Big review of HP iPAQ rw6815 Personal Messenger

January 6, 2007 | Pavel Koza | format - Other (ar.) | viewed - 719x
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Big review of HP iPAQ rw6815 Personal Messenger

It may be just my impression, but Hewlett-Packard used to be more fertile in the area of Pocket PC devices in past. During the last year or two it has not been such an innovator as it used to be in past years. Therefore, the fans of this brand will be even more pleased that the company has saved a few surprises for the end of 2006. You can therefore choose between the Pocket PC with integrated GPS and huge memory HP iPAQ 5000 series, cheap multimedia Pocket PC HP iPAQ type rx4000 or a small Pocket PC with integrated telephone module that is called HP iPAQ rw6815. And the last device mentioned is the subject of this detailed review.

Two things to start off with. At first I would like to draw your attention to the fact that due to increased activity amongst PDA producers, I have had to increase my output a bit. Therefore, a standard review takes 14 days now: during the first week, the device is tested (output, battery durability etc.), while in the second week, the device is used intensely in both everyday routine and special operation tasks while the review is being written. I will do my best to achieve maximum accuracy and detail, but I will be glad anyway if you would let me know (in the discussion) whether this is noticeable. And the second thing: I would like to thank Sunnysoft, which lent the device to me for the purpose of this review and which also sells this product.

Note: The device had a pre-installed a WWE 1.10.04 system, which was the most up-to-date version at the time this review was written. All the parameters, benchmarks, applications and screenshots reflect the condition of the device with this version of the system. Other versions could give different results.

What is inside the box?

The HP iPAQ rw6815 comes in a very sizable box, in which not only the device but also several accessories are packed neatly. Specifically, they are:

HP iPAQ rw6815 Personal Messenger
Battery
Stylus
Protecting cover
Stereo earphones with microphone
Electrical power unit with three pairs of changeable socket adaptors
Synchronizing USB cable
CD-ROM with applications
Several points that can be used when shopping in the online shop iPAQ Choice
User manual
A few other papers...

The device is just being tested, so we will leave it aside for a while and we will deal with the other things. The packaging contains only one classic stylus. It is made of some kind of opaque-shiny metal, one end (nib) is plastic, the other is metal (shiny). It’s 87 millimeters long, 3.3 millimeters thick and weighs 5 grams. It is quite thin when compared to most other styluses; however, it can be used without difficulty.

The cover in the package fits into the category of covers that provide maximum access to the control elements, but minimal protection against damage. The cover is all black, made partly of nylon and partly of leather/leather fabric. The two main sections are stitched together with four elastic stripes of cloth so that they make a kind of a pocket that the device may be tucked into. A clasp on the rear of the cover is then bent over the hole through which the device is inserted in and attaches to the front of the cover by means of an invisible magnetic “snap”. The cover may be also attached to a belt thanks to a clip located on the rear part of the cover.

The regular earphones with a small gold-covered connector (2.5 millimeters) do not exceed common standards. They consist of a pair of ear-plug reproductors, a clip for attaching the cable to clothes, a small silver “egg” with microphone, volume controller and a button for receiving/completing a call and a button for activating the application for language identification. The sound qualities will be discussed later.

The charger is undoubtedly practical. Firstly, it is very small in size (75 x 45 x 31 milimeters), and moreover is composed of three detachable parts – body, socket adaptor (the package contains three different types: Europe, UK and USA) and USB cable. The cable, which is 115 centimeters long, has a classic USB connector for attachment to a computer on one side and a mini-USB connector for attaching the cable to the pocket device on the other. As a bonus, a small strap of Velcro is fitted on one end of the cable to allow quick packing during travel.

At the end, we have some pieces of literature and one CD. It contains a few standard applications for Microsoft and several bonus applications. And thus our excursion has ended.

Design

The HP iPAQ rw6815 Personal Messenger device is small. The HP iPAQ rw6815 Personal Messenger device is VERY small. I hope I’m not mistaken, but in my opinion this device is the smallest amongst pocket computers with Windows Mobile manufactured by Hewlett-Packard that has ever reached the market. And when compared to several PDA’s that I have at home on my table I dare say that it is one of the smallest Pocket PCs ever. At first sight, apart from the compact look and boring silver colour, you may also notice a flap that protects the display from dirt during normal usage. HP has doubtlessly fallen in love with this feature and I am not surprised at that – if the device is used as a phone as well it is a very practical thing indeed. Moreover, it is an easily detachable practical thing, because the flip may be removed by a single quick maneuver.

