Big review of HTC P3300 (code name Artemis)

December 31, 2006 | Pavel Koza | format - Other (ar.) | viewed - 900x
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Big review of HTC P3300 (code name Artemis)

A small IT firm called High Tech Computer has grown to a giant manufacturer over the past few years, flooding the market with millions of pocket devices every year. As its sales grow, the company has been introducing an increasing number of different models to the detriment of competitors. Luckily, most of HTC devices are worthy your attention and show minimum teething problems. One of those cool gadgets is HTC P3300 (Artemis). Although it is not completely new to the market, it is definitely worth getting acquainted with. I would like to thank Sunnysoft, a mobile solutions company, for lending me a specimen for review purposes.

This review of HTC Artemis (code name) is the article about a device that HTC produces and sells under its own brand (as HTC P3300). The P3300 sticks to green as the main colour of its display themes and inscriptions on the box. If you don’t like green, you can buy Artemis from another vendor under a different brand. Just make sure what you are buying – there is a very similar device called HTC Hero, which is being sold e.g. as T-Mobile MDA Compact III, but this does not integrate a WiFi module.

NB: The tested device had a ROM version 1.12.405.1 WWE (ROM) / 2.67.90 (radio) / 1.12.405.9810 (ExtROM). A 2-GB microSD A-Data memory card was inserted, and the device was connected to Asus S6F PC. All parameters, benchmarks, applications, and screenshots herein pertain to that version of the system and may vary from other versions or configurations.

Contents of the box

A small white box with green and black inscriptions contains the device and a usual set of accessories:

HTC P3300
Battery
Stylus (2x)
Case
Stereo headset with plastic foam cushions
AC adapter
Synchronisation USB cable
CD-ROM (2x)
User manual
Quick-start guide and some other documents

The black case is quite plain. It consists of two pieces of leather joined together by four elastic straps to form a pouch. The rear part flips over the opening and attaches to the front with a magnetic buckle to protect the device against damage. In addition, there is a belt clip on the rear part. However, the case does not provide much protection in general: whereas the front panel including the display is sufficiently protected against damage, the side are left more vulnerable, albeit intentionally, with all the openings allowing easy access to various controls.

The stylus is 88 millimetres long, 3.5 millimetres thick, and weighs 3 grams. There are two of them included in the package. The stylus consists of several parts: the main, shiny part is made of some light metal, the tip and the top are plastic. It holds well but the grip would have been yet better if the main part were a little thicker.

The headset is the same as that bundled with the HTC TyTN that I reviewed just recently. It includes a pair of standard in-ear earphones, and a remote control knob with a microphone, an action button, volume slider, and a clip. Included is a pair of plastic-foam cushions for greater comfort. The most interesting element, though, is the connector, which is HTC’s proprietary extUSB solution that combines a miniUSB connector and a stereo connector for the headset. In other words, the USB synchronisation cable and the headset plugs into the same connector (not at the same time, of course:)

The AC adapter is compact with permanently attached cable with a miniUSB connector at the end. I did not use it very often because the device can charge over USB from the PC. The synchronisation cable is 120 centimetres long and bears a miniUSB connector on one end and a standard USB connector on the other.

The box includes also a brief quick-start guide as well as a detailed manual, two CD-ROMs with bonus applications, and a few leaflets and warranty information.

Design

The P3300 impressed me at first sight like none other Pocket PC long before. Its elegant, symmetrical design and rounded dark grey body with silver accents, compact size (4.25 x 2.28 x 0.63 inches | 108 x 58 x 16.8 millimetres) and light weight (4.59 oz |130 grams) follow the trend set some time ago by MDA Compact. The size makes it fit in any hand comfortably; the material of the shell is nice to feel. If you choose not to carry it in the case, you can easily drop it in the trousers pocket or the handbag. The device is assembled very well with no leeway between parts and appears quite sturdy. In short, a very nice piece pf hardware:)

For a better idea of the small size and weight, see table below for comparison with selected Pocket PCs.

