Review: HP iPAQ Data Messenger

HP usually gives its PDAs numbers, but in this case we just have a name, the iPAQ Data Messenger. The name gives you a big clue that this is a device for the serious communicator. The iPAQ Data Messenger is intended for those people who need to create a lot of data while on the move. To that end there is a keyboard which slides out of the right long edge of the device.

Now this keyboard is nice enough, but it is not quite as well designed as the very best of them. Its keys are slightly concave which HP must think is a clever wheeze to make them easier to hit. Overall, though, it makes the keyboard look slightly odd in design and we didn’t feel that it added a lot to usability.

With no separate number row you are left with embedded number keys which you get to via a separate ‘shift’ type key. This has to be pressed every time you want a number, so if you need to type an email with a phone number in it you have to keep pressing the ‘shift’ key for every digit in the number, which is tedious.

Far superior to the keyboard is HP’s take on the D-pad. Sitting beneath the 2.8-inch screen is a silver button that looks way too small to be an actual D-pad. But in fact it is an ‘optical navigation button’ that responds as you brush a finger across it. You press it to make selections.

It works extremely well. Small it may be, but you can use the full pad of a finger in a single sweep so that you can scroll a long way with one gesture. The on-screen response is smooth and you really do get the ‘gliding’ feeling HP suggests you will. We like it and hope HP develops the idea in future devices.

HP has gone for a minimalist look with this iPAQ, and the shiny black frontage may not be to all tastes though it is decidedly of the moment. The Call and End buttons sit on a deeply coloured, almost black horizontal bar that looks so much like a design element that you hardly notice the buttons at first. The Windows Mobile Start button and OK buttons are touch sensitive, and their icons are white against their black background.

There are other buttons on the sides of this PDA. On the right edge there is a shortcut for the built in 3 megapixel camera. On the left side there are volume rockers, a lock button and one which takes you to messaging. You can reassign the camera and messaging buttons to other applications if you prefer.

One delightfully useful feature is the slider on the top of the casing. This turns the phone ringer off and on. We found this extremely useful during testing especially when going into meetings and we can’t understand why more devices don’t take advantage of the idea, which was pioneered by Palm.

Overall, we have to say the specifications are acceptable rather than outstanding. We like that this is a 3G device but not that it lacks a front facing camera for two-way video calling. It is short on added software if you compare it to devices from the likes of HTC and E-TEN too. This is definitely more a case of workhorse than whiz-bang, but that ‘optical navigation button’ is a real winner.

Specs & info
Price: £400
Operating system: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Processor: Qualcomm 7201A 528MHz
Memory: 256MB ROM, 128MB SDRAM [this should be the total amount, not the amount available]
Dimensions: 114.5mm x 57mm x 17.4mm
Weight: 160g
Display size: 2.81 diagonal inches
Display resolution: 320 x 240
Expansion slot: 1 x microSD

Verdict
Performance: 8/10
Good battery life and generally responsive all round

Design: 8/10
Lovely minimalist design though the shiny casing might not be to all tastes

Features: 7/10
There’s a good range of features but nothing absolutely outstanding

Value for Money: 7/10
SIM free this should come in at an attractive price

Overall score: 8/10

Review originally appeared in Smartphone & PDA Essentials magazine. Words by Sandra Vogel.

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