01-19-2004, 06:00 PM
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Thoughts Media Review Team
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 749
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Breaking the Mold: The HP iPAQ 4350
HP has broken more than one mold with the new iPAQ 4350. Not only have they significantly departed from the usual form factor we've seen for iPAQs, but they have introduced the first Pocket PC with an integrated keyboard! I hope they're not the only vendor to go this route, and that the 4350 is not the last iPAQ of its kind.
Yeah, I'm one of those guys who had the Jornada 560 with the keyboard cover and loved it. In fact, all the PDAs I've owned over the years (except my current iPAQ 2215) have had integrated keyboards, or ones quickly acquired as an add on. I guess I'm just most comfortable with keying, as opposed to writing on the screen. Besides, my handwriting is almost as bad as a Doctor's!  ops:
What's neat about the 4350 is that it's a high power performer with an integrated keyboard, in a package that's not much larger than its 5500 parents, but considerably lighter and less bulky. Thanks to Josh Kerwin of Waggener Edstrom, I was able to play with one of these beauties over the holidays and I have to admit, I fell heavily in lust!
What's in the Package
As with all HP units, the iPAQ 4350 comes well equipped, right out of the box.
Figure 1: Contents of the HP iPAQ 4350 box.
Here's what you get:- iPAQ 4350
- 1560 mAh Lithium Ion battery pack (more on this later)
- Cradle
- Power Supply with cable and serial dongle
- Quick Reference User Guide
- Extra Stylus
- USB/Serial cable
- Cloth cover case
- Companion software CD
As usual, HP has provided an extensive and very useful collection of utilities -- both free and trial period -- on the companion CD:
Full Versions- HP Web Registration
- HP Mobile Print Center
- Westtek ClearVue Suite
- F-Secure FileCrypto Data Encryption
- Colligo Personal Edition
- Adobe PDF Viewer
- RealOne Player for Pocket PC
- iPresenter PowerPoint converter
- MobiMate WorldMate
- Resco File Explorer (on US Retail models only)
Trial Versions
These usually have a time limit of 15 to 30 days each:- Xcellenet Afaria Device Mgmt. Agent
- Margi Presenter-to-Go (needs the VGA card)
- Illium ListPro
- CommonTime Cadenza mNotes
- Resco Picture Viewer (on US Retail models only)
CD Links
The CD also contains links to the following web sites, for purchase of software:- NetMotion
- Avaya IP Softphone
- IP Blue VTGO!
- Cisco CallManager
- Pocket Presence Running Voice IP
- Vindigo
- Audible Mgr. and Audible Player
- Single Tap
- Handango
- Pocket Backup Plus
The CD also contains additional documentation from HP in .pdf format, such as the Safety and Comfort Guide, and the full 4350 User Guide.
Setup of everything took about 20 minutes, including reading of the Quick Reference Guide. I don't normally do much reading before playing with a new unit, but since this one was a loaner, I didn't want to take any chances. Out of the box, the battery came with some charge, which was a nice touch, since it allowed me to satisfy my urge to turn the unit on immediately. Based on previous Pocket PC experience, I decided to give it a complete charge though, before putting the 4350 through its paces. Charging took about 2 hours from out of the box 10 100% and generally, that's been my experience with the 4350. Going from almost dead to fully charged is about 2 hours. (Sorry, I didn't measure it exactly).
Another nice touch is that HP supplied two styli - one in the 4350 and another in the box, which is a change from the usual 'get one, and buy a three pack accessory' mentality of other vendors.
HP makes it VERY CLEAR (in a number of places) that you must install ActiveSync on the laptop/PC with which you will be partnering before connecting the 4350 to the laptop/PC. This wasn't a problem for me, since I already had the software installed and partnerships established for my 2215, but I wondered what the harm would be to the 4350???
Physical Dimensions & Stuff
The actual dimensions of the 4350 are available from the HP spec sheet , but I thought a comparison to the 2215 would be more useful. Here's photos of them, side-by-side:
Figure 2: The iPAQ 4350 (left) compared to the iPAQ 2215.