The asymmetric body of the device that is distinguished by a neat and oval shape does fit in hand smoothly due to its physical parameters (4.02 x 2.28 x 0.77 inches | 102 x 58 x 19.5 millimeters and 5.26 ounces | 149 grams including flap, mini-SD and SIM card). However, the overall impression is a bit spoiled by the cheap-looking silver plastic and the imprecise fitting of the device’s parts, especially on the back of the iPAQ. It could be only an individual defect, because the second iPAQ was okay, but I will not restore to anticipation and will rather go on with describing the device that lies on my table right now.

To enable a better understanding of how small this iPAQ is, here is a table comparing several popular Pocket PC devices.

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 part of the device offers many interesting features. The display (20) dominates the area, covering about 60 percent of the total surface. Above the display, apart from the HP and iPAQ logos, an integrated loudspeaker for making phone calls (3) with a pair of LED’s on the sides can be found. The left LED (2) displays the status of the Bluetooth or WiFi module, while the right LED (4) offers standard services such as displaying a charging or meeting alert, as well as the status of the GSM module. Below the display, in the centre, there is a four-course control with a separate central button (15) that could handle oblique movements as well during most tested games (the only exception being Z-Raid). However, both the shape and the overall construction do not exactly favour convenient game playing. Controlling is imprecise, and the middle button gets in the way all the time; simply said, it did not fit into my hand at all. On both sides of the control there are two pairs of system buttons that make logical pairs. Both upper buttons (19, 10) serve as standard WM5 softkeys, while both lower buttons (18, 12) serve to control the telephone module. The button with the red phone (12) will lock the device when it is pressed for more than 3 seconds. The last interesting item on the front side is a pair of stereo loudspeakers (11). And yes, they really are stereo :).

When the device is turned over, we can examine the rear side. In contrast to the front, the back is not equipped with many interesting items. Apart from a standard combination used for mobile integrated cameras, there is a camera lens (1), a pair of supplementary lighting LED’s (3) and a mini-mirror for taking pictures of oneself (2), while the largest area is devoted to a door that covers a huge battery. After the battery is taken out, the SIM card slot appears.

Neither of the sides offer much to look at. On the left side, the iPAQ has only a pair of buttons for volume control (21, 22), whereas the lower one (21), when pressed for a longer time, activates the application for language identification. Given my experience with HTC TyTN, I was tempted many times to look for the wheel control, or at least any button controlling the upward and downward movement. Unfortunately, neither of the variants is offered with this device. On the right side, an infrared port sensor (7) can be found, together with two buttons – the first activates sound recording (8), the second activates (9) and also partly controls the integrated digital camera. And just to be precise, I have to add that there is a hole for the stylus at the very top (6).

Whereas on the upper edge there is only a slot for inserting the mini-SD card (1) and a switch for switching the device on/off (5), there are more items on the lower edge. In particular, there is a small switch for carrying out the software reset (17), a standard mini-USB connector (16) for attaching a synchronization cable or a charger, a small stereo connector for attaching the earphones (15) and a small hole for a microphone (14).

Parameters

There is no point in trying to hide it – the iPAQ rw6815 is no great PDA equipped with the most modern technical equipment and offering maximal output or possibilities. It is more a device falling into the category of "for everyone“, which does not offend a more demanding user and does not disappoint a more modest one. It is true that HP has got us used to a more sophisticated approach; usually, there were more model series available and the best model was usually aspiring for an imaginary first place, but there is nothing we can do – it is a fact. The device marked as rw6800 offers only one model series, where the biggest difference between models is the presence/absence of WiFi, or an integrated FM radio (rw6818 a rw6828). But let’s keep to the proper order.

The Intel® PXA272 processor with a set frequency of 416 MHz is the heart of the device. It is a pleasant change to the proliferation of Samsung processors and, moreover, when the device is compared to two devices with Samsung processors working on the same frequency of 400 MHz (HTC TyTN and E-TEN M600+), the iPAQ wins quite unambiguously.

On the other hand, the processor also demands more energy, so that with a maximum load, the battery does not last for as long as with devices equipped with a Samsung processor. In practice, the output of the device was completely sufficient and during testing use, I encountered only a minimal amount of situations that the iPAQ was not able to cope with. Also my impressions from working with the device (starting the programs, switching among the bookmarks in Setting etc.) were very pleasant.

For users, the most common combination of 64 MB standard SDRAM for running applications and a 128 MB FlashROM for saving both data and programs has been made available. As well as with all other devices with Windows Mobile, the space that is really available is a bit smaller, even then 114 MB FlashROM is an impressive number; after the HW is reset, there is only 34MB of RAM available. Therefore, a memory card will be most probably a necessity for most users. According to the benchmarks, both memory types are very quick. When working with large files (1MB), SDRAM offers great reading and recording speeds (18 MB/s and 1.7 MB/s, respectively), values which are much higher when compared to the pair of devices discussed above. On the contrary, when working with many small files, (100 x 10 KB) the performance of the iPAQ is not as great, even when the difference is not striking. The same results were obtained with the FlashROM – great when working with large files (reading 18 MB/s, recording 1.4 MB/s), and a worse result with many smaller files. On the whole, the memories used may be considered above average and the overall output very good. Just a comment – a software reset of the device takes 42 seconds.

