The New iPAQ Mobile Messenger: hw6915 - A Tough Package To Beat

[Jon Westfall]

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-splash.jpg" /><br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Windows Mobile 5 Phone Edition Device<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.hp.com">HP</a><br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> <a href="http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF25a/215348-64929-215381-314903-f92-1822489.html">HP Shop Online</a><br /><b>Price:</b> $599.99 USD<br /><b>System Requirements:</b> ActiveSync 4.2, Exchange Server Account Recommended.<br /><b>Specifications:</b>416 MHz PXA270 Processor, Integrated wireless<br />Quad band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WiFi (802.11b), Bluetooth®1.2, GPS, 1.3 MP camera, thumb keyboard.<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><br /><li>Integrated Everything;<li>Excellent HP proprietary software;<li>Blazing fast graphics performance.<br /><b>Cons:</b><br /><li>Square Screen;<li>Lack of VGA;<li>Keyboard text entry speed.<br /><b>Summary:</b><br />So we've all had that moment of saying "Gee, I wish that my device had that built in". I can safely say that I didn't have that thought at all with the hw6915. The iPAQ hw6515's new brother seems to finally get it right on HP's third jaunt into the Pocket PC Phone Edition arena. But can its list of features make up for a few annoying side-effects?<br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>In The Beginning</b></span><br />Many moons ago, in a dark and distant time before I was an Editor at this great site, I was obsessed with a new Pocket PC. The Pocket PC was the iPAQ h6315, a unit with details leaked for well over a year and finally released at the end of August, 2004. At that time, I wrote the following:<br /><br /><i>"I am the (for now) lone h6315 vote. After selling my I-mate, and carrying 2 devices again, I NEED to be converged soon! I'm also praying the functionality of the machine will make up for the puny processor / RAM."</i><br /><br />I eagerly drove up to the closest T-Mobile store on the day the product was released, plunked down my cash, and went to my office play with my new toy. Quickly, though, I realized that the h6315 had some "issues". HP, eager to get the device out after numerous delays, hadn't fully tested everything as well as I'd have liked and I spent a few days just chasing bugs down. Next came the issue of that puny processor and RAM - and unfortunately the functionality didn't quite make up for it. While I used the h6315 as my daily driver for almost a year full-time, even I couldn't deny that HP needed a lot of work in the area of converged devices. <br /><br />So about a year after the h6315 came out, as I sat reading my email on my 6th h6315 (T-Mobile got to replace a lot of units for me, from having 1 unit completely "melt down" and not boot to one that the vibrate motor had died, and everything in between), I saw information on HP's next converged device, the iPAQ Mobile Messenger hw6515. The hw6515 was a bit more tastefully designed than its older brother. With a square screen and built-in thumb keyboard (as opposed to the removable thumb keyboard on the h6315), the hw6515 seems destined to steal the show and prove that HP could put together one of these converged devices right. Heck, it even had GPS built-in! But all was not rosy for this device - it suffered from a timing issue. Namely, it came out right as Windows Mobile 5 devices were hitting the market, and with the older OS and lack of WiFi, it only was a mediocre success. The hw6515 was nice, but it wasn't something to write home about.<br /><br />Now, two years after HP's first attempt, the hw6915 is rolling out. With limited availability as of this writing (available in Europe and Australia), the hw6915 seems to be the answer to all of our needs and the ultimate Treo and Blackberry killer. Through the graciousness of the Microsoft Mobile and Embedded Devices group, I was able to borrow a hw6915 for a few weeks and get to know the newest sibling of my former pal, the h6315! <br /><br /><span><b>A New Unit, Packed With Features</b></span><br />With all the features crammed into the hw6900 series, it's hard to know where to begin. Let's first take a look at the size and logistics of the unit. The unit is 4.65 x 2.8 x 0.71 inches, and weighs about 6.33 ounces. I lined it up below with my other devices to get some idea of how much bigger or smaller it is. While the JASJAR is clearly the king of size in this group, the hw6900 series is roughly 80% of the width of the JASJAR, making it quite a bit wider than many of the devices out there today. It's also just slightly thinner than the K-JAM, and when combined with the width, the depth gives a good feeling to my larger hands. It's a shame that those with larger hands are more at home with this device than those with smaller, given that thumb keyboards are typically easier to use for those with smaller appendages! Any way you look at it, though, the hw6900 series is not inordinately large or small. If it was approximately 2.4 inches wide I feel it would be perfect, but hey, you can't have everything in too small a package. Check out the pictures below for more comparison shots.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/westfall-6900review.sidebyside.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 1: Side-by-side comparison. 5G iPod, i-Mate K-JAM, i-Mate JASJAR, HP hw6915</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-leftsides.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: Left sides, JASJAR (bottom), iPAQ, iPod, K-JAM</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-rightsides.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 3: Right sides</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-tops.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 4: Tops</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-bottoms.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 5: Bottoms</i><br /><PAGEBREAK><br />Upon turning the device on, you'll see HP's Today screen, with a wireless plug-in and dashboard of indicators. The GPS indicator is truly just that - an indicator. Whereas the other buttons let you enable or disable a radio, the GPS button simply shows the status of GPS, as the built-in GPS is automatically activated and deactivated by GPS software. I know that GPS software isn't cheap to code, but it would be nice to have a built-in GPS app that would simply show GPS data to the user so they could verify the radio was working without having to fire up a full mapping program (even the included one). The dashboard indicators cycle through available system resources, and the HP Profiles applet will bring up a profiles menu, allowing you to select what pre-defined profile you want to use ("Silent", "Car", etc.).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-today.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 6: The default Today Screen.</i><br /><br />One thing that shocked me as I was playing with the settings on this device was the Hardware Buttons applet. Yes, hard as it is to believe, the iPAQ only has 1 hardware button! This made me pause and consider that, while the keyboard does go a long way in speeding up text entry and program launching, hardware buttons can still be incredibly useful. If you're a big fan of them, remember that you're limited by the OS to only 2 functions on this 1 button, so unless you invest in a third-party button mapper, you may have to limit your hardware button use!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-hardwarebuttons.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 7: Hardware Buttons - only one!</i><br /><br />Another interesting thing uncovered while going on the settings journey was the headphone equalizer option built right into the device. Kudos to HP for providing native equalizing for those who use their iPAQ for audio enjoyment.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-paqaudio.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 8: Headphone equalizer.</i><br /><br />HP includes on some models in the hw6900 series (those ending in "5", the hw6915, 6925, 6945) a 1.3 MP camera, and their own camera software. Pocket PC cameras (and mobile phone cameras in general) do not have a reputation for having the best quality, although sometimes the old saying "The best camera is the camera you have with you" is very true (just ask an unnamed team member here whose car was vandalized a few months back and snapped a picture with his Pocket PC). The software that HP provides is fairly decent, and the pictures the unit takes are fairly similar to any other 1.3 MP picture you've ever seen. The biggest complaint myself and others have had is the latency in the software shutter. Snapping a picture means you snap, your subject holds still for at least 5 seconds, and the cute shutter sound stutters a bit before completing. I don't know why it seems to take longer to snap a picture on this Pocket PC than others, but if you're a heavy mobile picture snapper, it may just drive you nuts. I also noted a GPS button on the view screen, which will let you geocode your pictures with your location. Certain map provides, such as MapQuest can then read the information and pinpoint where you where when you snapped it. Neat!