Figure 3: The iPAQ 4350 (bottom) compared to the iPAQ 2215.
The 4350 is not what I would call a 'shirt pocket unit', since the entire keyboard portion sticks out, but it is definitely comfortable in a jacket pocket. For example, here's a picture of the 4350 compared to my billfold wallet and the case provided for the 4350.
Figure 4: The iPAQ 4350 (left) compared to my wallet and the supplied cover.
Figure 5: The iPAQ 4350 (middle) compared to my wallet and the supplied cover (side view).
As you can see, the 4350 itself is considerably smaller and thinner than my wallet. (It's mostly credit cards, so don't get excited.)
The weight of the units are comparable - the 4350 is 5.8oz (165g) and the 2215 is 5.1oz (145g). To my hands, the 4350 actually felt a little lighter, but this could be due to the weight being spread out a bit more.
The overall layout of the 4350 is very comfortable in your hand and it has a very professional appearance. I quite enjoyed showing this one off in various meetings I attended. The buttons are where you expect them to be, and the five-way navigator button has a good solid feel to it. (Sorry, I'm not much of a gamer, so I wasn't able to test its responsiveness in 'firefighting mode', nor whether the unit will respond to simultaneous button activations.)
Touring around the unit, everything is pretty well where you'd expect to find it. The SD card slot, headphone jack, and stylus dock are located at the top of the unit.
Figure 6: Top view showing the stylus dock (left), SD card slot, then headphone jack.
The supplied stylus is very light and flimsy. It doesn't really give you a solid feel like the one provided with the 2200 series, and I found it uncomfortable to use. I kept thinking it was going to snap in two as I was tapping on the screen.
I also found some difficulty inserting and removing SD cards from the slot. The slot is recessed into the 4350, so you have to use your fingernail to push the card in far enough to engage (or disengage) the card lock.
The headphone jack is a standard 3.5mm issue, and so it should accommodate most of the stereo headphones for CD players, etc. sold on the market.
The 1560 mAh battery supplied with the 4350 is a real powerhouse, and is accessed via a thin, plastic battery cover on the back of the unit.
Figure 7: Back view of the 4350, with the battery cover removed.
As shown in the picture above, the battery cover is fairly thin and flimsy. I can see someone easily breaking the portion of plastic that acts as the catch at the back. As a saving grace however, the number of times you'll need to access the battery should be minimal, since you can do a hard-reset of the unit without removing the battery, and being Lithium-Ion, there should be little need to replace it. I'll go into detail in the Benchmarks section below, but this battery provides much more useful life for the 4350 than the battery provided with the 2215, so you may only need additional batteries for exceptionally long hauls.
At the bottom of the 4350 is the reset button (recessed well within the unit) and the serial connector.
Figure 8: Bottom of the 4350, showing the reset button (left) and serial connector.
From what I can tell, the serial connector at the bottom of the unit is exactly the same configuration as the 2215, which means that it's also the same as most of the rest of the iPAQ series. Good engineering HP -- way to go! Unfortunately though, HP keeps changing the shape of the base of the units, so all cradles from other units are incompatible.
The cloth cover supplied with the 4350 is basically a slightly longer version of the case provided with the iPAQ 2215. It's OK in a pinch, but why can't HP come up with something a little snazzier for a unit of this price point? I'm sure someone else will.
Unfortunately, my unit failed the shake test, since there was something rattling inside the unit, even with the stylus removed. It doesn't seem to affect anything, though.
The power adapter is exactly the same as the one for the 2200 series -- 5V @ 2000 mA -- right down to the dongle Jason loved so much ;-)
The Keyboard
The keyboard is certainly one of the highlights of the 4350. It's a standard QWERTY layout in three rows, designed for use with the thumbs, or some other single finger. There is a special 'FN' key, denoted by a blue dot in the lower left of the keyboard, which you use to access most of the numeric and special character keys. There's only one SHIFT key, on the left side of the keyboard, just below the A key, so it's difficult to do capital A's and Q's, unless you try to press both at the same time.