Pocket PC	Dimensions (mm/in)	Weight (g/oz)
E-TEN M600	111,7 x 60,7 x 22 4.40 x 2.39 x 0.87	165 5.82
E-TEN Glofiish X500	113 x 59,5 x 15,5 4.45 x 2.34 x 0.61	146 5.15
HP iPAQ hw6915	118 x 71 x 18 4.65 x 2.80 x 0.71	178 6.28
HP iPAQ rw6815	102 x 58 x 19,5 4.02 x 2.28 x 0.77	149 5.26
HTC P3300 (HTC Artemis)	108 x 58 x 16,8 4.25 x 2.28 x 0.63	130 4.59
HTC P4350 (HTC Herald)	109 x 59 x 17 4.29 x 2.32 x 0.67	168 5.92
HTC TyTN (HTC Hermes)	112,5 x 58 x 22 4.41 x 2.28 x 0.87	149 5.26
Qtek 9100	109 x 58 x 23,7 4.29 x 2.28 x 0.91	160 5.64
T-Mobile MDA Compact	108 x 58 x 18 4.25 x 2.28 x 0.71	150 5.29

The front panel is not only rich with controls but also features a unique solution for one-handed operation, unparalleled in the world of Pocket PCs. But fist things first. The front panel is dominated by a display. Above it is a small phone speaker, neighbouring with two status LED indicators. The one on the left blinks with three different colours, depending on which modules are active: blue for Bluetooth, green for WiFi, and orange for GPS. The right-hand one blinks either orange or green and indicates activity of the GSM module and notifies of standard events (charging, appointments etc.). Below the display is a unique control called HTC RollR™, which is devoted a separate chapter below. On the sides of the HTC RollR™ are six white-backlit buttons. The inner ones have two functions, depending on which part of the button you press. The upper parts of the buttons serve as the left and right WM5 soft key, respectively, for easy control without tapping on the screen. The lower halves of the buttons function as system controls: Start and “OK”, respectively. The outside upper pair of buttons control the phone; the right-hand one with the red handset symbol will also return you to the Today screen from anywhere. The lower outer buttons can launch pre-defined applications. What is rather unusual is that you can assign any application or action not only to these two buttons but also to the "Start" and "OK" buttons. I was happy with the default settings but having a choice is definitely welcome. All the buttons are large enough and sufficiently sensitive, which adds to the overall good experience. All the buttons can be locked to prevent accidental operation.

The rear of the device is rather uninspiring, as usual. Most of it is occupied by the battery compartment door with a round mirror for self-portraits. The battery compartment includes also a SIM card slot and a microSD card slot. The solution is rather unusual, with the microSD card located under the SIM card, as you can seen in the photos. Above the door, in the middle horizontally, is camera lens. At the very top is a rubber plate for better stability of the device on a flat surface. Its right corner flips open to allow access to a connector for an external GPS antenna in situations when the integrated one is insufficient.

The sides are dominated by silver strips with buttons and other elements at their pointed ends. On the right-hand side, the upper tip is formed by the main switch, and lower one by a user-definable button preset as the camera shutter release. On the left-hand side is another user-definable button at the top, preset to launch sound recording, and a submerged soft reset button at the bottom. In between is a volume control. At the very bottom of the right side is an opening for the stylus.

The top and bottom sides are much less interesting. The top of the device is probably packed with antennas for all the wireless modules, so there are no controls or other elements there but for the system loudspeaker. On the bottom side is a lanyard hook, the special HTC ExtUSB connector (extended miniUSB connector for the headset, compatible with standard miniUSB cable), and a microphone pinhole.

HTC RollR™ - let’s roll!

HTC has been introducing one Pocket PC or Smartphone after another lately, each of them carrying some special innovations of traditional controls: the HTC TyTN had a scroll wheel on the side, the HTC S620 Excalibur smartphone (to be reviewed soon) features a control similar to a touchpad, and the HTC Artemis sports HTC RollR™.