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-photo.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 9: HP's bundled camera software, reviewing a picture.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-photosmart.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 10: HP's bundled camera software, the GPS button is an interesting feature.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-picnoflash.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 11: Picture taken with 1.3 MP Camera, lower light conditions, no flash.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-picwithflash.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 12: Picture taken with 1.3 MP Camera, lower light conditions, flash.</i><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Performance</b></span><br />Pocket PC Phone editions have a rather anemic persona that they must overcome in the community. Two years ago, when HP initially introduced the TI OMAP processor in the h6315, the community became fairly disenchanted with it rather quickly. While the battery life was outstanding (up to 7 hours of use on one charge), the slow speed made those 7 hours pure agony at times. Two years later and it seems that the OMAP is on its way out, with successor devices to OMAP Originals (h6315, HTC Wizard) receiving beefier chips. In the hw6900 series, HP chose to go with an Intel PXA270 chip running at 416 MHz, which is a great improvement over the h6315's OMAP 151 at 200 MHz and the hw6500 series' PXA270 running at 312 MHz. More processing power in general plus a few other surprises are revealed by the benchmarks. Let's take a look.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-CPUIndex.GIF" /><br /><i>Figure 13: Spb CPU Index.</i><br /><br />CPU speed-wise, there really are no surprises. The hw6915 falls right about where it should based on its processor speed. HP's challenge, no doubt, was to take a device with a mid-speed processor and improve other areas enough to give the impression of a faster device. What is the most visible feature that users notice in a device? How fast it "feels". Note that the "feels" part is a perception that isn't necessarily tied to speed of the chip. The fastest chip bogged down by another component will feel slower than it really is. One of the key components of our perception of speed is graphics. Let's take a look at how the iPAQ stacks up there.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-graphicsindex.GIF" /><br /><i>Figure 14: Spb Graphics Index.</i><br /><br />WOW! The iPAQ blows away the rest of the units when it comes to the graphics index. In using the device, one of the first things I noticed was how fast it seemed when re-drawing the screen (i.e. switching tabs, etc.). I often get the feeling that I move quicker than the computers around me (this is pointed out to me when others watch me move my mouse or hover my stylus over an area of the screen yet to contain a button), and I can honestly say that the amount of times I found myself doing that with the hw6915 was substantially less than any other Pocket PC I've used. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-benchmarkindex.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 15: Overall Spb Benchmark Index.</i><br /><br />Overall the iPAQ hw6915 scores about middle of the road compared to other recent Pocket PC Phone releases. While it isn't the fastest kid on the block, it certainly doesn't suffer the same chronic slow syndrome as previous Pocket PC Phones. For a daily driver that takes its fair share of use and abuse in a day, it's the right mix of speed and power usage for the majority of users.<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Wonderful Wireless</b></span><br />Just a few years ago, finding Bluetooth AND WiFi in the same device was unheard of (heck, ask Treo 700w users now if you doubt me...). Now it's the norm for higher-end Pocket PCs. Likewise, today finding WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS in the same device is nearly unheard of, especially in the United States. When HP initially announced the hw6500 series last year, I was surprised that WiFi was cut in the interest of GPS (word at the time was that the technology simply wasn't inexpensive enough to let the two co-exist in the same device at a reasonable price). Having friends &amp; family who drive a lot, I saw that GPS could be more valuable to them than WiFi, but that WiFi has a higher intrinsic satisfaction to it. After all, when sitting in the coffee house surfing the web wirelessly, one does not usually ponder if GPS would have been more or less valuable to them in guiding them to the coffee house. However, at our core we always want more for less (or the same) and HP decided to deliver that in the hw6900, adding all three wireless radios.<br /><br />In looking at the new Communications Manager in the hw6915, one first notices that there is no option to turn on or off GPS, and there are no configuration options for it either. If you're unfamiliar with built-in GPS solutions, they basically switch on and off automatically depending on if an application is requesting GPS data. After loading Pharos Ostia onto my hw6915, I found it had no problem detecting and starting the native GPS, all without any real user intervention. Back to GPS in a moment, but first let's explore the manager.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-commgr1.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 16: The Communications Manager interface, with separate tabs for each radio sans GPS.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-commgr2.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 17: The phone tab, giving links to common areas of phone configuration.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-commgr3.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 18: WiFi options.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-commgr4.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 19: Bluetooth options. The hw6915 series utilizes the Broadcom stack instead of the Microsoft Bluetooth stack.</i><br /><br />As I said, GPS doesn't have its own tab and for good reason - there really is nothing to configure! There is a "Quick GPS Connection" item under settings that downloads a GPS connection file to the device over the network. This file provides information to the GPS radio about what satellites should be in the area. Since it's dynamic information, it does "expire" and can be set to automatically re-download as needed.<br /><br />Overall use of GPS was very encouraging. The receiver, aided by its connection file, was able to acquire a lock quickly. I found that simply holding the iPAQ in my car and glancing at the screen (then placing it on the seat next to me) worked fine, however a dedicated mount would be best if traveling in unknown areas. Use of common sense is a big requirement when having built-in GPS as opposed to traditional GPS systems or Bluetooth GPS because of the ease-of-use factor. Previously, setting up my GPS took at least a minute (put receiver on dash, turn receiver on, turn on Bluetooth on device, start software, initiate connection, etc..) and generally was reserved for traveling (when I most likely had my dashboard mount installed) and special occasions. With the hw6915's built-in GPS, turning it on casually is easy, and before you know it you're driving through traffic staring at the device in your hand rather than the cars on the road! That being said, the option to use GPS all the time, even when in familiar "turf" is extremely exciting - I can find alternate routes easily, explore without worrying about where I'll end up, and find PoI's (Points of Interest) easily as I require no special GPS setup "ritual".<br /><br />The other wireless radios provide the same experience you'd expect from them. WiFi seems to find my router super quickly (a good thing) and connects without a hitch. Funk Software's Odyssey client is listed as an included item, however it isn't in ROM, so if you need to connect to WiFi networks that require specific authentication schemes, you'll have to install it from the included CD. Bluetooth, implemented with the Broadcom stack, works as expected, and does include support for Bluetooth headphones (as well as the option to route all audio traffic to a standard Bluetooth headset or hands-free device - this doesn't provide great sound compared to the A2DP profile, but is nice in specific situations such as listening to GPS directions through your headset while driving with others). The Bluetooth headphone profile appears to be free of the performance lags that have plagued A2DP integration in other devices.