Figure 9: Graphic of the 4350 showing detail of the keyboard.
(Courtesy of HP Web site)
Generally, I liked the feel of the keyboard, but I felt that the keys needed a bit more spacing, since my thumbs (which are not huge) were covering multiple keys. I didn't get any miskeys while using it though, so I guess they've raised the keypads enough to prevent 'cross-keying'. Generally, I found I could go as fast as I used to on my Jornada keyboard cover, using both thumbs and cradling the unit in my palms.
The backlight for the keyboard automatically comes on when the first key is pressed. It's a bright blue -- similar in colour to the Bluetooth indicator LED. There's a setting available to determine how long the backlight stays on after the last key is pressed.
Figure 10: Keyboard settings for the iPAQ 4350.
Audio
Playback
On the 4350, HP has moved the speaker around to the front of the unit, just behind the keyboard, so the sound is much clearer, louder and cleaner than the 2200 series. It sounds like a better speaker was added too, since the overall frequency response seems to be broader. It's certainly not concert hall quality, but quite reasonable for recognizing which song is which, or for listening to recorded conversations and notes. Sorry, it's still only monaural.
HP has added the ability to set the earphone volume and response (bass and treble) separate from the speaker, which is a really nice feature.
Figure 11: Earphone Audio Settings on the iPAQ 4350.
Recording
I've got my recording button back!!! (Yay!) It's a silver button located at the top left corner of the unit, as you look at it from the front, right beside the IR port. Of course, you can reassign this button to some other function, or remove the assignment completely.
Figure 12: IR port and Record Button.
This is also the location of the microphone as well, which for me, is a natural way to hold the unit to record voice reminders of that perfect turn-of-phrase for my article. :wink: The microphone on the 4350 is very good - much more sensitive and clearer than on any unit I've had before. There are even options to set up the recording levels for different types of environments which I suspect alters the gain on the Automatic Level Control.
Figure 13: Audio recording settings.
Unfortunately, I found the Record button a little too easy to engage when inserting the iPAQ into the supplied cloth case. It's just too natural to hold the unit by the edges when sliding it into the case.
Screen
The screen is a standard 3.5 inch (89mm) transreflective TFT unit with a resolution of 320 x 240 and 16-bit colour. It definitely has the yellow cast though, when looking at an angle other than straight on, but it looks slightly brighter than the one on the 2215. I found it very responsive to taps, and no sign of any dust specs!!!
Networking -- Bluetooth & WIFI!
The other highlight of the iPAQ 4350 is the integration of both Bluetooth and WiFi networking in the same unit. Activation/Operation of these features is done through a iPAQ Wireless application provided in the Programs Menu.
Figure 14: iPAQ Wireless application screen.
When Bluetooth is turned on, a combination LED indicator at the top of the unit (just to the left of the power button) blinks that characteristic blue colour. When WiFi is activated, it blinks green. When both are active, it alternates between blue and green.
I had experience in setting up a Bluetooth connection between my iPAQ 2215 and laptop earlier, so I experienced no difficulty in getting the 4350 to do the same things in very short order. The only thing I was careful about was to change the device name of the 4350 from Pocket_PC to Pocket_PC4350, to avoid duplication with my 2215.
Getting WiFi to do the things I wanted it to was a bit more troublesome. The 4350 worked fine with the 802.11b network I set up in my house, at least for getting access to the Internet. It was a breeze - I didn't really have to do anything. But I wasn't able to get HP Mobile Printing to work with the network printer at all. It couldn't see it, even if I provided the IP address. This could be a configuration problem on my part however, since I'm still very much a neophyte in this area. I also found that the WiFi in the 4350 is not quite as sensitive as some of the laptops available now. A cubicle buddy of mine got a new WiFi-enabled laptop (Toshiba wide screen) and was able to find a number of access points within our office building, but the 4350 was only able to find one, intermittently, and was never able to connect.