HTC RollR™ combines two components: a rotating wheel or ring and a diminutive version of a trackball with elegant blue backlight. I always object to aggressive backlight but in this case, the light is nice and soft, glowing through the semi-transparent ball (the colour is sky blue, different from that in the photo). The ring allows easy scrolling between selection items, and changes resolution in the camera and navigation applications. It has 8 bumps for greater comfort – you will appreciate them especially when scrolling down long lists. The Artemis’ roller can do what the TyTN’s scroll wheel cannot – when you turn the ring fluently three times or so, the system will consider it as constant motion (as if you press and hold down cursor up or down). For instance, in the Contacts, you will start scrolling by first letters rather than item by item. This is invaluable for users with lots of contacts.

The other component of the HTC RollR™ is a miniature trackball capable of working in two modes. In one of them, the ball’s motion is interpreted as cursor up, down, etc. – the same way you use the usual four-directional control in other PDA’s. The other is Mouse Mode that activates by an application of the same name. A mouse pointer will appear on the screen and move smoothly in the direction you turn the trackball. In both modes, the ball can be pressed to confirm selection. The latter mode offers many possibilities – from comfortable one-handed operation (you can perform absolutely the same tasks as with the stylus) to smooth navigation around the map in any 3D GPS application.

How it works in real life? Please note that I used the Artemis for a little over a week, which may be insufficient for such a dramatic change in the way you control a device. I got used to the ring and ball in the standard mode easily. The system responded to a turn of the ring swiftly, and the whole system was in incredibly, whether I needed to find a contact, scroll the screen when reading a website or select from a list of any length. On the other hand, I found it rather difficult use the mouse mode with a pointer on the screen. Even though I tried hard, I always switched back to the standard mode. The trackball offers five levels of sensitivity but motion is not as smooth as it could be, perhaps due to the small size. I am not saying it is unusable but from my point of view, it is not exactly ideal. Overall, I regard the HTC RollR™ solution highly. The only area were it just does not work is games.

Parameters

Looking at the technical specifications of the HTC P3300, many will wonder whether a Texas Instruments is the right choice, after all those previous implementations in Pocket PC devices. All the other parameters are satisfactory if not better. Only the processor will reliably deter many a potential user. At the beginning I was not very happy about the choice of the processor, either, despite my good experience with the Qtek 9100 fitted with a recent ROM version. The week of testing the HTC Artemis persuaded me that there is no reason to fear this processor.

The Texas Instruments OMAP850 processor with a 201-MHz clock speed gained bad reputation when it was first implemented in the HTC Wizard. It was on the verge of usability, especially with early versions of the Windows Mobile 5 operating system, which drew due criticism at that time. The following months showed that the processor was not to blame on its own. Windows Mobile 5 introduced revolutionary changes in the way memory was used: the bulk of the workload shifted from a fast RAM to substantially slower FlashROM. Any mistake in optimisation caused a dramatic decrease in performance. After a few months, Microsoft fixed the most serious bugs and the Wizard became a fully functional and reasonably fast Pocket PC device. Unfortunately, the improvement gained much less media attention.

All right, why bother with old models? Well, the new device runs exactly the same processor. Some might therefore tend to condemn it just because of that. On the one hand, the TI OMAP850 is no sprinter, that’s indisputable, as confirmed by benchmarks. On the other hand, benchmark tests should not be seen in isolation but as a complex measure. The OMAP processor is theoretically four times slower than an XScale processor at 416 MHz. However, in real life, the processor needs to be fed with data from the memory, either RAM or FlashROM. In comparison e.g. with iPAQ rw6815, the test results are not much different. The overall performance depends on many subsystems. In reality, there are many Windows Mobile 5 devices (this applies to the latest version of the OS) with a few exceptions where there is virtually no difference in performance between a 200-MHz OMAP processor and a 400-MHz Samsung processor. I found the Artemis’ performance surprisingly good with no constraints even in demanding applications, such as navigation. For instance, I ran MP3 playback in the background and used the device for other tasks. Responses slowed down but not beyond what would be tolerable. Drop-outs in the playback were rare. There is an option to overclock the OMAP processor to 240 MHz, which will boost performance but at the expense of higher power consumption.