When talking about the performance, we should mention the performance of graphics as well. In total, I tested 4 utilities for identifying the performance of graphics; the results can be seen on the list below. The results show that the HP iPAQ rw6815 device may be ranked amongst the most powerful Pocket PC’s on the market as far as graphics are concerned. The graphics performance may be appreciated when playing games or watching films. There were no problems with the games at all, but I encountered some minor deficiencies when I was watching films. When I was playing non-optimized films (a sample in resolution 640x480 pixels) the slow-down was most apparent with action scenes. The result of 95.15% in the benchmark of the TCPMP program speaks for itself. Due to problems with the memory card (see below), I tried to record the testing file directly onto the FlashROM and play it from there. And immediately the playback was almost perfectly smooth and the benchmark results were much better (120%). However, considering the fact that if you want to play anything longer than an eight-minute TV bedtime story you will not be able to store it anywhere else than on a card, the only solution to this problem is an optimization to a resolution of 320x240. If you do not overload the data flow (otherwise a problem with slow reading from the card may appear), watching the film may be a pleasant way how to spend one’s time. As far as I am concerned, I watched a few parts of my favourite series “Grey´s Anatomy” and it was pleasant viewing.

Spb Benchmark - 4156 points
GXmark - 1911 points
VSbenchmark 2006 - 770 points
Dynamix 3D Benchmark - 64,96 FPS
TCPMP - 95.15% (120% when playing from the device memory)

The display of the device has left contradictory impressions in me. At first sight, the display with a diagonal measurement of 2.7 inches (68 mm) and a resolution of 240x320 pixels looks excellent and offers some very interesting and convenient features. The first of them is an 18-bit colour depth. In other words, the display is able to display up to 262 thousand different colours. Unfortunately, we cannot appreciate it at the moment because Windows Mobile 5 can only handle 16-bit colour depth, but nevertheless, it is an advantage. Another positive feature is a backlight that is very intense, and although it is shaded into warm colours (and white is a kind of yellow), I liked it. It is possible to set up to ten separate levels for both charging and battery operation, but any automatic setting is completely missing. On the other hand, the display also has a few unpleasant properties that are not crucial, but do tarnish the overall view. The first thing is the type of display, which may be crucial to some people. Instead of the common type of transflexive display, this device uses transmissive display. The main difference lies in the fact that whereas the transflexive type can also use ambient light for backlight, the transmissive display cannot do without the backlight. This means, among other things, that during the day when you are outside you have to switch the backlight to at least 50%, otherwise you will not be able to see anything on the display. This, unfortunately, greatly affects the durability of the battery. The second problem is the touch screen. It is sensitive, but in a way, it is much too sensitive. It commonly occurred that it converted a single click into a double one, e.g. turning two pages instead of one in Pocket IE. This happens so often that it really is very unpleasant (for the picky ones: I WAS sober during the testing :) ). And I don’t even want to mention the fact that when I tap on the right half of the screen, the picture on the very side of the display distinctively wobbles. The last inconvenience, concerning the touch screen only indirectly, was that the display frame was too high. If I controlled the device with only a finger (it’s a phone, don’t forget), it was sometimes very hard to access the corners of the screen. Overall, the display is nice, but some minor inconveniences drag it – needlessly – down to average.

If this device really has a weak spot, it is sound. Everything looks great on paper (the iPAQ offers phone loudspeaker, system stereo speaker, microphone and common small stereo-connector for attaching headphones to the microphone), but as far as usage is concerned, the situation is far from being perfect. I will discuss the loudspeaker in the next chapter in detail, but I can reveal right now that the main problem of this unit is “insufficient volume level”. Problems with volume levels, however, may also be found in other units, e.g. in the system stereo loudspeaker. It really is a pair of loudspeakers that are able to play left and right sound channels independently, but the quality is only average and the loudspeaker makes an unpleasant noise when in operation. And even when all values are set to maximum, the volume level is very weak and it causes problems if you are anywhere else than at home. The sound recorder makes the situation look a bit brighter, although it is not perfect, either. Direct recording is the best, but with increasing distance, the quality goes down. An automatic regulation of microphone sensitivity is a good thing, but I personally found the recording a bit overdriven. Therefore, if recording is important for you, you will have to try manual setting. As usually, the proof can be downloaded here [155KB]. The last thing on our list is the earphones. And, again, this story will not be funny. At first: as well as with the loudspeaker, it makes an unpleasant noise. You simply attach the earphones, put the ends into your ears, and …… you are at sea. Sometimes, the noise stops, but it is back in a few seconds. It is possible that this problem is connected to a graphic equalizer that can “improve” the sound played in the earphones in 16 levels for each of the three regimes (bass enhancer, heights enhancer, and extending 3D space) that cannot be switched off. The problem could also be connected to the frequency of the last tone played, I don’t know. On the whole, the impression is rather bad. Contrary to the loudspeaker, it is a loud impression, but a bad one nevertheless…