<br /><br />Oh, and we can't forget to mention that the device is quad-band and supports EDGE for data speeds as well as traditional GPRS. In my testing, I was able to pull around 130 KB/s on the EDGE network, similar to the speed I pull on my EDGE-enabled K-JAM. EDGE speeds (and GPRS speeds) are dependent on your area, so your mileage may vary. Overall I was very impressed with the radios inside the hw6915, obviously I would have wanted greater support for up-and-coming 3G technologies, but heck - the thing has four different wireless radios - how picky can I get?<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Thumbing Through</b></span><br />One of the items that interested me most on the hw6915 was the thumb keyboard. With thumb keyboards seemingly in style now, I've found there is a difference between a thumb keyboard and a usable thumb keyboard! The original iPAQ keyboard that came standard on my h6315 consisted of little round buttons, with no backlight which made it unusable in low-light. The hw6500 series keyboard got a backlight (blue) but kept the same basic look. With the hw6900 series, the look hasn't changed much, but the backlight is night and day different than its predecessors. Just check out the pictures below:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-keyboard.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 20: Keyboard close up, no backlight, in a lit office.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-litkeyboard.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 21: Backlight on, in a fully lit office.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-dark.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 22: No backlight, dark office, screen on.</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-lettherebelight.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 23: Backlight in a dark office - anyone need a flashlight?</i><br /><br />As you can see, the backlight on this thing is not dim by any stretch of the imagination. It was actually bright enough for me to use it to navigate a dark house at night! I'd say that's pretty good backlighting, which goes a long way toward total usability. My previous full-time Pocket PC, the i-Mate K-JAM, also included a thumb keyboard, however it was slightly different.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-comparewithkjam.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 24: i-Mate K-JAM keyboard compared to the hw6900 series.</i><br /><br />The differences are fairly obvious, the orientation allows the keys on the K-JAM to be bigger. The keys on the K-JAM were also different than the hw6900 series in other ways. For one, the K-JAM's keys had just enough tactile feel to them to give a good "thumbing" feedback to the user. There was no mistaking if a key had been pressed or not. The hw6900 series notches it up even more with a very resounding "click" noise on each button press. This clicking is very good reassurance that you've pressed a button (not that any of us would be, say, driving and tapping a phone number in or anything), but it can also be a downfall. Namely, it's very hard to tap in messages or notes when sitting in a meeting as others will hear the clicks fairly easily. I resorted to typing out my responses with the stylus on the SIP (screen input) keyboard (i.e. the old fashioned way), but this left me with painfully little room on the screen. If you're concerned about thumb keyboarding un-obtrusively, this device is not for you. The keyboard also, in addition to providing good feedback, features a number pad on the right hand side (compared with the popular Treo which places it on the left). The number keypad becomes active by default whenever you're on the dialing screen, and allows you to enter phone numbers with ease.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/westfall/westfall-hw6915review-keyboard.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 25: Keyboard options.</i><br /><br />Finally, the hw6900 series keyboard allows the user to change a few small options in Control Panel, including backlight time-out and key repeat control. The option to disable the keyboard seems largely useless to me. This keyboard requires a significant amount of tactile force to press a key, which makes me believe that accidental key presses will be highly unlikely. In placing the unit into a tighter space, such as a jeans pocket, it becomes clear that the joystick, not the keyboard, is the most accidentally-prone-to-activate input feature on the device.<br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Daily Drive</b></span><br />It's interesting to take a new Pocket PC out with you when you're so used to one that more closely resembles the "mold" than the hw6900 series. For many of us, the hw6900 series may be a first jump into the square screen form factor, the first jump into a thumb keyboard on the front of a device, the first time with integrated GPS, the first time with a flip-up screen protector, and the first time with a Pocket PC Phone that has an actual dial-pad on it for dialing phone numbers. Quite a shift from the norm.<br /><br />During my first day with the iPAQ, I noticed that the flip-up screen protector could be both a blessing and a curse. For one thing, it kept my facial oils off the screen when I had to take an impromptu phone call (the Bluetooth headset I normally use wasn't even on me). But at other times, it kept far too much light from me to make the screen readable. I ended up perfecting a Captain Kirk-esque move of using my thumb to move the screen protector up a bit, then a slight flip motion to make it click up into place. The good news is that the flip-up protector is quite easy to remove and then reinstall when you're ready.<br /><br />As I already mentioned, the keyboard can be a bit loud in meetings, but it is a Godsend when making phone calls. Since the people I call the most are either speed-dials or I know their numbers, punching in a number was a breeze. And when entering new numbers, I didn't have to continually check the screen to see if it got the three 8's in a row, or the alternating numbers (i.e. 3232) in the correct order. Touch screens are great, but they need to be used with styli for accurate text entry, and unfortunately no one usually has the time to pull a stylus to dial a phone number (or no one wants to!).<br /><br />The integrated GPS was an interesting experience while driving. I found that I probably engaged in more unsafe driving habits than I should have, since I now had the GPS with me more and could turn it on easier. Watching yourself as a dot on the road is not good when you're controlling the dot. Anyone who thinks they may fall into this trap of going "aw neat!" and powering on GPS for trips to the store, etc.., may want to get a dashboard mount - quick!<br /><br />Finally, the square screen is an issue I'll address. Never having used a square screen device before, I was unsure of what to expect. I knew the community was polarized about the issue, with some instantly discounting a device with a square screen and others not seeing it as a problem. I quickly learned that when coupled with a good input method (i.e. the thumb keyboard), the square screen was not a significant issue. However, if I had to activate a screen SIP for anything, I became painfully aware of the lack of screen real-estate. The moral of the story - if you're good with your thumbs, and don't think you'll use any SIPs on the screen, then I don't see the square screen posing a big problem. If you're more of a block recognizer person, then you may be slightly annoyed.<br /><br />Overall the hw6900 series gives great usability, in my opinion, and packs features in that will enhance your daily drive, work, and play. Just be careful how you use them (i.e. the GPS) and be aware how you plan on using the device (i.e. SIP or thumb keypad) before buying.<br /><br /><span><b>Conclusions</b></span><br />Overall I'm very impressed with how far HP has gone from the early attempts at a Pocket PC Phone. The hh6300 series problems are long forgotten and the hw6900 series has many new features that are hard to find rolled together on another unit. Aside from the relatively high price tag in the US and the fact that it's an HP (a turn off for some given the time it takes HP relative to other OEMs to bring things to market), I find no serious complaints about the device or the logistics of securing one. Yes, VGA, a larger screen, and slightly bigger keyboard may be my desires, but the all-encompassing feature set and general ease of use make the HP hw6900 series a winner in my book.<br /><br /><i>Jon Westfall lives in Ohio, mainly in a house or office, and with his wife &amp; cat. When not writing about Pocket PCs or decision making paradigms, he is quite active in his hobbies of sleeping, eating, and reclining on sofa-like objects. He maintains a mediocre blog at <a href="www.jonwestfall.com">JonWestfall.Com</a>.</i>