The memory includes a standard 128 MB of FlashROM and 64MB of RAM. In reality, there is much less available to the user: 26 MB of FlashROM and 27 MB of RAM. Unlike the processor, speed of the memory is about average (RAM read 3.15 MB/s, write 1 MB/s; FlashROM read 2.61 MB/s, write 980 KB/s). Those aren’t very impressive figures but the processor would probably not be able to handle a faster flow of data, anyhow. The contents of the memory can be completely wiped out using a utility called Clear Storage, which will sweep the memory absolutely clean:)

Speaking about performance, we must not forget the graphics. The HTC P3300 does not integrate an extremely powerful graphics chip (like the one in e.g. Dell Axim X50v), which – combined with the relatively weaker processor - means that video needs to be optimised for playback. A standard video playback test (640x480 pixels) using the TCPMP application resembled a fast presentation of photos with sound rather than a movie. The same video clip downscaled to 320x240 pixels played without any problems, only with slight jerkiness in dynamic scenes. As for games, action ones are out of the game because of the unusual controls and the rest do not need any special performance. Results of benchmark tests are as follows:

Spb Benchmark - 2672 points
GXmark - 1000 points
VSbenchmark 2006 - 584 points
Dynamix 3D Benchmark - 55,94 FPS
TCPMP - 44,68% (103% for playback of a video clip optimised for 320x240 pixels with 512 kbps bitrate for video and 128 kbps for audio)

The display is a standard one on paper. In reality, it is a very good one. The parameters: transflexive TFT technology, 2.8 inch diagonal (73 millimetre), support for 65 thousand colours, 240x320 pixels resolution, and a touch layer. The colour scheme is warm due to a pleasant, intensive backlight. The backlight can be adjusted at four levels, separately for battery operation and charging. Four backlight levels appear too few: at the highest level, the Artemis shines like a lantern whereas at the lowest level, the backlight is hardly noticeable (although it is still present). It is not a serious problem but e.g. the HTC TyTN offers eleven levels of backlight intensity, which is just enough. The backlight will dim after a pre-set period of inactivity but will not go off completely. The touch layer was sensitive just fine.

Lately, I have encountered a number of Pocket PC’s that had problems with sound. In device with an integrated cell phone, this could be a critical issue. This is not, however, the case of the HTC Artemis; on the contrary: it deserves praise in this respect. The audio equipment includes a standard suite of a phone speaker, system loudspeaker, microphone, and a headset output. The biggest problem of the recently reviewed HP iPAQ rw6815 was a lousy phone speaker. By contrast, the Artemis boasts at a least a class better one: the maximum volume is loud enough and the sound (voice) is perfectly clear and comprehendible even in a noisy environment, such as in the street or on the bus. The loudspeaker produces crisp sound and MP3 playback was an enjoyable experience. Again, the maximum volume is sufficiently loud, the sound is clear, free of any hiss or rattling typical for higher volume levels. This is particularly important for navigation and loud handsfree. As for the microphones, the device features automatic volume adjustment, so the quality of a recording from seven metres away is similar to that of a close-range recording at less than a metre (sample recording are available for download here [779KB]). However, I encountered two minor issues regarding the automatic volume control. First, a close-range recording appears a little overloaded. What shocked me was a total collapse of the automatic control when I uttered “Ř”, a consonant typical for Czech and some other languages. Sometimes, there was a dropout (as you can hear in this file Headset - Sluchatka.wav), sometimes the volume jumped. Anyhow, it behaved very strangely. The only workaround was to switch off the automatic volume adjustment.

The headset is the same as that bundled with the HTC TyTN. The connector, called ExtUSB, is proprietary and combines a standard data miniUSB connector and a stereo headset connector. This is why it is difficult to use a different pair of headphones than the supplied one. Reportedly, an adapter to a standard jack is available but I have bad experience with quality of such accessories. When listening over this headset, I was surprised by absence of any annoying noise. The frequency range is great, perhaps wider than usual in this category. Naturally, it cannot compare to quality headphones, such as Koss Porta Pro. In some situations, I would have loved to adjust the sound, e.g. to boost basses in a noisy environment. However, the Artemis does not have this feature – you need to use a third-party application with a built-in equaliser. Summing up on the audio capabilities, the Artemis surprised me nicely after rather negative experience with some other devices. There are a few areas for improvement but these are just minor issues as compared to other models.