The HP iPAQ rw6815 device is a communicator, which means that (apart from other functions) it can handle data transmission via many different channels, be it wirelessly or via cables. The basic function is – of course – USB via cable. At first I have to say that after a VERY long time, we finally have an iPAQ that does not use a special connector. The iPAQ rw6815 has a standard mini-USB connector. But this is not all that is worth your attention, as far as USB is concerned. Under settings, two communication modes can be chosen - RNDIS and USB Serial. The new one (RNDIS) was born together with the first devices equipped with Windows Mobile 5 that were able to communicate via ActiveSync 4.x only. However, unlike the old one (USB Serial), the new one has been causing many problems, especially in connection to various firewalls and other protective programs that are usually installed on desktop computers. That is the main reason why iPAQ offers a possibility to switch between them. If you think that it does not matter which of them you choose, I have to say that it is not the case. There is a difference in speed of data transmission. According to the benchmarks, the new way (RNDIS) offers a performance that is about 30% quicker than the old one (USB Serial). Therefore, using the old way of communication is really only suitable if you have a connectivity problem (I personally, for example, couldn’t run Pocket Controller - a utility for screenshot making - via USB). I mustn’t forget about the increasingly rare infrared port with a standard rate of 115.2kbps, which can be used to connect a notebook to the Internet or to transfer a file between two computers, should there be no other option.

As well as most of these devices, the iPAQ offers a special utility for managing all the main wireless modules, in this case Bluetooth, WiFi and phone. The application consists of a screen module, ‘Today’, and a main area where the status of the module (switch on/off) and its setting can be changed quickly. We will talk later abut the phone, but now let’s have a look at the Bluetooth module version 1.2. And there is another surprise here – in this device, Bluetooth is controlled by an original Microsoft controller, so if you expected a Broadcomm controller, you will be disappointed. Much has been written about the possibilities and performance of Microsoft controllers as far as user comfort is concerned. It is definitely a step back. Anyway, let’s move on to the practical side of things. The transmission of files worked well, both with other Pocket PC or Smartphones (HP iPAQ hw6915, HTC P3300 (Artemis), MDA Compact and HTC S620 Excalibur), and with my notebook Asus S6F. With the same notebook, I tested ActiveSync via Bluetooth and it worked well on the first attempt. Wireless sound transmission worked really well with both with a “torn headphone” Jabra BT-200 and with stereo headphones from HP. In both cases, the result was better than when the sound was transmitted by a cable (!!!). When the line of sight was direct, it worked even from a distance of 10 meters and the quality (especially the distance from random noise) was incomparable to wired headphones. I also tried listening to music while synchronising (both via Bluetooth), and apart from a minor problem when the connection was being made and a lower output, everything went really well. I did not forget to test BT GPS, either, and in this case, everything went well, too. In short: If we accept the fact that Microsoft applications are a bit more poorly equipped (e.g. PAN profile cannot be found here, the HP iPAQ hw6915 has 14 Bluetooth profiles whereas this iPAQ has only 8), we cannot have any objections against their functioning in iPAQ.

Apart from Bluetooth, the iPAQ rw6815 also offers WiFi. Again, not the latest version, but only the “B grade” variant, which is able to function at a maximum rate of 11Mbps. However, with pocket PC’s, this should not be a problem apart from some rare exceptions. The WLAN module in iPAQ can handle basic authorization and encrypting (WPA, WPA-PSK, WEP and TKIP), and although it does not directly support the new standard of WPA2 and WPA2-PSK, it can function with this kind of AP (at least on my ASUS WL-566gM, there is a shared mode WPA/WPA2 and WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK). Apart from this, the configuration utility also offers an economical mode for prolonged battery durability and an option to change the transmitter output (50 or 100%). However, the receptivity is not very good even when the device is set to full output. According to both the signal strength index and practical experience, it is much worse than with the HP iPAQ hw6915 - when the HP iPAQ hw6915 showed -45dB in its internal program, the iPAQ rw6815 showed -63dB. This is quite a considerable difference, which can be noticed quite clearly, especially in areas with poor coverage. To finish our talk on WiFi, there is just one more interesting thing – if you connect the device to a desktop computer, via a USB cable or Bluetooth, WiFi not only switches off, but completely “disappears” :) I was a bit scared at first, but you don’t need to be – after the device is disconnected, WiFi appears again.