[dmbourdon]

This sounds like an amazing device but being on the Edge network (vs. EVDO), downloads are going to be s-l-o-o-o-w.

[Tony Rylow]

After seeing this device in person, I must say that I am quite impressed with it. While I did not get to see the GPS in action, it sounds like a great feature to add to an already great platform. I currently use an MDA as my DD, but after seeing this, I'm considering making the switch. The only things holding me back are the slightly larger size of the device (I have smaller hands), and the current lack of funds.

[marky_uk]

I have had this device a few months now and love it, having upgraded from the 6310 over here in the UK

The integrated Wifi is a godsend over the 6310 + wifi card I had before - basically, the Spectec wifi card, for all its beauty did two things - 1) it gobbled battery like nothing else. Really, I mean in a few minutes another percent was gone. And 2) It intermittently worked. That's not a typo .... I got sooo bored of restarting the device, taking out card, putting back in, restarting, re-installing drivers ... ahh, a nightmare.

This wifi just works. And discovers. And has better wifi management software as you've said.

The downside for me? The battery has to go a long way to be really really useful for me, particularly if away from home for any length of time. If you're moving from a mobile to this, then be prepared for a culture shock in battery life - you're basically getting push eMail, a big bright colour screen, wifi and other things which put a drain and strain on the battery ... I can just get a day out of the device if I'm out and about and must charge every night.

The other downside is the typing .... I don't know what HP are doing but the 6310/15 was terrible at typing ... it would miss every second or third keypress and you'd have to press it again. This does it about every fifth or ninth keypress - still a problem if you're trying to write plenty.

Re the screen - it's really not an issue at all. I was on Palms for years and got fed up of trying to write really fast when my brain was dishing out ideas faster than I could scribble. Having to pause the brain when it's in free-flow is terrible. Paper and pen win over every time. This can just about keep up with it's full useful keyboard!

Overall, Jon has this pretty well described as it is - it's everything in one package. I still use an iPod myself as I want plenty of tunes and don't want to crash out my mini SD cards if my iTunes/WMP is playing up as I use it for TomTom maps and backups.

[T-Will]

So about a year after the h6315 came out, as I sat reading my email on my 6th h6315 (T-Mobile got to replace a lot of units for me, from having 1 unit completely "melt down" and not boot to one that the vibrate motor had died, and everything in between)...

Sorry, haven't finished reading the article yet, but this brings back memories of another HP (Compaq) device...it was the blessing and the curse of the Pocket PC world...I can't quite remember what it was called (I think I blocked the name out of my mind). :lol: I just remember having to go through 5 units before I got one that was in okay condition.

Okay, now I'll finish reading... ;)

[joerobin]

The other downside is the typing .... I don't know what HP are doing but the 6310/15 was terrible at typing ... it would miss every second or third keypress and you'd have to press it again. This does it about every fifth or ninth keypress - still a problem if you're trying to write plenty.

I've had my device over a month, and the keyboard has been flawless (knock on wood).

I LOVE the GPS. Mine came with TomTom 5. I have a 6965.

But the most coveted feature is FREE Push Email (I have my own Exchange Server).

A great device indeed. But they still need to work on the camera.

I'm tempted to get the memory upgraded from 64MB to 128MB by PocketPC Techs, but I'll wait a little longer for that.

Joe

[crispeto]

The "where to buy" link states it is $599. Is that unlocked? In other words, can I purchase this phone for $599 and put in my tmobile sim card and that's it?

[ricksfiona]

What's the difference between the 6940 and 6945? They cost the same but are two different models. What gives?

This is REALLY tempting... I was waiting for the HTC Excalibur, but that's only a Smartphone. With a better keyboard (that's really important when wearing motorcycle gloves), ACTUAL PDA functionality AND GPS (useful when on long motorcycle rides).. WiFi, BT AND available now... I'm trying not to pull out my bank card....

So, what's the difference between the 6940 and 6945 again ;-)

[poiuyt]

I noticed none of your pictures showed the cables that came with the device. My 6915 came with a 4x4x2 inch power brick and a USB cradle. As with past iPAQs, it uses a propriatary data connection. There is no way I could travel with that power brick and cradle (the USB cable could at least have been designed to unplug from the cradle for easy packing).

The feature set on this device really excited me. I thought I would replace the Mio A701 I use daily with it. Instead it sits collecting dust.

Cons:
1) Does not have standard mini USB jack
2) USB cable is part of a giant cradle
3) Does not charge from USB
4) Power brick is huge
5) It is larger than any other modern device except the JasJar (HTC Universal)

[T-Will]

This is REALLY tempting... I was waiting for the HTC Excalibur, but that's only a Smartphone.

This is the same dilema I'm in...should I wait for a PPC Phone edition that's the size of the HTC Excalibur/Moto Q, or just go for the Smartphone? The only minor problem I see is I have a few spreadsheets (gas mileage) that I like to fill out on the go and Smartphone doesn't have Pocket Excel/Word (yet), I guess I can always set a task to edit the spreadsheet when I get home.

[jglev]

What's the difference between the 6940 and 6945? They cost the same but are two different models. What gives?

This is REALLY tempting... I was waiting for the HTC Excalibur, but that's only a Smartphone. With a better keyboard (that's really important when wearing motorcycle gloves), ACTUAL PDA functionality AND GPS (useful when on long motorcycle rides).. WiFi, BT AND available now... 4mm thinner than the Treo 750V and 5mm thicker than the super-thin Excalibur.... I'm trying not to pull out my bank card....

So, what's the difference between the 6940 and 6945 again ;-)

The 6945 has a camera. The 6940 does not.

[stuxstu]

I had the hw6515 for a couple of weeks last year. Loved the device, but returned it because it came close to being broken and wasn't WM5. No insurance via Cingular for these devices.... Big draw back for me.

I am waiting to see what comes out next year. I am going to change jobs soon and the hw6900 or what is next may be a perfect fit.

Wifi, Bluetooth is all this is important to me. I own a Magellan GPS system. I wish it was SD rather than mini-sd. I would prefer 4 gig or more of storage.

Happy to see HP crank up the processor speeds. The 6500 was a bit slow sometimes. Especially with my huge contact database of more than 5000 contacts.

HP needs to get something like 128meg or more in these devices. I personally want something like 256 or 512. I just don't understand the whole 64meg thing....

My 2 cents....

[aewold]

The hw6900 series available for sale on the HP website (the only source for US devices) is an UNLOCKED model. Apparently, their deal with Cingular has fallen through (at least for now.)

There is AT LEAST a two-week delay between order date and "estimated" shipping date. I ordered mine on 09/13/2006, and was originally told that my "estimated" shipping date would be 09/18/2006, but according to the Small Business Sales people, it doesn't have a new shipping date, and I shouldn't expect anytime soon -- at least until next week. :evil:

After several attempts to get HP to tell me what GPS chip is included in these devices or what their accuracy is, I finally found out on my own that GlobalLocate is providing the GPS chipsets.

[kaiden.1]

Still think that the "Treo Look" is the hottest ticket.........everyone seems to be copying it................ Everyone!!!!!! they seem to be popping up all over the manufaturing place! :) Not complaining.......just an observation!

[Jason Dunn]

Cons:
1) Does not have standard mini USB jack
2) USB cable is part of a giant cradle
3) Does not charge from USB
4) Power brick is huge

Those points really irk me - isn't it amazing how little thought the OEMs put into the connectors on their devices? They don't seem to grasp how much frustration they cause to enthusiasts like us when they decide to use some random connector. I face that same frustration with my Qtek 8500 and it's "flat USB" connector that requires me to carry a special cable just to sync/charge it. Bah! Very frustrating.

[bnycastro]

I am waiting on the Excalibur before deciding... :D

[ChristopherTD]

One thing I can't seem to find anywhere is the resolution of the screen.

Is it 240*240 or 320*320?

Just curious...

[marky_uk]

As Jon said in his review ... it's 240 x 240

[jglev]

And WM doesn't support 320 x 320.