The main communication interface is USB. Similar, to the iPAQ rw6815, the Artemis, too, supports two USB modes: "new" RNDIS and "old" USB Serial. Technical details are explained here. The main difference is that the “new” RNDIS mode (default setting) is much faster. Except for problem resolution, it is recommended to use the RNDIS mode. The Artemis does not feature an infrared port.

The Artemis communicates with the outer world primarily over Bluetooth version 2.0 but without EDR. Microsoft has eventually innovated its BT drivers to include a feature, which Widcomm applications had three years ago: file and folder sharing where you designate a root folder on one device to be accessed from the other device via Bluetooth to work with the files as if it were a local folder. I successfully tested this functionality between the Artemis and my laptop as well as another PDA that supports this technology, HTC P4350. Besides that, I performed a standard series of connectivity tests with excellent results in most cases. Two-way transfer of files between various Pocket PCs and Smartphones (HP iPAQ rw6815, HP iPAQ hw6915, Asus P525, FSC Pocket LOOX 810, and HTC S620 Excalibur) as well as between the Artemis and an Asus S6F laptop worked perfectly. Synchronisation with the laptop over ActiveSync worked at first attempt, too. The Artemis worked also with an external GPS NaviLock BT338, although this test was rather redundant due to the device’s integrated GPS receiver. Another successful test involved phone calls with a BT BlueTrek G2+ headset; I enjoyed MP3 playback with HP Bluetooth stereo headphones at a distance of 10 metres. I also tried to connect to a BT Access Point but the Artemis does not support the PAN profile. Out of curiosity, I SIMULTANEOUSLY ran ActiveSync to connect with the laptop, a navigation application with the external GPS, and listened to MP3 music using BT headphones. Guess what happened: Yes, everything worked! It was a heavy workload test that squeezed an absolute maximum from the Artemis; when it was calculating the route, the music became a little jerky, but overall, it could handle all the three tasks without any serious problems. And when I dialled my phone number from another phone, the Artemis started ringing and responded immediately when I accepted the call. Do you still believe the 200MHz OMAP processor is an unusable low performer? ;)

The TyTN integrates an IEEE 802.11b/g module (WiFi), which - in theory – supports transmission speed of up to 54 Mbps. The device supports WPA, WEP, TKIP, and LEAP. Just a few seconds after I activated the WiFi module, a log-in dialogue popped up and connected I was. I tested connection with my two access points (D-Link DSL-G684T and ASUS WL-566gM) and everything worked absolutely flawlessly. The latter AP was even configured for the new WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK mode, but worked like a charm. Depending on the strength of the signal, you can select from three output levels for the WiFi module, which enables you to save some battery power in places with good coverage. All settings are easily accessible in a simple and convenient configuration utility. I tried Skype (the latest version 2.2.0.18) over WiFi but the result was not satisfactory without overclocking the processor. I noticed that the Artemis was somewhat worse at catching signal than the HTC TyTN. Where the TyTN showed 4 points on the signal indicator, the Artemis did not reach more than 2 or 3. This was particularly noticeable when searching for available networks: the TyTN found access points that the Artemis did not detect at all.

The Artemis features an integrated FM tuner with RDS, which is quite uncommon in Windows Mobile devices. At first, I thought it was a “by-product” of a traffic messaging system receiver (TMC) that works with navigation applications to create an up-to-date traffic situational picture. However, it turned out that the FM radio is there just for its own value. In order to listen to the radio, you need to connect the headset whose cable serves as an antenna. The radio is controlled by a special application with a nice user interface. You can tune to stations either manually or automatically. Thanks to the RDS, most stations will display their name as well as the name of the song or other information. The application includes 20 slots for preset stations; the sound can be directed either to the headphones or the headphones and the loudspeaker simultaneously. The receiver is sensitive and allowed me to catch almost any station in an urban area with good quality. However, there is a catch. Whilst you can listen to MP3s in the background while working, this is impossible with the radio. Whenever the system is to notify you by some sound (e.g. when you tap the Start menu), the notification will sound INSTEAD of the radio, not OVER the radio: the sound of the radio will be muted, a WAV file assigned to the event will play, and the radio will come in again. This is extremely annoying because the radio gets interrupted every few seconds while you work. As a result, you will most likely turn the radio off.