I kept the features connected to battery and charging for the last part of my review. The device contains a Li-Pol battery with a capacity of 1530mAh, weighing 33 grams (I have new kitchen scales, so I weigh everything that even remotely warrants it :) ), which, in reality, can supply power to the iPAQ from the morning of one day until the evening of the second day at best. But this timescale is really tight, and if you happen to have more calls, you can be without the use of the phone at 3 in the afternoon. Due to an annoying weak battery alert, that appears when there is less than 50% charge left (!!!), it is probable that you will be charging the device either every day or continually e.g. from the USB port of a computer. An option to switch USB charging off is a little interesting, as then the device can be charged in a charger only. Synthetic durability tests have shown the following results that rank the iPAQ somewhere in the middle of devices with an integrated phone. And there is one more inconvenience: if you completely discharge the device and it switches off automatically, it is necessary to remove the battery for a while and then put it in again; otherwise, the device won’t start. I was a bit surprised by this even some time ago, when I saw the pre-production unit, and with the final product, the situation is the same. I don’t know whether there is any sense in it, but it bothered me.

Standard test of common usage, max. backlight - 5h 33min
Video playback, max. backlight - 7h 08min
MP3 playback, display switched off - 14h 17min
GPRS switched on, max. backlight, without load - 11h 23min
Bluetooth switched on, max. backlight, without load - 11h 20min
WiFi switched on, max. backlight, without load - 4h 00min

Note: Due to an error in the Spb Benchmark, during the standard testing, the device was loaded maximally during the whole period of testing with a large Word document open. Therefore, the results must be taken with reservations – this is not how the standard usage of a PDA looks.

The device as a phone

Even when each of you can use the device as you want, the primary task of this device is its usage as a mobile phone and data communicator. From the technology point of view, it is a three band GSM / GPRS / EDGE module able to work on frequencies of 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz. Because the device does not bring anything new in any of these areas, this list of features will be a bit boring. The phone can handle standard services such as receiving, diverting or holding a call, blocking of certain calls, displaying or hiding the number and – last but not least – voice mail and text messages – standard SMS, multimedia SMS and Cell Broadcasting. You can use WAV files as a ringing tine, but if you do not want the phone to be heard, you can use the vibrating ring tone option.

That was theory; now let’s turn to practice. Control of the phone module is standard; there is not much that can be said about it. Equally average, maybe a little bit below average, is the reaction time of the control elements and the speed of the phone module in general.

When I make a trial call from a separate phone to the iPAQ, it takes about 3-6 seconds from the first tone in the earphone of the phone I’m calling from before the iPAQ notices and starts ringing. If I don’t want to take the call, after pressing the button with the red phone it again takes 2-4 seconds until the phone stops ringing and the call is declined. And even when I take the call, again, there is a distinct pause before I can start talking, during which the other side can’t hear me at all. However, what I disliked most about the iPAQ was the absolutely insufficient volume of not only the earphone, but also the output into the earphones. On a bus or in a tram, you have no chance of understanding anything, and even if you manage to catch something, it is still problematic to hold a conversation. Phoning with a headset is probably the best alternative, but this may not suit everyone. In all, the iPAQ as a phone walks with a gimp in both legs, and even if this situation could be resolved by a firmware upgrade, it is already quite late for that... Really, sometimes I get the impression that the first real user of the device is the first customer that buys it….Oh God…

The data field is not very impressive, either. GPRS / EDGE should be a standard inclusion at the end of 2006, so there is nothing to cheer about here. The packet module EGPRS Class B / Multi-slot class 10 offers up to 5 timeslots that can be used simultaneously. The user can choose from two variants - 4+1 (4 receiving channels and one sending channel) or 3+2. In cases of necessity, it is also possible to use a classic dial-up connection with a speed of 9.6kbps. I was using the device all the time for working with mails, so from the point of view of communication of the device itself, the data services (unlike the voice ones) work very well and without serious errors. Within the scope of the review, I also tried connecting a notebook to the iPAQ using a utility Modem Link. For the connection to work, it is necessary to use a controller, which can be found on the CD enclosed. After the modem is installed, it is necessary to create a new connection, set it up properly and then connect it. I do not have much to say about the connection itself, it was stable, and in the testing operation it reached a rate of about 17KB/s, which is about 135kbps. Equally pleasing is the information on connection via Bluetooth, after the devices were paired and the connection was configured for using the modem, everything went smoothly. I have even reached a speed of 19KB/s (150kbps). The only thing that caused a slight inconvenience was a new feature of Windows Mobile 5 with AKU2 - Direct Push Email. When it was active, I couldn’t make a connection because ActiveSync and the remote computer were competing over the GSM module. Only when I switched off Push Email manually did the connection work without any problems. However, this is not so much a problem of HP, but rather of Microsoft.