[marky_uk]

Hi ChristopherTD ....

Just noticed you're in the UK

If you're on Vodafone, you can get this device REALLY cheap on contract!

I got mine (6310) last year on contract for £140 and then there was a fault with the device this year (not sending/receiving SMSs intermittently) so I spoke to their brilliant customer service and they said sure ... we're going to have to replace the handset as we don't repair them .... damn, OK ... so? erm, bad news though ... we don't have that model any more .... can we send you the 6910? .... let me think a moment .. yeah! Next day, it arrived!

If you sweet talk them, they'll also give you a very good deal on minutes/SMS/data per month.

Vodafone do not do the one with the camera (model 6915 in the UK). I think the Vodafone company that you can get from other shops (like CarphoneWarehouse, etc) gives you the phone for FREE and can get the camera one ... but I wasn't bothered! I think Misco is one that does it for free.

Hope that (very long rambling) helps you a bit maybe

Marky_UK

[Jon Westfall]

Cons:
1) Does not have standard mini USB jack
2) USB cable is part of a giant cradle
3) Does not charge from USB
4) Power brick is huge

Those points really irk me - isn't it amazing how little thought the OEMs put into the connectors on their devices? They don't seem to grasp how much frustration they cause to enthusiasts like us when they decide to use some random connector. I face that same frustration with my Qtek 8500 and it's "flat USB" connector that requires me to carry a special cable just to sync/charge it. Bah! Very frustrating.

The only redeeming thing about the iPAQ line is that they have used the same connector for the last 3 - 4 years now, so when I adopted this device I simply purchased a few sync &amp; charge cables to use when I'm on the road. The sync cables that I like (retractable) can be had for between $7 - $15 each, and are fairly common. Not the mini-USB we'd all like, but at least for HP it isn't the "New device, New Connector" syndrome.

[Birdman]

[quote=marky_uk]

But the most coveted feature is FREE Push Email (I have my own Exchange Server).


Joe

Is there any special configuration or steps which need to be taken to access the Push email feature? We are running 2003 with SP2, so if I get a WM5 device, how do I implement the push email feature?

[ricksfiona]

Cons:
1) Does not have standard mini USB jack
2) USB cable is part of a giant cradle
3) Does not charge from USB
4) Power brick is huge

Those points really irk me - isn't it amazing how little thought the OEMs put into the connectors on their devices? They don't seem to grasp how much frustration they cause to enthusiasts like us when they decide to use some random connector. I face that same frustration with my Qtek 8500 and it's "flat USB" connector that requires me to carry a special cable just to sync/charge it. Bah! Very frustrating.

The only redeeming thing about the iPAQ line is that they have used the same connector for the last 3 - 4 years now, so when I adopted this device I simply purchased a few sync &amp; charge cables to use when I'm on the road. The sync cables that I like (retractable) can be had for between $7 - $15 each, and are fairly common. Not the mini-USB we'd all like, but at least for HP it isn't the "New device, New Connector" syndrome.

Cool. I don't have a problem with those sync/charge cables. In fact, I may still have the one from my iPAQ 5555 days. Is there an adapter that allows you to plug a USB into an outlet without frying the iPAQ?

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Any of these will do:

link (http://shop.brando.com.hk/bwactousbadapter2kma.php)

link (http://shop.brando.com.hk/actousbadapter1kma.php)

link (http://shop.brando.com.hk/car2usb2A.php)

link (http://shop.brando.com.hk/car2usb.php)

You don't have to get them from Brando - I believe Boxwave and Proporta sell much the same thing.

[ricksfiona]

Any of these will do:

link (http://shop.brando.com.hk/bwactousbadapter2kma.php)

link (http://shop.brando.com.hk/actousbadapter1kma.php)

link (http://shop.brando.com.hk/car2usb2A.php)

link (http://shop.brando.com.hk/car2usb.php)

You don't have to get them from Brando - I believe Boxwave and Proporta sell much the same thing.

That's awesome! Hmmm, I'll have to check my parts bin... I may have one of these after all!

[Nurhisham Hussein]

If you have one, just make sure its rated for 5V (+-0.2V) and at least 500mA (but not more than 2000mA). You can get away with too high an amperage, but the voltage tolerance is pretty low - too high and you'll fry the battery circuits, too low and it won't charge.

[gregh]

I've had a beta 6915 for a few months, I love it, mine charges fine from USB, both in the cradle, and using a Proporta iPAQ retracting cable.

Cheers,

Greg

[joerobin]

[quote=marky_uk]

But the most coveted feature is FREE Push Email (I have my own Exchange Server).


Joe

Is there any special configuration or steps which need to be taken to access the Push email feature? We are running 2003 with SP2, so if I get a WM5 device, how do I implement the push email feature?

Most likely, your IT department will need to enable Push Email for you because of the necessary settings on the Exchange server.

Here are links to articles that helped me configure my server and my device...


Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying Windows Mobile-based Devices with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/itsolutions/mobile/deploy/msfpdepguide.mspx



Receive E-Mail Instantly with Direct Push Technology
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/articles/directpush.mspx



Exchange 2003 SP2 on SBS
http://www.vladville.com/articles/exchangesp2sbs2003.asp


Joe

[aewold]

Well, I finally received my hw6945 -- awesome device! It is a bit smaller than I had expected (I own a 4355, and this one seems tiny compared to it.)

Good news, it does use the same iPAQ sync cable plug as my 4355, so I can easily charge it overnight at home and leave the sync cradle at work.

Ordered it on 09/13/2006, and it arrived on 09/22/2006 by FedEx Priority.

[griffin911]

Is it confirmed it will not be upgradeable to umts/hspda?

[Darius Wey]

Is it confirmed it will not be upgradeable to umts/hspda?

This device doesn't have a 3G radio inside, so I don't think you'll be seeing any sort of UMTS/HSDPA upgrade path, unlike the Treo 750, which already has UMTS support (HSDPA support will be enabled in the near future).

[eugarps]

Hello,

Does anyone know if this machine is shipping? I've seen the ship date go from 9/16 to 9/18 to now 10/06. Does HP have them or are they waiting for shipments as well?

[Darius Wey]

Hello,

Does anyone know if this machine is shipping? I've seen the ship date go from 9/16 to 9/18 to now 10/06. Does HP have them or are they waiting for shipments as well?

It depends on where you are located. It's already widely available in the Asia-Pacific.

[eugarps]

Darius,

I'm in the USA and apparently the ship date is getting better. Yesterday HP's site was showing 10/6 but today it's 9/27. I can live with 2 days out. I'm traveling soon and couldn't be sure of shipping, thus cancelled my early order. I may re-order now that the ship date is getting better. :?

Just musing: I wonder if the shipping date fluctuations have anything to do with negotiations with Cingular? Now that some sites are seeming to indicate that Cingular will be marketing the Treo 750, all of a sudden the HP ship date jumps to a week earlier..... Oh well..... Consiracy theory I guess. :roll:

Bill

[stryker9000]

I ordered an hw6945 on Monday 09/11, it shipped out Friday morning 09/22, and is on the UPS truck for delivery today 09/25 :) . Ordered a Transcend 2GB MiniSD for it (some other mfg. brands have high failure rate - checkout newegg.com). Recent recipients of this device have given it a glowing review - I hope my experience is the same...