The device is powered by a 1200-mAh Lithium-Ion battery. This is slightly weaker than average but due to the power-efficient OMAP processor, the Artemis proved capable of staying away from the mains outlet for a substantial period of time. In addition, when you want to conserve some more energy, you can send the device to the hibernation mode by a long press of the main switch. When I used the Artemis "normally", it lasted for more than two days. When I limited usage to phone calls and e-mail, it was even longer. It charges over a standard miniUSB port, so you can reacharge whenever you have access to a PC.

Standard test of common usage, maximum backlight – ended with an error
Video playback, maximum backlight - 5h 58min
MP3 playback, inactive display - 15h 11min
Active GPRS, maximum backlight, no workload - 9h 19min
Active Bluetooth, maximum backlight, no workload - 9h 16min
Active WiFi, maximum backlight, no workload - 2h 48min

NB:: It appeared that tests with active WiFi were not very realistic. As of now, I run PING to the default network gateway as part of the test. This places some workload on the processor and keeps WiFi transmission alive, with a dramatic impact on the test result.

HTC P3300 as a cell phone

The main and only difference between the Artemis and the HTC TyTN is absence of UMTS. Otherwise, the implementations are very similar, if not identical. The phone module is quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) with automatic switching between frequencies.

Let’s start with voice services.

Besides making phone calls, the Artemis offers a range of related features, such as second call, call redirect, blocking of certain types of calls, ID presentation/restriction (CLIP/CLIR), voice mail, as well as text messages (SMS) and multimedia messages (MMS). Text messages can be sent over GPRS data, if your mobile service provider supports this feature. Phone calls can be made the usual way with the device at the ear, with loud handsfree, using a wired headset or a Bluetooth headset. I tried all the options and encountered absolutely no problems with the volume or performance. The highest volume allowed me to make calls even in a noisy environment. I also appreciated swift responses of the phone application, from dialling to accepting an incoming call.

There were some problems with data services, though. The device supports EDGE/GPRS Class B, multi-slot class 10. Data transmission speed corresponded to the technology (lack of support for 3G networks is a fact you need to put up with). Nevertheless, the connection was not very reliable, especially in areas with fluctuating signal quality. Apart from the fact that I received a nonsensical error message about a failure to connect to a roaming partner’s data network (this was about 90 kilometres away from the closest roaming network), the connection sometimes dropped and would not restore. The worst affected was Push Email, which just stopped working in such an event. Sometimes, I had to close the phone module and initiate it again, sometimes it required a reset. The problem occurred about once a day, which is not a tragedy but I must report it;) And one last note: when GPRS/EDGE is not available, you can connect using good old CSD dial-up.

I successfully tried using the Artemis as a modem. It worked without any problems: the device needs to be switched to the modem mode using Internet Sharing and connect to a PC via the USB cable or Bluetooth. Both options worked perfectly and the connection was stable and fast (I let it run for about an hour and then terminated the test).

Besides the standard phone application, the Artemis ships with several bonus utilities, although it cannot compare to E-TENs in this respect. One of them is Internet sharing that helps connect another computer to the Internet. Another very useful utility is Smart Dialling for easier and more comfortable dialling. MIDlet Manager runs JAVA applets, and SIM Toolkit is there for GSM banking and other mobile applications (the only drawback is that it notifies of an incoming GSM banking message with a funny sound that cannot be changed). SIM Manager makes it easy to copy contacts between the SIM card and the phone’s memory. BT Remote SIM Access facilitates access to the contacts via Bluetooth e.g. when using a car hands free kit (I did not have an opportunity to try it). And finally, there is speech recognition utility called Voice Speed Dial.

Summing up on the cell phone, while I was enthusiastic about voice services, there is room for improvement in data transmission. Problems occur from time to time and should be fixed. Otherwise, I was absolutely satisfied and can declare the Artemis one of the best devices in this area I have ever reviewed.