Apart from standard applications for phoning, the device also contains some bonus applications. Apart from the Modem Link that I have mentioned already, there is a useful tool for quick configuration of data services called Auto Configurator. You simply choose a suitable operator and a tariff, (the program usually presets the right one according to your SIM card) and then you just wait for a few moments until the operation is completed. Other useful applications are: simple utility SIM Contacts that can perform one task only – copy the contacts from the card to the internal contacts database, Esmertec Java for playback of Java MIDlets and SIM toolkit is useful, for example, for accessing your bank account via a mobile phone. There are no other applications for using the phone, really, this device is not E-TEN.

What to add about the functions of the phone? To cut to the chase, it is quite a disappointment. According to the documentation, this device should be a very successful mobile phone with small dimensions. The reality, however, is a bit different. The small dimensions are great, but if the device does not work as it should, properties of this kind are not important. What holds the phone back especially is insufficient volume level of both its integrated loudspeaker and headphone output, but this is almost matched by the slow responses of the phone and some other problems (it happened to me twice that the loudspeaker started to chatter loudly after a few seconds into a call, and the only thing that helped was a restart, else it was not possible to accept an incoming call etc.). Similarly, as with other problematic features of the iPAQ, these problems could be solved by a new version of firmware, but…I have already said that.

The device as a camera

Beginning with this review, the chapter assessing the performance of the camera will be ordered a bit differently. Simply said, what are great parameters in the documentation, high resolution or a sophisticated and quick application for controlling the camera for, when all the photos look like they had been swallowed and digested by a herbivore...? Yes, they are for nothing. Therefore, from now on, this chapter will begin with a presentation of how the device can take pictures and what we may expect. This will be followed by other properties for those that are interested. Before we start, I just want to say that all the photos were processed by an automatic filter for correction of colours and contrast in Adobe Photoshop. If you want to see the real and unreduced original, you can download this complete set of photos [29301KB].

In the first set of photos, you can see pictures that were taken in good weather conditions and I think that we all can agree that they don’t look bad at all. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is the absence of any exposure time calculation other than on the basis of area (for example, as the HTC TyTN), because taking pictures in some situations becomes almost impossible. It is possible to set the exposure compensation, (-3 to +3 EV), but this does not help much. What I personally expect from a simple camera is complete automatic functioning – if I wanted to mess around with the settings each time I wanted to take a picture, I would buy a reflex camera.

When the lighting conditions become worse, the quality goes down as well. These pictures were taken in the mountains with an overcast sky, sometimes under trees, and this has affected the results quite a bit. The effort to reach as if higher ISO has not really come out well.

The third group consists of detailed pictures, from texts to cars. Especially with some plates and signs, the problem with the exposure calculation becomes evident. The photographed object is displayed darker than it really was. This can be improved a bit by exposure compensation, but it does not help much. If you miss the picture of a written text (a page from a magazine, bus schedule…), the explanation is simple. Due to a fixed focus on a distance of 1.8 meters, all texts in small letters become illegible...

The last thing is the two video presentations [420KB]. No one expects high quality in this case; there is no point in using this feature apart for capturing some really extraordinary moments. And this concludes the part of our review dealing with pictures. If you feel intrigued by the performance of the device, continue reading. If the opposite is the case, you can proceed to the next chapter.

According to the specifications from HP, the device has an integrated 2MPix CMOS image sensor, which is able to record a picture with a resolution up to 1600x1200 pixels. The controlling application can handle dimensions that are four times smaller. Lower resolution is also used if a digital zoom is used (the digital zoom is only useful for saving space, because by using it, won’t gain anything apart from a lower data volume). The lens offers a blind F/2.8 and a set focus on a distance of 1.8 meters. Each mode supports one data format only, this being JPEG for pictures and 3GP (H.263) for video. The application for controlling the camera is partially displayed graphically, directly on the screen, and partially as a classical utility with “windows”. I personally prefer to have everything in the graphic mode, like E-TEN has it, for example, because it is quicker and easier to handle. On the other hand, the iPAQ can perform more functions with pictures than E-TEN, so the extra setting may have been a necessity.