Darius,

I'm in the USA and apparently the ship date is getting better. Yesterday HP's site was showing 10/6 but today it's 9/27. I can live with 2 days out. I'm traveling soon and couldn't be sure of shipping, thus cancelled my early order. I may re-order now that the ship date is getting better. :?

Just musing: I wonder if the shipping date fluctuations have anything to do with negotiations with Cingular? Now that some sites are seeming to indicate that Cingular will be marketing the Treo 750, all of a sudden the HP ship date jumps to a week earlier..... Oh well..... Consiracy theory I guess. :roll:

Bill

[ricksfiona]

I'm sold on this puppy! I mean, what else is there?

A couple of questions:

1) Has anyone tested how well the GPS radio works?
2) Is a 1GB microSD card enough to hold a respectable amount of GPS data?
3) Would it be better to get 3rd party GPS software than using HP's?
4) Anyone making a sweet case for this unit yet? HP's is your usual ghetto type...

[Darius Wey]

1) Has anyone tested how well the GPS radio works?

Haven't tried this out yet, unfortunately.

2) Is a 1GB microSD card enough to hold a respectable amount of GPS data?

1GB should be fine. It appears to be the norm these days with dedicated GPS units, so it should be no different with the hw6900 series. BTW, I assume you mean miniSD?

3) Would it be better to get 3rd party GPS software than using HP's?

It depends on what you want to do. For moving map navigation, HP actually offers decent solutions: Pocket Streets 2006 for North America (TomTom may be a better third party solution), TomTom for Europe, MapKing (Asia), Whereis Navigator (Australia), and PaPaGO! (Taiwan). For other uses, such as geocaching, I recommend GPS Tuner. Version 5.0 was just released recently. I'll be posting on it today.

4) Anyone making a sweet case for this unit yet? HP's is your usual ghetto type...

Sena Cases makes a decent case: http://www.senacases.com/catalog/HP-IPAQ-hw6900-SERIES-CASES-p-1-c-404.html

[ricksfiona]

1) Has anyone tested how well the GPS radio works?

Haven't tried this out yet, unfortunately.

2) Is a 1GB microSD card enough to hold a respectable amount of GPS data?

1GB should be fine. It appears to be the norm these days with dedicated GPS units, so it should be no different with the hw6900 series. BTW, I assume you mean miniSD?

Yes, I mean miniSD.. Mis-types tend to happen after your Personal Trainer tries to kill you. I see that 2GB mniSD is pretty cheap anyway...

3) Would it be better to get 3rd party GPS software than using HP's?

It depends on what you want to do. For moving map navigation, HP actually offers decent solutions: Pocket Streets 2006 for North America (TomTom may be a better third party solution), TomTom for Europe, MapKing (Asia), Whereis Navigator (Australia), and PaPaGO! (Taiwan). For other uses, such as geocaching, I recommend GPS Tuner. Version 5.0 was just released recently. I'll be posting on it today.

I was looking at the TomTom software and it looks pretty good. I'm going to check out the HP software when I get it. This sounds silly.. But I hope they have a cute sounding female voice..

4) Anyone making a sweet case for this unit yet? HP's is your usual ghetto type...

Sena Cases makes a decent case: http://www.senacases.com/catalog/HP-IPAQ-hw6900-SERIES-CASES-p-1-c-404.html
This is EXACTLY what I was looking for.. The Piel's and Vaja's aren't quite what I want... And the Sena's are cheaper![/i]

[eugarps]

All,

The M600+ is up for sale. I determined that my DD needs a keyboard. My new hw6945 should be at my house tomorrow.

Thanks for the heads up on Sensa cases. I have a Seido horizonal case that worked well with my hw6515 in a Boxwave silicone case but there are times when a flip case might be a better choice.

The provided plastic screen cover CAN get lost. I lost the one for my 6515 on a bus in Khatmandu when I was using the camera and it cost me (as I recall) about $15.00 to replace it, before I sold the machine.

Does anyone know if the reported 4 GB mini-SD cards have hit the market as yet?

Best,

Bill

[stryker9000]

My 6945 just arrived yesterday. So far it's met the hype. Very cool device, and stable. It's smaller than I expected 8O . A review from about 4-5 months ago said the apps are unstable (he must have old ROM) - not so with mine. It's been rock solid.

The wireless works perfectly. Haven't tried the bluetooth yet, but will tonight. Totally Aces - it has good signal strength.

ActiveSync works flawlessly. A minor hiccup at the start with Notes syncing, but then it performed retries and finished syncing. It's fantastic.

The GPS seemed a bit slow at first locking in. Now subsequent positionings happen quite fast. Download the Microsoft Pocket Streets map for your area and bang - it locks in.

My MiniSD should come in today, but the largest I found was 2GB at newegg.com for $38 (Transcend). Haven't seen any 4GB yet.

The phone worked great too. I just dropped in my Cingular SIM and it registered with the network. Tap a contact name and it dials, or use the little numeric keyboard, or screen.

:D

All,

The M600+ is up for sale. I determined that my DD needs a keyboard. My new hw6945 should be at my house tomorrow.

...

Does anyone know if the reported 4 GB mini-SD cards have hit the market as yet?

Best,

Bill

[ricksfiona]

My 6945 just arrived yesterday. So far it's met the hype. Very cool device, and stable. It's smaller than I expected 8O . A review from about 4-5 months ago said the apps are unstable (he must have old ROM) - not so with mine. It's been rock solid.

The wireless works perfectly. Haven't tried the bluetooth yet, but will tonight. Totally Aces - it has good signal strength.

ActiveSync works flawlessly. A minor hiccup at the start with Notes syncing, but then it performed retries and finished syncing. It's fantastic.

The GPS seemed a bit slow at first locking in. Now subsequent positionings happen quite fast. Download the Microsoft Pocket Streets map for your area and bang - it locks in.

My MiniSD should come in today, but the largest I found was 2GB at newegg.com for $38 (Transcend). Haven't seen any 4GB yet.

The phone worked great too. I just dropped in my Cingular SIM and it registered with the network. Tap a contact name and it dials, or use the little numeric keyboard, or screen.

:D

All,

The M600+ is up for sale. I determined that my DD needs a keyboard. My new hw6945 should be at my house tomorrow.

...

Does anyone know if the reported 4 GB mini-SD cards have hit the market as yet?

Best,

Bill

This is SOOO awesome! I'm STILL waiting for my TabletKiosk EO which has been promised (and charged to my card) that it will get sent out this week.

Decisions decisons...

[ctmagnus]

I was considering getting a BT GPS to use with my JAMin, but this looks so much more interesting. Anyone know what GPS chipset it uses? And can it be used as a BT GPS for another device (ie, a notebook or other unit larger than the 69xx series) in a pinch?

[joerobin]

All,
Does anyone know if the reported 4 GB mini-SD cards have hit the market as yet?


If I'm not terribly mistaken, 2GB is the largest mini-SD card supported by today's devices that use mini-SD. I read it a week or two ago, and will try to find it again and post a link to it.

Joe

[Jason Lee]

I was considering getting a BT GPS to use with my JAMin, but this looks so much more interesting. Anyone know what GPS chipset it uses? And can it be used as a BT GPS for another device (ie, a notebook or other unit larger than the 69xx series) in a pinch?