I also found that when running Windows Media Player, messages would come up saying it couldn't connect to a network, even when Bluetooth and WiFi were turned off. I suspect this is a WMP setting that I haven't discovered how to disable yet since this doesn't happen on my 2215 which (I believe) is running the same version of WMP.
I suspect the WiFi and Bluetooth are either multiplexed or time-sliced to share the common RF frequencies, since transmission speed slowed considerably when both were on. It didn't make using them unbearable, though. Sometimes, I had to soft reset the unit to restart networking (Bluetooth or WIFI), especially after I'd had the 4350 on for a long time.
Attaching Accessories
As I mentioned before, the connector on the bottom of the unit is the same as the 2200 (and other) series, so most of the peripherals which attach there should work just fine. I tried my Stowaway XT Keyboard on for size, just to see what would happen. It worked, but because the 4350 a bit longer than the 2215, the balance point is different and there's a tendency for the unit to separate from the connection. Maybe more 'filing' of the XT connector would make for a better connection. The Styrite Powerpack works fine with it, too.
Applications Already in ROM
In case you were wondering, here's a screen shot of the version of Operating System included with the 4350.
Figure 15: Memory and OS version screen.
In addition to the normal applications included with the Pocket Mobile 2003 operating system, HP has provided some additional programs:- Bluetooth Manager;
- iPAQ File Store: non-volatile storage in flash ROM;
- iPAQ Backup: utility for Backup/Restore to Main Memory, Memory Card or iPAQ File Store;
- iPAQ iTask Manager: access and launch programs easily;
- iPAQ Image Zone: view images and create slide shows;
- iPAQ Wireless: for turning off/on Bluetooth and WiFi networking;
- Utilities: Self Test, iPAQ Audio, Power Status, LEAP, HP Enroll.
Use in the Real World
So, what's it like working with the iPAQ 4350? It's a very professional looking unit, with the two tone grey casing. It feels very light in the hand - actually lighter than the 2215, but as I mentioned before, that could be due to distribution of the weight. The screen is bright and clear, and its responsiveness is very good. You can use the cloth case provided by HP in your jacket pocket, but I'd quickly opt for another leather unit when it comes available.
When you insert the 4350 into its cradle, the back of the unit is not supported.
Figure 16: iPAQ 4350 in its cradle.
They seem to be depending upon a snug fit into the cradle base to hold the unit upright, so I'd be leary of using the unit in this position, for fear of snapping off the bottom connector.
The buttons configuration utility has been enhanced to allow you to change the assignments for all the hardware buttons. You can even create separate assignments for the FN key( on the keyboard)+ button combinations! (e.g. FN+Record button or FN+button 1, etc.) Configuring the settings for backlight and battery life are much simpler and straightforward than on the 2215.
Figure 17: Backlight settings screen.
Figure 18: Power settings screen.
The 4350 completes soft resets much faster than the 2215. In most cases, it was done after about five seconds. On my 2215, it takes almost twice as long (or longer, in some cases!)
Benchmark Results
OK, so how does the iPAQ 4350 REALLY compare to the other Pocket PCs out there? I ran a selection of the Spb Benchmark set, including those tests which I thought would be of most interest to the average user.
First off are the overall performance comparisons. Here are the Platform, Benchmark, and CPU indices.
Figure 19: Spb Platform Index.
Figure 20: Spb Benchmark Index.
Figure 21: Spb CPU Index.
As you can see, the 4350 acquits itself very nicely in comparison with the current 'powerhouses' in the Pocket PC world. The Benchmark test combines scores from all the tests completed to come up with a composite, so my test results against the 4150 may not be really fair. When I ran the ActiveSync test, I used a Bluetooth connection, rather than a cable. Here are the results:
Figure 22: Spb Activesync Test results.
Using the Bluetooth connection caused the 4350 to come out the worst of the bunch in this test, but I thought it might be fun to see how slow a Bluetooth Activesync connection really was compared to wired connections.