When we look at the on-screen menu, you can instantly see several groups of graphical icons. We will start describing them from the lower left corner of the screen. The four black buttons (from left to right) serve to close the Camera application, display the Help section, display advanced text settings and to start the application for viewing pictures with HP Photosmart Mobile. The second group (this time, the buttons are white), serve to switch the LED flash on/off, set the digital zoom and to switch between taking pictures and video. The largest button is the shutter release; but I personally have never used it, I used the hardware button. A bit higher above these buttons, temporary indicators are displayed, (in this picture, there is the exposure compensation on the left and the state of digital zoom in the middle), which are visible only when the parameter value is different from the default. There is a little focusing spot (having just an informational function) in the middle of the screen. At the top of the screen, there is a small icon displaying the flash status. In the upper right corner, there are displays for the number of photos that can be saved to a chosen place, the current resolution and compression quality. In video mode, the upper status bar is a bit different. In the upper left corner, the status of recording is displayed, and in the right corner, there is a display for the time remaining, and the information on resolution stays the same.

After switching over to the application setting, we find a lot of different parameters. There is no reason to deal with the individual parameters in detail; we will take them one after another. In the first menu, the following parameters can be set:

White Balance – automatic, sun, shade, bulb light, fluorescent light
Colour – full colours, black and white photo, historic photo (yellowed), negative, cold photo (blueish)
Compression - good (*), better (**), best (***)
Resolution - 1600x1200, 800x600, 640x480, 320x240, 160x120 pixels
Flicker filter - 50Hz, 60Hz
Saturation – low, middle, high
Sharpness- low, middle, high
Contrast – low, middle, high
Recording mode – normal, night (longer exposure)

In the second menu, the following three parameters can be set:

Camera sound – on, off
Instant review - off, 2s, 4s, 6s
Self-timer - off, 2s, 10s

The rest of the setting can be summarized in one paragraph. In the bookmark File, it is possible to set the name of a file consisting of a prefix and a number (that rises by one with each picture), whether the files should be saved into the main memory of the device or on a card. In the bookmark, there are several video parameters that can be configured – its type (only H.263), resolution (352x288, 176x144 a 128x96 pixels), and option to attach sound to the file and whether to limit its size in any way (due to its subsequent sending via MMS). Even when the device does not have an integrated GPS, there is an option to set an external connection to a GPS and attach precise position data from the place where the picture was taken. And that concludes our description of the settings, because the two other bookmarks are purely informational.

Almost all pocket devices with an integrated camera have an LED for supplementary lighting, which helps when the picture is taken in dark conditions, and this device is no exception. Unlike with other devices, the LED in the iPAQ is extremely strong and luminous, which is illustrated by the following pictures. The photos are not so brilliant, but due to the almost zero visibility without the LED, it is not a bad result. Quite the opposite in fact, when compared to other PDAs.

You have seen the results of taking pictures with the iPAQ, I have described the application, so what is missing? Yes, it is the practical experience during shooting. The iPAQ is designed so that to take pictures, it must be turned 90 degrees anticlockwise. Then you can use the button for starting the Camera application (at the top of iPAQ when it is turned) or the button in the middle of the navigation four course button for pressing the shutter release. Due to the position of these elements, taking pictures is quite convenient and problem-free, and one can choose whichever of the buttons is easier to press. The camera speed is average, starting within 5 seconds, while exposure calculation takes a bit longer, but is still within the normal range, and taking the picture and saving it with maximum resolution (ca 350KB) takes about 5 seconds as well. However, you need to be careful at this point – the time stated applies only if you save the picture into the main memory! If you want to save the picture on a memory card, you have to take into account that it may take around half a minute, maybe even longer! I have tried two different mini-SD cards and both were similarly slow – it was simply terrible.

Conclusion? The integrated camera looks quite decent to me, maybe even a bit above average as far as practical performance is concerned. The quality of the pictures depends greatly on the lighting conditions, but with a bit of practice, you can take pictures successfully even in poor lighting conditions. The options for setting parameters are quite variable; on the other hand, changing parameters quickly is a bit less convenient than with other devices that have this option directly on one screen. If I were to choose the main negative feature, it would be the time it takes for the picture to be saved on a memory card, it’s quite tragic. Having to wait for half a minute until the picture is saved put me off taking pictures quite quickly. You would take the very strong LED’s that provide the additional lighting as a non-essential but useful bonus. They don’t help much during the picture-taking process itself, but with them the iPAQ can be used as a pocket lamp. The distance that the beams can illuminate is about 10 meters.