It uses the new SiRF III chipset.

I seem to remember somewhere someone using an integrated GPS device as an external bluetooth GPS. I don't know if that was built in or some third party software.

[stryker9000]

Yeah, that chipset and receiver are top-notch. It picks up my coords deep inside a large office building, which surprised my coworkers. I was driving down the freeway last night, the gps speed matched my car speedo. Very cool to drive down streets, see it indicate your path and watch the house addresses pop up on screen as you go by them.

Tested the Bluetooth last night - works great.

This phone rocks. People tell me it sounds better than my Razr, and the speakerphone sounds clearer too, without an echo. Signal is always stronger, no matter where I am. Takes adjusting to as a phone though, coming from a Razr.

Haven't tested infrared device-to-device yet though, but who cares?

I was considering getting a BT GPS to use with my JAMin, but this looks so much more interesting. Anyone know what GPS chipset it uses? And can it be used as a BT GPS for another device (ie, a notebook or other unit larger than the 69xx series) in a pinch?

It uses the new SiRF III chipset.

I seem to remember somewhere someone using an integrated GPS device as an external bluetooth GPS. I don't know if that was built in or some third party software.

[eugarps]

All,

Mine came yesterday and, so far, it's meeting my expectations. It's a bit larger than my Treo 650 but I use my Scala 700 headset with it so no worries there. The keyboard is better that the one on my old hw6515 and at least on par with the one on my Treo.

I had a minor concern when it wouldn't sync my contacts but that worked itself out and now all I have to deal with is my notes. I guess I'll have to read the manual to find out what the two unmarked buttons on either side of the joystick are for. Right now all they seem to do is turn on the keyboard backlight.

The soft keys for the wireless radios are really nice. Just turning on that function on my ETen M600+ was a hassle with a tiny softkey tucked in the lower right corner of the today screen. It was really tough to use one handed.

The Sandisk mini-SD works beautifully. I'll be anxious to see whether the 4 GB will be supported. If it is, it would sure simplify my movie watch on airplanes.

In short, and having had it for all of 14 hours, I'm really pretty pleased with this machine. For a Daily Driver, I'm sure it will do very nicely.

Best,

Bill

[Jon Westfall]

I was considering getting a BT GPS to use with my JAMin, but this looks so much more interesting. Anyone know what GPS chipset it uses? And can it be used as a BT GPS for another device (ie, a notebook or other unit larger than the 69xx series) in a pinch?

Alone it will not act as a BT GPS, but there are ways to make it do so. The most popular is using the third-party tool Franson GPSGate, which allows you to use it as a USB GPS, a BT GPS, a TCP/IP GPS, and more. I've actually had 2 GPS apps running on it and shared the GPS signal via BT Serial port to my laptop - all at the same time.

[eugarps]

:D

Jon,

Thanks for he great review of the 6915. My 6945 is working beautifully!

I just set up two of my email accounts and the GPRS logged on and worked without any coaxing from me. No settings to change as on my M600+. I was even able to sent a message from my Lycos POP Mail account! Something I had not been able to do with the Treo 650 using SnapperMail nor on the M600+ (Why not on that one, I don't know.).

It's looking more and more like this machine will replace my Treo. Boy if there was ever a stealth Treo Killer, this one's really close to it!

Best,

Bill

[BoxWave]

8O. 8O 8O 8O.

Beautiful device and nice write up. This will make things tough.

[aewold]

I'm sold on this puppy! I mean, what else is there?

A couple of questions:

1) Has anyone tested how well the GPS radio works?
2) Is a 1GB microSD card enough to hold a respectable amount of GPS data?
3) Would it be better to get 3rd party GPS software than using HP's?
4) Anyone making a sweet case for this unit yet? HP's is your usual ghetto type...

rickfiona,

The GPS chipset in these units appears to be a 2-meter accuracy, however the camera software that geocodes the photos adds only the DD MM SS coordinates (which is only about 30-meter accuracy), and according to HP, they won't update this software problem.

Kinda ridiculous that the GPS knows exactly where you are, but attaches a geocode stamp to the photo that could be 90-feet away!

Definitely find another GPS software for the GPS if you are needing to use it for coordinate lookups. Microsoft Pocket Streets displays the current GPS coordinates, but has no way to copy those values, or place a pushpin there. The driving view is a 2D map view from above, and only orients to North, with no voice commands.

Andy

[aewold]

I was considering getting a BT GPS to use with my JAMin, but this looks so much more interesting. Anyone know what GPS chipset it uses? And can it be used as a BT GPS for another device (ie, a notebook or other unit larger than the 69xx series) in a pinch?

It uses the new SiRF III chipset.

I seem to remember somewhere someone using an integrated GPS device as an external bluetooth GPS. I don't know if that was built in or some third party software.

These do not use the SiRF III chipset, it uses a chipset by GlobalLocate (link (http://www.globallocate.com)) -- proof is that you can actually obtain a GPS lock INDOORS, by the way the chipset uses cell phone towers signals if it cannot locate satellite signals.

[griffin911]

I would have bought this phone but now that we seem to have confirmation that there is no umts/hspda upgrade path I guess I will have to go with a SIM unlocked TREO 750 or a LOOX T830. It seems that the HP seems to be very shortsighted and obsolete out of the box.

[eugarps]

I would have bought this phone but now that we seem to have confirmation that there is no umts/hspda upgrade path I guess I will have to go with a SIM unlocked TREO 750 or a LOOX T830. It seems that the HP seems to be very shortsighted and obsolete out of the box.

While that's true, just how available is umts/hspda? I live in the US and EDGE is somewhat spotty on Cingular.

Bill

[paddyofrog]

I have had a 6515 since Feb this year and have only had to replace it once, my own fault even, dropped it and smashed the screen, it works really well for the most part and the only thing I miss on it is the wifi.

The 6900 series has a slight downfall though, only one mini SD slot and I have a lot of stuff on SD cards that you just can't fit on a mini SD, at least not without shelling out a few more hundred $'s for new top of the line Mini SD's.

The faster processor would be a bit of a plus but not much as most of the programs for pocket pc's run really well on the 6500 series. I use TomTom 6 as my navigator and love how it works, it was a bit of a task to get it all installed and working properly as it was not meant for the ipaq's but hey when a gift horse looks you in the mouth you don't spit in it's eye!

In Canada the only models of the 6900 series you can get (well not quite yet, this month) are the 6950 and 55, not much of a difference between the 6515, 6950, 6955 with the exception of powerpoint which I ended up getting from my work anyways.

I have read of a couple people complaining about the charging limitations, and found that the Canadian releases both have a removable USB charger from the craddle so you must have made an impression on HP, I had the same issue at first with mine as it came with the craddle, and USB charge cable but I live in 3 places, my office where the craddle lives, my house where my USB cable lives and my car where I unfortunately had to purchase a second cable which is just a USB cable that plugs into a lighter socket that has been made with USB cables in mind. It was a cheap fix for a slightly inconvenient problem since HP did include 2 charging/sync cables to begin with. I have not checked into it but read on the posts that the 6900 series is not USB chargeable, it that is the case I wouldn't be able to handle that as I never have an AC outlet to plug into and rely solely on USB charging!

