HP iPaq 910c Hands-On

Click to see the iPaq 910c on all sides

[HP – Berlin 2008] I got my hands on the HP iPaq 910c, that will ship on June 30th. This long awaited 3G smartphone packs some nice connectivity features: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS/HSDPA 7.2Mbps, WiFi b/g. It also has integrated GPS navigation and runs Windows Mobile 6.1 alongside a 3 Megapixel camera, a 2.46” touch screen, and finally, a QWERTY keyboard. The first impression: it is a bit bulkier, and heavier than my BlackBerry Curve.

I like the calendar and email buttons that gives me direct access to the two applications that I use the most on my phone (email & calendar). Switching from and to those applications takes more time on the BlackBerry. This device called the “Business Messenger” is targeted to international business customers, and the stylish non-sexy design reflects that. At first sight, the keyboard seems to have keys that are too close to each other, but their curved design allows a really good experience, I type as fast with it as I do on my BlackBerry Curve. Browsing the interface is made easier by having a 5-way navigation button in the center and a scroll wheel on the side. I could not test the GPS navigation because it was deactivated, I will update this review once I get to use a different Sim Card.

Click to see the iPaq 910c vs. Blackberry Curve photo gallery

Since HP is pushing user-generated content, I played a bit with the camera and the HP PhotoSmart Mobile application that lets the user to view pictures, rotate them, zoom-in them (using the touch screen), organize photos in folders, print them wirelessly and add text and voice comments to each picture. I shot photos with both the BlackBerry Curve and the HP iPaq 910c simultaneously, and the iPaq shutter is way too slow in comparison: this is not a good device for live blogging during keynotes. The Curve does not have 3G though…

Click to see the iPaq 910c applications gallery

The touch screen is too small to be really fun to use (except for zooming in the photos) and many times, the icons were hard to click-on with the finger (I did not see a stylus in the package either).

Icons are somtimes hard to reach

In conclusion: the connectivity is great, but this device is a bit bulky and heavy in comparison to the current market offerings. The touch screen needs to be larger and to do so, HP could sacrifice one key row to make some room (the one with the email and the calendar keys).

Photo gallery: what's in the iPaq 910c box?

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