Some time ago, I mentioned that I had acquired a HP iPAQ hw6945 and posted some initial thoughts on the product. I also eluded to the fact that I would do a more complete review of it. Well, this is that review, however, I must say that there will likely be more thoughts on this product posted as time goes on.

Features I haven’t used
The first thing I want to make clear is that there are many features of this thing that I have not used or used extensively enough to form an opinion of them or report on. These features include the phone, scheduler, and synchronization.

This device is quite similar to a Treo, Blackberry, etc in that it is a combination cell phone and handheld computer/PDA and the model I have is an “unlocked” version which means it can be used with any cell phone network. However, my service provider does not use SIM cards and therefore I have no way to test the phone functionality. I had never intended to use it as a phone so this doesn’t really bother me except I would have like to test it out for the purposes of this review.

I also have not really done much experimenting with the scheduling and synchronization capabilities of it either. While these are generally two of the biggest selling points of a device like this, my current life situation does not really give me great cause to use them on a regular basis.

The keyboard
One thing that many people are skeptical about with a device like this is the size of the keyboard. At first glance, it seems almost too small to be practical. After using it a bit though, it is very well-engineered. Typing on it is quite intuitive and without much practice, I can nearly touch type (although it’s not touch typing like a regular keyboard but more knowing the location and spacing of the keys) on it. One drawback I found with the keyboard is that there is no \ key. There have only been a couple of instances where I have missed it, but it is definitely something to be noted.

Screen Cover
The iPAQ hw6945 has a detachable plastic screen cover that flips open and closed. The idea behind it is that with the cover on, it serves as protection for the actual screen. Rather than being clear plastic, it is tinted but the screen can still be read through the cover (even with the brightness turned down to preserve battery life) and does help protect the screen.

Although I do like the protection it gives and think it is a good idea, it is somewhat annoying having to open it all the time and also the way the device looks with the cover open and attached does not make it look the most attractive.

WiFi (wireless networking)
I really like the built in wireless networking that this device offers. It really makes it a handheld computer. This is one feature that many of its competitors do not offer. The performance of the built-in WiFi card has been quite adequate in my use so far and I have no complaints about it

Bluetooth
I haven’t made extensive use of the Bluetooth functionality of my iPAQ but have done a bit of experimenting with it. I was able to connect via Bluetooth to my cell phone and transfer files back and forth and that seemed to work quite well. I have not tested the range of it though and also have not tried synchronizing the device via Bluetooth.

One thing I was disappointed by with the iPAQ is that while some other iPAQ models (those without cell phone capabilities) have a Bluetooth connection option to connect to a cell phone and use the phone as a modem (to get online), this particular model does not have that option. I spent a significant amount of time trying to get this to work and made several phone calls to tech support for my phone, service provider, and also HP before finally learning the situation. This is something I had hoped to be able to do with this device but, for whatever reason, HP took that feature off of this model.

Battery Life
One thing I was concerned about with this device was the battery life. After using it awhile, I have discovered that my concern was unfounded. The battery life on this device is quite acceptable and I have only had to charge it a handful of times since getting it.

My results, however, may not be typical as I am not using it as a phone and also have the brightness of the display turned way down as a means to extend the battery life.

One thing I don’t care for about the battery life is that the device tries to prolong the life of the battery by not allowing you to use all of the features when the battery gets low. An example of this is that even if you are in the middle of typing an email, when the battery reaches a certain point, the WiFi will be disabled and you will not be able to reconnect until you charge the battery. This might be OK if the level that this happened at were adjustable, but I don’t think it is. The device itself had at least an hour or two of battery remaining and the WiFi was unuseable.

GPS
One selling point of this device is that it has a built in GPS receiver. This feature alone is pretty cool, but I am not extremely impressed from what I have seen so far. The receiver appears to be accurate enough, but software and mapping options seem limited. It comes with Microsoft Pocket Streets pre-installed, but does not include any maps and the only maps I have been able to find so far are for major metropolitan areas.

It also comes with another mapping program produced and/or distributed by HP that is not pre-installed but on a CD, this program, however, is only a trial version and you will have to pay to continue using it after 90 days.

I think I need to do some more research and see if there are other options available either for programs or acquiring/creating maps for Pocket Streets.

Reading Books
One benefit of this device that I hadn’t really intended when I got it was that it makes it much easier to get back to reading. I mentioned before how everyone should read more, and having this really helps with that. The Project Gutenberg is a great online resource where you can download many classic books free and legally. It is real easy to download several books onto this device and then you will always have them available if you find a few minutes to read here and there without having to carry a book around.

Conclusion
All-in-all, I would say that the HP iPAQ hw6945 is a good device and well worth the money. Keep in mind though, I have never had much experience with any of the other similar products on the market. I am, however, quite satisfied with it and glad that I have it.