Although the 6900 series has a bit more power and Windows Mobile 5 I think I will stick with the 6515 until they come up with something that will make me cry if I don't get it!

[l_____l]

The "where to buy" link states it is $599. Is that unlocked? In other words, can I purchase this phone for $599 and put in my tmobile sim card and that's it?

Yes it is UNlocked from HP small/medium business for $599 (hw6945 US version)....

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF06b/215348-64929-215381-314903-f92-1822489-1822492-1822566.html?jumpid=oc_R1002_USENC-001_HP%20iPAQ%20hw6945%20Mobile%20Messenger&amp;lang=en&amp;cc=us

[l_____l]

What's the difference between the 6940 and 6945? They cost the same but are two different models. What gives?

This is REALLY tempting... I was waiting for the HTC Excalibur, but that's only a Smartphone. With a better keyboard (that's really important when wearing motorcycle gloves), ACTUAL PDA functionality AND GPS (useful when on long motorcycle rides).. WiFi, BT AND available now... I'm trying not to pull out my bank card....

So, what's the difference between the 6940 and 6945 again ;-)

If the model # ends with zero, =NO camera! If it ends in 5, YES has camera. That's the only difference.

[dh]

If the model # ends with zero, =NO camera! If it ends in 5, YES has camera. That's the only difference.

Yes it was the zero = no camera that tempted me to just order one.
While I like my SP5 Smartphone, it's not much help when I have to leave it (and all my data) in the car when I'm visiting customers.

[Silver5]

I kept reading this article (mostly just to look at the pictures) and finally broke down and bought one. I am definitely glad I did. It is certainly not perfect but it as at least as good as some of the other WM5 devices I have used in the past year.

I am moving from a Qtek 9000, which is surprisingly not much larger, and the 6915 is certainly less useful for certain things. Since I can't take advantage of a VGA screen in real VGA mode less fits on the screen (especially with the low resolution). Web browsing, Calendar viewing, Word processing, Excel use, and pretty much everything else that benefits from high resolution becomes less enjoyable with this device than with the Qtek 9000. The tiny keyboard is almost funny...almost. The screen is nowhere near as bright as other recent devices. Heck, the screen is a bit dim.

However, the GPS, front facing keyboard (even with the tiny keys), simple profiles application (why isn't this on EVERY WM 5 device?), EDGE, and the useful accessories really make this my new choice. I still have the Qtek here to use but I see less reason to use it now. The iPAQ seems to be a well made device and I like using it despite its flaws, for the time being.

Couldn't they have added maybe two more application buttons though?!!

[syoung]

I have had a 6515 since Feb this year and have only had to replace it once, my own fault even, dropped it and smashed the screen, it works really well for the most part and the only thing I miss on it is the wifi.

The 6900 series has a slight downfall though, only one mini SD slot and I have a lot of stuff on SD cards that you just can't fit on a mini SD, at least not without shelling out a few more hundred $'s for new top of the line Mini SD's.

The faster processor would be a bit of a plus but not much as most of the programs for pocket pc's run really well on the 6500 series. I use TomTom 6 as my navigator and love how it works, it was a bit of a task to get it all installed and working properly as it was not meant for the ipaq's but hey when a gift horse looks you in the mouth you don't spit in it's eye!

In Canada the only models of the 6900 series you can get (well not quite yet, this month) are the 6950 and 55, not much of a difference between the 6515, 6950, 6955 with the exception of powerpoint which I ended up getting from my work anyways.

I have read of a couple people complaining about the charging limitations, and found that the Canadian releases both have a removable USB charger from the craddle so you must have made an impression on HP, I had the same issue at first with mine as it came with the craddle, and USB charge cable but I live in 3 places, my office where the craddle lives, my house where my USB cable lives and my car where I unfortunately had to purchase a second cable which is just a USB cable that plugs into a lighter socket that has been made with USB cables in mind. It was a cheap fix for a slightly inconvenient problem since HP did include 2 charging/sync cables to begin with. I have not checked into it but read on the posts that the 6900 series is not USB chargeable, it that is the case I wouldn't be able to handle that as I never have an AC outlet to plug into and rely solely on USB charging!

Although the 6900 series has a bit more power and Windows Mobile 5 I think I will stick with the 6515 until they come up with something that will make me cry if I don't get it!


how did you install the tomtom nav6 onto the ipaq? I'm having difficulty myself. any help would be great. If you could just walk me through the process. thank you so much

[RogerStenning]

how did you install the tomtom nav6 onto the ipaq? I'm having difficulty myself. any help would be great. If you could just walk me through the process. thank you so much

OK, I'm going to assume you got the software only, on CD and SD card. First, get a 1gb miniSD card WITH SD size adaptor (Kingston memory cards are good, btw).

Hopefully, you've got a USB multimedia card reader on your system; if not, get one - they're cheap enough - make sure it's USB 2.0 (and USB 1.1 backwards compatible) - 2.0 is faster ;)

On your computers' hard drive, make a new folder, and call it, say, TomTom6. Insert the suppied TT6 SD card into the card reader, and COPY the contents, in full, into TomTom6 on your HDD. Remove the SD card. Insert the new miniSD card into the reader, and copy the contents of the TomTom6 folder - and ONLY the CONTENTS of the folder - to the miniSD card. Remove the card from the reader. You're now ready to load the CD onto your PC - follow the instructions in the manual ;)

Before you connect your hw6915 to the PC via activesync, insert the miniSD card you just prepared into the slot on the iPaq - it'll detect it and install TT6 automatically :) Follow the on-screen instructions (noted on the quick installation reference card in the box, including how to register TT6 online or via GPRS), and it's Job done :)

Hope this helps :)

Roger

[RogerStenning]

While I remember, I suppose I ought to post my thoughts on the 6915 ;)

I got mine to replace the Orange SPV C600 that I've got; they're both WM5 units, and having used an old iPaq h1940 in the past, I'm well used to HP gear ;)

orange were a bit of a pain in this respect - I was originally hoping to upgrade to an SPV C1300, but they tried to stick on a massive (£300) upgrade fee, even though I was willing to outright buy the new handset -0 so much so that I wound up telling 'em where to stick it, and got a better unit (the 6915) SIM-free through PC Word Business instead (Got a nice discount too, lol, and that's between me, my accountant, and PCWB :twisted: )

Anyhow, I spec'd the 6915 due to the AGPS and iPaq factor, the camera and keybard was a added bonus. I then got hold of TT6 Navigator - having used Navman before, and not being impressed with the lack of POI files, I went the TT route this time - and mightily impressed I am - processor speed on the iPaq is FAST, and lockup with the quickGPSfix addition is simply incredible :) Add to this that it's a WM5 device, and I can run all my previous WM5 s/w from the C600 on the 6915, and I'm in hog heaven.

Aside from the problems regarding recharging on the go (noted above in the thread), things are good :) And I'll be getting a powered car cradle to solve that problem shortly (I'm looking at the Arkon powered iPAQ Mount for my iPaq - http://www.addonsworld.co.uk/product.php/27096/0/ or similar - this one's only one possible supplier, lol) :)

Roger