HTC P3300 as GPS navigation

Besides the aforementioned modules, the Artemis integrates also a GPS satellite receiver. The manufacturer does not provide technical details. According to information available online, it is a 20-channel module with an integrated antenna and support for assisted GPS, which makes it possible to obtain information about satellites from the internet, e.g. via GPRS, to significantly speed up the initial positioning. This is done by the QuickGPS utility. Like all other Windows Mobile 5, the Artemis, too, offers virtualisation of the serial port for communication with the GPS to allow two or more applications to use positioning data simultaneously.

I tested the device with TomTom 6. Speed of initial positioning, sensitivity to signal as well as overall performance was excellent. I made several short trips and two longer journeys with the navigation and encountered no problems whatsoever. Problem with some GPS receivers is that they have a little delay: you have already arrived at the crossroads when the device announces it. I paid particular attention to this issue when driving myself as well as when I sat next to the driver and did not have to concentrate on driving, and the Artemis showed no such behaviour. It was also possible to accept a call when the navigation was running, which was an insurmountable problem for the HTC Wizard. Time on battery was also great: after about 2.5 hour’s drive, the Artemis indicated that the battery was more than half-full. For statistics and comparison purposes, I had TomTom 6 calculate a route across the whole Czech Republic all the way from the west to the east (from the town of As to Trinec) with highways excluded. It took exactly 38 seconds.

The HTC P3300 is available in two versions. The basic version is the one I reviewed, which is bundled with TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 including an offer to download a map of one city free of charge. The other, premium version, is bundled with full version of TomTom NAVIGATOR 6, complete maps of Western Europe and TomTom bonus applications on a DVD, plus a car holder and charger, a 512 MB microSD card, and an external GPS antenna.

HTC P3300 as a digital camera

The integrated digital camera is very similar to that implemented in the HTC TyTN, with two main differences. The Artemis lacks a flash and a macro mode. Otherwise, the capabilities are virtually identical, the application and philosophy of operation are the same as well. The chip is a 2-megapixel CMOS type with fixed focus (my guess – based on the tests – is that the minimum distance is around 50 centimetres). The maximum resolution for JPEG still images is 1600x1200 pixels (2 MPix), the maximum resolution for video in the MPEG4, Motion JPEG or 3GP (H.263) format is 176x144 pixels.

The camera application is highly sophisticated. It is fast and easy to control, with most options available on the main screen or just one or two taps away. The display is divided into three parts – upper and lower menu and middle part displaying the actual image. The upper menu includes icons for easy switching between shooting modes (standard photo, video, MMS video, contact portrait, picture theme, panoramic image, sports scene, and shooting of several images in quick succession), quick change of the resolution and default storage (device memory or memory card), and a figure stating the remaining number of images or length of video recording that can be saved in the specified storage space. In the central part of the screen, there are five crosshairs marking the AF range finder, and two buttons adjusting the digital zoom. This feature is rather useless because zoom is available only for the 640x480 pixel resolution. The bottom menu contains two system buttons on the left that invoke settings menu and launch media viewer, respectively. Further to the right is an exposure adjustment control (-2 to +2 EV), metering method toggle (multi-pattern/centre-weighted), white balance options, and self-timer (off, 2s, and 10s). The Camera application can also add effects (greyscale, negative...), set image quality (four degrees) etc.

What most competitors lack is choice between metering modes, a very useful feature for shooting different types of scene. Exposure can be determined either from the centre of the image (centre-weighted) or from the whole scene (multi-pattern). See examples below for the difference.

Now, let’s take a look what pictures the Artemis produces. Photos taken in good lighting conditions are surprisingly good, snaps take in darker environment are not bad, either. The photos below have been scaled down and slightly sharpened (because the publishing system does not support larger images for the time being). No other enhancements have been applied. As usual, you can download full-size images here [10275KB]. Three sample videos are available for download here [991KB].

Overall, the Artemis’ camera is quite a good one. It produces better than average photos, the camera application is fast and stable. In other words, everything works the way it should. The application takes around 5 seconds to launch, shooting and saving a photo in the highest quality and resolution does not take more than 3 seconds! The results cannot compare to an SLR camera, obviously, but are very good for this type of device.

