Review: HP iPAQ 910 Scores For Business

The Test Center has looked at other members of the iPAQ family before. The 910 follows the other iPAQs in look and feel -- sleek, high-gloss black, and easy to hold. The fit and finish is of high quality and the 910 doesn't get very hot to touch, a very important criterion for a handheld device.

Measuring 4.5 x 2.5 x 0.6-inches and weighing 5.4 oz, the 910 is average size. Much slimmer than the Palm Treo, slimmer but wider than the new Centro, a little thicker and about an ounce heavier than the BlackBerry Bold, it's slightly thicker than the iPhone 3G. The slim fit is nice for the hand, but it can feel a little hefty compared to the competition.

While the phone is not being offered currently by any of the major carriers, it is currently being shipped as an unlocked device. Reviewers slipped in a SIM chip from an existing T-Mobile phone and had no trouble making or receiving phone calls. The phone had no trouble working with the chip from ATandT as well. Because it is not subsidized by a carrier (no vendor lock-in!) the price tag is a little on the high side, at $499.

Connectivity is where the 910 Business Messenger shines. The quad-band GSM/EDGE radio and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA phone supports up to 7.2Mbps HSDPA downloads. Along with 802.11b/g wireless connectivity, there's Bluetooth 2.0+EDR and GPS. The iPAQ can be connected to a laptop as a WWAN modem, using a sync cable or Bluetooth. Google Maps is pre-installed on the device, and reviewers were able to get a GPS fix almost immediately. The Business Messenger easily detected available wireless networks.

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The keyboard itself scored high on the usability scale, with its curved and closely-packed barrel buttons. The raised surface makes it easy to type, and is much more comfortable than the flatter (and less crowded) keys on other products. The buttons are tactile and responsive, as well. The scroll wheel is also very handy, especially when reading eBooks using Mobipocket.

The screen also scored highly. The touchscreen, measuring 2.5-inches and running at QVGA 320 x 240 resolution, was crisp and bright. It is easy to access applications and data using Windows Mobile and various controls, but almost everything can be done without the stylus and just using the wheel.

As a phone, the iPAQ 910's reception is crystal clear. The phone's speaker needed to be adjusted at first to make the caller's voice louder, and the internal speaker less prone to echoes. Once fixed, it was a comfortable calling experience. The ringer volume is also easy to adjust. The phone also had no trouble finding reception. The phone worked fine with a Jawbone Bluetooth headset. The built-in speaker, however, is on the back of the handset, so pushing the call on speakerphone and lying flat on the desk muffled the sound. Holding it upright and closer to the ear was better, but that kind of killed the point of putting the call on speaker.

For technical specifications, this smartphone has a 416MHz Marvell PXA270 processor and 256 MByte ROM and 128 MByte SDRAM memory. About 76 Mytes and the iPAQ File Store, 24 Mbytes of flash memory, are available for user-installed programs and backups. The 910 has a microSDHC slot and miniUSB port and comes with a 3-megapixel camera (4x digital zoom). The camera takes good photos outdoors and decent indoor photos using the overbright LED "flash." (The camera can be disabled remotely by IT managers.) There's a socket for an external GPS antenna on top, and a stylus is stored at the bottom of the unit.

On the software front, running Windows Mobile 6.1, the iPAQ can tap into the large amount of business and personal software available. Microsoft Office Mobile works well with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. Synchronizing to Web mail such as from Google, Yahoo!, as well as connecting to Exchange worked simply and quickly. The Cyberon Voice Commander and Recorder worked surprisingly well, without misdialing phone calls. Internet Explorer Mobile (no surprise!) is the default browser.

The1940 mAh Lithium battery contributes to the unit's comparative heft, but it is worth it. After a whole day of being on the wireless network, synchronizing with mail servers, making phone calls, it is nice to have enough power left for the commute home. The Test Center's tests showed the iPAQ 910 to have close to 11 hours of continuous talk-time.

The HP iPAQ 910 Business Messenger is a smartphone designed for the business -- a feature-loaded handset that easily integrates with the work environment, and has enough flexibility to be a little more than just "another" smartphone.