I welcome your criticism, comments, and participation in the forums.

[Chris Hendriks]

Uh, I'm not sure if you guys bothered to read this word or not, but this is a COLUMN:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?id=4987

See that word column? That means "opinion" - so would you guys please relax a little? :D

I can think of two reasons for this oversight. First, you mentioned Chris was trying out for the reviewer team, so thinking it was a review isn't unreasonable.

Second, the "Column" only appears in what you called the Article View; it doesn't appear in the Discussion View, which some people may have read from.

That said, I'm glad you posted this. It was good to hear about some things that I haven't seen covered before.

However, he missed at least one gem -- the Vibrate feature. And, if he mentioned the not-so-hidden removable battery, he probably should have mentioned the fingerprint scanner.


And mookie123, there's no way to quantify sound quality in a written review, so your criticism is impossible to meet. Let's be realistic shall we? :wink:

I thought audio magazines earned their money by quantifying sound quality in written reviews. That's what S/N ratios, THD, IMD, slew rate, etc. are all about. :-)

Steve

Steve - what can I say? May I borrow your lab to test this? :) ...
In this column, I was trying to cover a few items that had been neglected by other sites (or not as covered as much). The fingerprint scanner and vibrator had been covered in advance by many sites.

I will be more complete next time - but not as to bore our readers. Thanks for your comments.

[Pony99CA]

In this column, I was trying to cover a few items that had been neglected by other sites (or not as covered as much). The fingerprint scanner and vibrator had been covered in advance by many sites.

A Pocket PC with a vibrator? Now that could be a winner. :rofl: I think "vibrating alarms" would be a better phrase. :-)

Steve

[Janak Parekh]

A Pocket PC with a vibrator? Now that could be a winner. :rofl: I think "vibrating alarms" would be a better phrase. :-)
Well, it depends on how powerful the vibration is, right? I've had certain cell phones that could, well, 8O Not only that, I bet someone could write a custom program for the 5450 :crazyeyes: :lol:

Seriously though, I wish all Pocket PCs had that feature.

--janak

[Chris Hendriks]

if you guys recall, the vibrate alert option (how about this terminology :) )
was available in the Compaq Aero's.