Expansion possibilites

In view of the fact that the only extension interface for attaching any other device is, apart from the USP slot and SIM slot, a mini-SD slot, this chapter won’t take long. Apart from memory cards, the iPAQ rw6815 can be improved via Bluetooth or WiFi only. We have already discussed the extension via wireless modules, so all that is left is to discuss the mini-SD slot. Like with the HP iPAQ hw6915, the performance of both reading and recording on a card is quite pathetic. I have mentioned the problems it causes during picture-taking, but that is not all. There is a problem with, to give an example, the synchronization of songs with a desktop PC via a USB cable. Although Windows Media Player is able to handle it, copying one song via USB took more time than copying a whole album via a memory card reader.

Software

The iPAQ rw6815 is not very interesting from the system and applications point of view. The device contains the operating system Windows Mobile 5 Phone edition, including AKU2, which has gone slightly out of fashion now. Therefore, you can spoil yourself with Push email and other conveniences, but a more sophisticated Internet sharing application or an improved introductory guide are missing so far. The device contains all common applications such as Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and others, but bonus applications are scarce. However, we must not forget about the voucher that entitles the owner to download one or more applications of their choice on the HP iPAQ Choice server. Apart from that, the following bonus applications can be found:

HP Photosmart Camera – a program for work with an integrated camera.
HP Photosmart Mobile – viewing, organization and sharing photos.
Today Panel Lite – easy access to setting the parameters of charging, memory and backlight directly from the Today screen.
HP Help and Support – a central location for help and support from HP.
Modem Link – a device for using the iPAQ as a modem for connecting a PC to the Internet
Java Virtual Machine (VM) – for running JAVA applications
Auto Configurator – for setting the GSM services
Self Test – a device for system testing
Microsoft Voice Command – voice command
Wi-Fi Utility – a device for monitoring and configuration of WiFi networks
MMS Composer – a utility for creating and sending MMS messages

We have already discussed some of the programs; the rest will be dealt with in this paragraph. HP Photosmart Mobile is a simple utility for viewing, printing or sharing photos. It is a bit better than the Pictures application from Microsoft, but because of its constraints, it does not bring many new features. It also contains HP Photosmart Mobile Screen Saver, which displays randomly various photos when the iPAQ is connected to an electrical power unit. Today Panel Lite can make routine operations such as setting the backlight more convenient, but there are a lot of better and more sophisticated modules on the market that can be used for the Today screen. A utility called Self Test justifies its reputation. There are 19 tests available in all, from processor to LED functioning, so if everything goes smoothly, the iPAQ can be considered a fully functioning device. I have left discussing the Microsoft Voice Command bonus application till last. I do not usually feel attracted to applications for voice recognition because my English pronunciation is not very good, but I have spent some time with Microsoft Voice Command. And it was funny :) Apart form simple voice calling or controlling programs, the application can also handle simple conversation and can answer questions such as "What time is it?", "What are my missed calls?" or "What is my schedule for tomorrow?". Last but not least, it can inform you who is calling together with the ringing tone.

There is not much more on the CD supplied by the producer, apart from standard applications such as Microsoft Outlook 2002 or ActiveSync 4.1 and model controller. It is worth mentioning there is a desktop version of the HP Photosmart Premier application - a much more useful and efficient version, that serves to edit photos.

Price

The price of the HP iPAQ rw6815 is £360 (approx. 600USD). I dare not say whether this is too much or too little, but due to the overall higher "moral" obsolescence of individual parts and overall functioning I would say that the price should be lower.

[POLL]

Personal evaluation and conclusion

In this review I have managed to assess almost everything. Therefore, what follows are only a few comments in the form of conclusion. I had the HP iPAQ rw6815 in my hands (and examined it closely) several weeks ago. I liked the device, but I hoped that some apparent blemishes would be eliminated before the final version was put on market. Apparently, this has not been the case, which has disappointed me and has influenced the review, too. I would expect, at a minimum, flawless functioning from a device that would be classed as average, without any attempt to achieve something new or different. This especially applies to cases where the device in question bears the HP logo. The main problem of this device is certainly not the fact that it doesn’t offer the most up-to-date and the best, but that it cannot handle the old and proven.

Throughout the reviewing process, I used this device as my main communication tool, so I think I had a chance to sufficiently acquaint myself with it and assess it justly. And even if I did not encounter anything that would completely put me off from using the device, at least the terrible sound was sometimes crossing the border between the areas of “still bearable” and “unbearable”. I admit that I may have overindulged in the problems with the phone module and sound, but to me, this device is primarily a compact phone that can be used for telephoning in the first place. Therefore, if it cannot handle this key issue, I can hardly assess it positively as a whole. We can only hope that a newer ROM version will appear in the near future that will improve this device. After that, the iPAQ could change from a nice-looking device with potential into a device that will be a pleasure to use. At present, it can be used, but certainly not with pleasure.