Review: HP iPAQ Voice Messenger

The long-running iPAQ range has seen a lot of changes over the years. The latest, in the form of the Voice Messenger, see it adopt the traditional form factor of the moile phone, and with some success. Running the non touch screen Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard, the device is compact and stylish yet feature-packed, targeted at the prosumer user.

Specs & info
Price: £333
Operating system: Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard
Processor: Qualcomm 528MHz
Memory: 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM
Dimensions: 114 x 50 x 13.6mm
Weight: 107g
Display size: 2.4”
Display resolution: 240×320
Expansion slot: 1 x microSD

At first glance the VM bears more than a passing resemblance to the BlackBerry Pearl, with its blue casing, and pleasing curves. That is no bad thing: with hardware specs becoming so uniform aesthetics are becoming ever more important even in the corporate sector. The Voice Messenger is both professional looking and classy; serious and fun.

Build quality is rock solid, as you would expect from and iPAQ, but it remains lightweight and very slim (about 13mm). HP has obviously put a lot of thought into usability when designing the hardware. There are lots of buttons around the edges of the unit, for functions such as launching the camera, locking the device and, best of all, a switch on the top that changes the profile to Meeting when activated – an easier way to silence the ringer than taking the software route needed on any other phone.

Beneath the 2.4” QVGA screen is a 20-key qwerty keyboard with two letters per key (again, Pearl-style) that deliver a satisfying click when pressed. In place of a traditional d-pad is a 5-way optical navigation key. This works exactly in the same way as a d-pad does only using an optical sensor instead of a physical button. Sweep your thumb left and right, up and down to move through the menus, a click it to select.

We’re always a little nervous when manufacturers try to innovate in on a feature that is fundamental to the device. Get it wrong, and it will result in a highly frustrating user experience. Fortunately HP has got it just about right. It takes a little while to get used to how much pressure is needed to control it effectively – it does seem a touch over-sensitive at first, but pretty soon begins to function exactly as a d-pad would. Whether it offers any benefits over a d-pad or trackball, though, we aren’t so sure.

Running Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard means that the Voice Messenger comes with Microsoft’s new Home screen. It is a significant improvement over previous versions, grouping common functions (messaging, music, settings etc) together and making them accessible without needing to enter the main menu system. Even better the right soft-key button is context aware. View your unread text messages and the button changes to New Text; look at some pictures and it becomes a camera button.

Should you need to venture beyond that screen you’ll find the usual mix of features and frustrations common with Windows Mobile Standard (full Office editing, for example, but no ability to create new documents), plus some useful add-ons from HP. These include the Opera browser, Google Maps, a print utility and configuration tool that will set up your device to run on whatever network you use. There is also a 30-day trial of the Webrsaka navigation software, that downloads maps over the air as you drive.

The device ran smoothly throughout our tests, with menus repsonsive at all times. The 3.1MP camera produced decent quality but had appalling shutter lag that meant taking pictures of moving objects was almost impossible. With wi-fi and HSDPA data download speeds were good, and the GPS held its signal well. Ironically, while performance in traditional smartphone areas was good, as a phone we were less impressed. Although still very much useable, audio quality was somewhat less than we have come to expect.

Overall, though, we like the Voice Messenger. It looks great and has features in line with all cutting edge smartphones, while Microsoft’s own improvements in the Windows Mobile interface are extremely effective. You do get a lot for your money, although it isn’t the cheapest of phones when bought Sim-free. The Voice Messenger is also available on contract through Vodafone.

Performance: 8/10
Design: 9/10
Features: 9/10
Value for Money: 8/10

Overall score: 8/10

Review originally published in Smartphone & PDA Essentials magazine. Words by Andy Betts.

Popularity: 3% [?]