The battery on this unit is phenomenal -- especially when compared to the iPAQ 2200 series. As I mentioned before, it's a 1560 mAh unit, which is physically longer and slimmer than the unit in the 2215. According to the HP specs, you might be able to get as much as 17 hours with no backlight or WiFi. I'm not exactly sure, but my impression is that it's even better than the battery life I used to get with my Jornada 568!
Here are the results from the Spb Battery Tests:
Figure 23: Battery Test #1 - Maximum Backlight, Std. Usage.
I ran this same test for normal usage but with the backlight off. After 9hr 30 min, it still had over 30% left!!
Figure 24: Battery Test #2 - Max. Backlight, Bluetooth activated.
Note that the above test is with only the Bluetooth activated. No other applications were running.
Figure 25: Battery Test #3 - Max. Backlight, WiFi activated.
Interesting how much power the WiFi takes... I tried to get the Spb MP3 benchmark battery test to work, but it kept giving me failures. Maybe I didn't understand the setup instructions. I started getting Battery Low warning messages when the main battery reached 25%.
Gotchas
Well, much as I love this unit, there are a few wrinkles (aren't there always?)- Removing the battery is not sufficient for a full/hard reset. You need to follow the instructions provided in the Quick Start and/or User Guide;
- Keyboard keys are a little close together and a shift key is needed on the right side of the board;
- No CF card slot;
- Supplied cloth cover is bulky and cheap looking;
- Stylus is too thin and light to be comfortable - maybe something of thicker plastic, or maybe a light metal???;
- No Jog Dial -- I miss having an up/down volume control on the side of the unit.
Where to Buy
The HP iPAQ 4350 is available from Tek-N-Toys for about $507 USD [affiliate]. I'm sure there are numerous other sources as well.
Specifications
The full spec sheet for the iPAQ 4350 can be found here at the HP Web site, so I won't bore you with repeating the complete set. But here's a quick snapshot of the highlights under the covers:- Intel 400 Mhz processor;
- 64 Mb SDRAM (55 Mb user accessible, 2.8 Mb iPAQ File Store);
- 32 Mb Flash ROM;
- WLAN 802.11b, Bluetooth, IrDA;
- Transreflective 3.5 inch TFT display with LED backlight, 64K colours, 240 x 320;
- Integrated Keyboard with backlight, pen & touch interface;
- 5.4 x 2.9 x 0.6 inches (139 x 75 x 14.5 mm).
Conclusions
Is it a perfect match? No, but what is in this life, anyway? Do I want one? You bet! With the combination of a keyboard, WiFi and Bluetooth, this is one slick unit that provides maximum connectivity and communication. I'm very impressed with HP's approach to changing (evolving?) the form factor of the Pocket PC. Now if it just had that CF card slot....
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01-19-2004, 06:37 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 77
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Nice review, Don. I am considering getting the 4350 (amazon has it for $469 shipped here). I was concerned with the size and that it would be too tall for my needs. The lack of a CF slot isn't too much of a concern since it has both WiFi and BT built-in. I'll think about it some more, but your review is leaning me towards a purchase.
Brad
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01-19-2004, 06:52 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,202
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Thanks for the nice review. I've been considering the 4350 myself. I played with it a little at CompUSA a couple of weeks ago, but found I was getting two keys at time with my thumb quite a bit. Has anyone that owns the 4350 found that they can "train" themselves how to avoid this. Or is it simply too hard for those of us that are rather uncoordinated with big thumbs? :wink:
Also, I'm curious if there are keyboard shortcuts available for things like selecting an enter button, or making an on-screen choice? It seems a little counter-productive to have to stop keyboarding and grab the stylus to check a box or hit enter on the screen.
whydidnt
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01-19-2004, 07:28 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 400
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by whydidnt
Has anyone that owns the 4350 found that they can "train" themselves how to avoid this. Or is it simply too hard for those of us that are rather uncoordinated with big thumbs?
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Just like anything else, practice makes perfect. A few months ago we started using two-way pagers at work and I had the worst time typing on the tiny keyboard, now, I can write books without missing a beat! I even get the punctuation right! 
Cheers!