Expandability

Possibilities for expansion of the device’s capabilities are the same as those of the HTC TyTN, i.e. severely limited. This is mainly due to the microSD slot, which will contain only a memory card. I tried a 2 GB card from A-data (the largest available at the moment) which worked with the Artemis perfectly. Some accessories could be connected over Bluetooth but that’s about it.

Software

The HTC P3300 ships with pre-installed Windows Mobile 5 Phone Edition including the AKU3 service pack. That means it offers not only the standard suite of applications, such as mobile Office and mobile Windows Media Player, but also some extensions, including Microsoft DirectPush for permanent connection to a Microsoft Exchange Server, and improved Internet Sharing that makes it possible to use the device as a modem.

Besides the standard software package, the Artemis carries several third-party applications, some of which we have mentioned above. In comparison with other Pocket PCs from HTC, there are fewer, though. Besides all the aforementioned applications and applets, I should mention ClearVue PDF, a simple PDF document viewer. It is small in size and fast but if you work with PDF files on a regular basis, you’d better download an original viewer from Adobe: ClearVue PDF had problems opening many of my PDF files.

Another bundled utility called shortly ZIP offers much better functionality. It can open as well as create new ZIP archives, add files to existing archives, and send an archive by e-mail.

The last pre-installed application is HTC Home Plug, which is a simple module for the Today screen with no configuration options. It provides quick access to selected settings applets, such as backlight, communication modules manager etc.

One of the bundled CD-ROMs contains standard applications from Microsoft, including ActiveSync version 4.2 and Microsoft Outlook 2002. The other CD-ROM carries two interesting utilities. One of them is Spb GPRS Monitor, which monitors the volume of data transmitted. The other is Sprite Backup which helps you protect your data.

Pricing

Before you buy the Artemis, make sure you are really buying HTC Artemis and not the same-looking HTC Hero, which lacks a WiFi module! HTC Hero is available mainly from T-Mobile, which does not seem to be an eager supporter of WiFi. As I mentioned earlier, the P3300 is available in two versions, (basic and Premium). The basic one costs around $600 USD, the Premium version is around $950. It is a considerable amount but you are getting good value for the money.

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Impressions, Benchmarks & Tests

In most cases, I evaluated and commented on individual features in the respective chapters. Here is a summary and a large photo gallery comparing the Artemis with other devices. In general, when I look back at the time spent with the Artemis, I can see an excellent device with two controversial features.

One of them is computing power. Before you read the following comments, I should assure you that I am not on Texas Instruments’ payroll. The TI OMAP 850 is undoubtedly a slow processor. However, it is perfectly sufficient for everyday needs in most cases, thanks to well-tuned latest versions of the system in combination with the different philosophy of the Windows Mobile 5 operating system (importance of slow FlashROM etc.). I was worried about the performance at the beginning but the Artemis proved them unfounded. If someone still wants to avoid an OMAP processor in favour of an Intel or Samsung because of the feeling or a real need for better performance – the choice is his. However, if you hesitate, I would recommend that you visit a retail outlet and try it out in real life before making a decision.

The other slightly questionable feature is the new combined control element called HTC RollR™. I got used to it pretty quickly, as it is more convenient for some tasks than the usual navigation buttons. On the other hand, a petite trackball with a pointer on the screen did not appear to me as the right way to control a PDA. Again, this is my impression. Just try it out before you decided to buy, if you can.

All the other features are "traditional" and well implemented in most cases: a perfect phone module whose only problem is occasional loss of data connection, an excellent display, a highly sensitive GPS receiver, small size, and nice design. On the other hand, there is nothing like an absolutely perfect device. Fortunately, none of the issues were as serious as to annoy me excessively or hamper my work. (Perhaps the most serious annoyance was reboots due to the troubles with data transmission over the phone. Other users may see it differently, though, depending on individual usage pattern.) Considered the ROM was an early version (and HTC has a good track record of fixing bugs in its devices), the HTC Artemis is a really praiseworthy product.