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01-19-2004, 07:34 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 81
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Re: Breaking the Mold: The HP iPAQ 4350
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Don Tolson
...but they have introduced the first Pocket PC with an integrated keyboard!
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Uhh, wasn't this released before the 4350?
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01-19-2004, 07:50 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Re: Breaking the Mold: The HP iPAQ 4350
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Originally Posted by Covert
Uhh, wasn't this released before the 4350? |
Well, you're right, but technically the Hitachi is a Pocket PC Phone Edition. :wink: This is the first "regular" Pocket PC with a keyboard.
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01-19-2004, 08:44 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 6
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by whydidnt
Also, I'm curious if there are keyboard shortcuts available for things like selecting an enter button, or making an on-screen choice? It seems a little counter-productive to have to stop keyboarding and grab the stylus to check a box or hit enter on the screen.
whydidnt
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I got a 4355 a little while ago, and its great for complete stylus free usage (within limits)
You can select programs by hitting the windows key and scrolling down to whatever application you want.
To hit the ok/ close button on an application you hit the Fn key + Return.
i have not however found a way to access file menu items (like create a new contact.
Also, when browsing webpages you can tab down to a hyperlink and hit Return to click that link.
Selecting text to copy is ok, no Fn + C, but you can hit the menu button (which acts like tap and hold) and select copy from the list.
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01-19-2004, 09:47 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,185
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by whydidnt
Thanks for the nice review. I've been considering the 4350 myself. I played with it a little at CompUSA a couple of weeks ago, but found I was getting two keys at time with my thumb quite a bit. Has anyone that owns the 4350 found that they can "train" themselves how to avoid this. Or is it simply too hard for those of us that are rather uncoordinated with big thumbs? :wink:
Also, I'm curious if there are keyboard shortcuts available for things like selecting an enter button, or making an on-screen choice? It seems a little counter-productive to have to stop keyboarding and grab the stylus to check a box or hit enter on the screen.
whydidnt
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I swapped back from a BlackBerry to my 4355. I can say that HP has a LONG way to go to understand how to maximize the keyboard as an input mechanism. One thing RIM understands very well is using a key for many different functions (example: in an email? Want to respond? Hit the "R" key and you're off. Same thing on the 435x requires context menu button and then "R." Not much of a difference, but in real world use it makes a big difference and is a common theme throughout the 435x.). I have fairly large hands and I found the keyboard on the 435x to actually be too far spread apart(vs the BB). It causes me to have to stretch at times and I could type about triple the speed I do on my 4355 now on my Blackberry (of course part of this has to do with the shortcuts built into the BB).
The good news on the 435x, and the reason I'll stay on it, is that the hardware is in place. HP only has to rev the software to maximize the keyboard. I'm hoping that HP will take the early feedback and release a ROM update that adds to the functionality of the keyboard. As it is now, I'm often required to take out the stylus to complete the work I would have otherwise done with keyboard alone on the BB. The other good news...It's an HP/PPC device and it does far more than any other device can do for you (my opinion), very well. The hardware is beautifully designed (though a scroll wheel would be nice). It has it's fair share of "problems" but nothing that makes me want to bounce it off the wall...to often. 
I highly recommend it as an excellent PPC. Best one of the half dozen I've owned. Svelte and powerful.
Nice review Don :way to go:
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01-20-2004, 02:53 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,398
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Great review, Don!
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01-20-2004, 03:18 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 51
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4355 Review but question
I have a Ipaq 4355 and enjoy it. I have used almost every Ipaq and this is the best of all. The only problem I have with Bluetooth connection to my SocketCommunications GPS. The connection intermittently drops so there is no constant contact with my GPS. In essence it doesn't work. The GPS works fine with my Ipaq 5555 bluetooth. Has anyone heard of this. HP sent me a replacement Ipaq but it does the same thing? :?:
Jerry
__________________
MCSE +Security*and IBM Advanced Cerified Systems Administrator HP Ipaq 2795, HP*Compaq 6715b Notebook, Socket Bluetooth GPS
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Linear Mode
