hp iPAQ 4350 with integrated keyboard
PocketPCReviews.net apparently is the first review site in Australia to receive the new iPAQ 4350 from hp so we’ve been working overtime to get this first-hand impression off to you! That will be a good start to the new year, we reckon.
If the built-in keyboard is what you’ve been waiting for, have a look at what else this long and slender unit has to offer. With Bluetooth and WiFi you’ll be very well connected indeed.
You know what they say about outward appearances but in this case I like what I see!
For starters, you wouldn’t think that this is a “retro” machine but in a way it is: they’ve put back the speaker and reset hole where they were on the earlier models and also brought back the record button. Good stuff.
The navigation pad has a separate action button in the middle. Also excellent.
The big, soft grips of the 2210 (which easily came off) have been replaced by an elegant rim around the whole case which protrudes just a fraction but gives a good grip. The backside is matte black and unpolished, also aiding the grip. Well done, hp!
Styling has always been one of iPAQ’s best features and this model has only improved on this further. But, and that’s perhaps a big ‘but’, you must like the new keyboard. If you don’t, tough luck because it’s permanently attached, not like a clip-on or slide-under job. Personally, I’m not a big fan of typing on my PDA so I can happily live without it.
Further, the keyboard does not quite look “part” of it but more like an afterthought with the black keyboard transecting the four hardware buttons as it were.
This is purely my feelings about it and does not detract from its functionality one bit.
In fact, having an integrated keyboard opens up new possibilities.
How about, for instance, having double the hardware buttons by pressing the Function key (blue dot)+ one of the four standard buttons to open up a program?
This keyboard, whilst standard QWERTY format, has its Shift characters all over the place, so it takes a while finding the semi-colon and brackets.
To type a backslash (\) on this keyboard, you must first press Fn + P to create a forward slash (/), then the Symbol key to modify it! Convoluted, but it can be done!
There are also a number of special keys like Start key (with the Windows symbol) or Menu key (for cut & paste functions)
The rest of the outside is pretty standard for today’s generation of PDAs: a SDio slot but no CompactFlash option.
A whopping large but fairly lightweight battery of 1560mAh keeps the 4350 powered for hours on end. How long? Nearly eight hours!! See the chart below. This is the standard battery test (opening up applications all the time with full screen brightness). The second test with Bluetooth enabled the whole time and WiFi on for half the time showed still a decent 4 hours of endurance.
I had great expectations of this battery but also realised that the nicely backlit keyboard would take its toll in power but particularly the WiFi and BT connections.
One aspect I did not like about the power charging LED: it blinks a very bright orange/yellow light but doesn’t switch to green when fully charged. At least on the old iPAQs it was a quiet, neutral yellow…
And talking about yellow… have you been following the forum discussions on the yellow-tinted screens on some of the iPAQ models? Well, it’s very noticeable on this model. Having a blank Word doc open (lots of white) reveals that there is an unmistakable yellow tint when viewing the 4350 from below and to the right. But even head-on the 4350 screen is duller than the 2210. Room for improvement here!!
Connectivity
Apart from the standard Infra-Red this unit also sports WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
On WiFi: see the remarks that we made reviewing the Axim X3i previously. But, unlike the X3i, it does not have an external antenna, which makes for a somewhat shorter range but still very adequate.
The connection applets make it all so easy to hook up to the Net and peripheral equipment. See these screenshots below.
Performance
She flies.
This is the highest scoring PDA we’ve tested so far, outperforming its 2210 stable mate by about 75%! Even the soft resets are halved in time compared with the 2210.
Have a look at the performance tables and comparison charts below.
On the companion CD you’ll find a whole slew of free and trial programs.
Noteworthy is the inclusion of WorldMate as a full program (see our earlier review).
However, finding NEVO is going to be a disappointment: this remote control program is not included with this model.
Some programs can be installed directly from the CD and others need to be downloaded.
Applications available on this CD:
|
Category |
Name |
Location |
Version |
Company |
|
Mobility |
Free |
AvantGo |
||
|
Link |
PocketPresence |
|||
|
Link |
Avaya |
|||
|
|
Cisco Systems |
|||
|
Trial |
VTGO |
|||
|
|
Link |
Handango |
||
|
Entertainment |
Trial |
Microsoft |
||
|
Free |
Microsoft |
|||
|
Trial |
Audible, Inc. |
|||
|
Trial |
RealOne Player |
|||
|
|
Link |
Handango |
||
|
Enterprise Solutions |
Trial |
CommonTime |
||
|
Free |
XcelleNet |
|||
|
Free |
Colligo |
|||
|
|
Link |
Handango |
||
|
Productivity |
Free |
HP |
||
|
Free |
Presenter Inc. |
|||
|
Free |
Westek |
|||
|
Free |
MobiMate |
|||
|
|
Link |
Handango |
||
|
Tools |
Trial |
Sprite |
||
|
Trial |
Ilium |
|||
|
Free |
Adobe |
|||
|
Free |
F-Secure |
|||
|
|
Link |
Handango |
-
Massive battery life
-
Top performer
-
Full connectivity with Bluetooth and WiFi
-
Easy input with integrated keyboard
-
Screen disappoints (yellow tint and somewhat dull)
-
Charging LED way too bright (and wrong colour when charged)
The iPAQ 4350 at USD499 or AUD949 is excellent value for money if you need speed, connectivity and the ease of inputting text with the integrated keyboard. Or just a long endurance with that great battery.
The marketing-savvy folks at hp have done it again: this unit will fill in that niche for people who need to get almost as much productivity out of their PDA as out of their laptop. This elegant unit has the features and the stamina to get you through your working day.
And if you don’t fancy that keyboard go for the 4100 series.
Main test results
|
Test |
Time |
Speed |
% of iPAQ 3650* speed |
|
803 ms |
1276 KB/sec |
161% |
|
|
36.8 ms |
27.2 MB/sec |
149% |
|
|
837 ms |
1223 KB/sec |
155% |
|
|
1115 ms |
919 KB/sec |
164% |
|
|
99 ms |
10.1 MB/sec |
159% |
|
|
1269 ms |
807 KB/sec |
169% |
|
|
97.5 ms |
20.5 thousands of files/sec |
17% |
|
|
686 ms |
1458 records/sec |
346% |
|
|
3.7 ms |
270 frames/sec |
1004% |
|
|
37.3 ms |
26.8 frames/sec |
199% |
|
|
1.38 ms |
727 frames/sec |
337% |
|
|
6606 ms |
39.4 KB/sec |
127% |
|
|
2850 ms |
8.68 KB/sec |
66% |
|
|
1126 ms |
225 KB/sec |
427% |
|
|
3363 ms |
595 files/sec |
116% |
|
|
4092 ms |
248 KB/sec |
234% |
|
|
462 ms |
608 KB/sec |
190% |
|
|
4.1 ms |
244 frames/sec |
225% |
|
|
4887 ms |
0.076 Mop/sec |
165% |
|
|
1140 ms |
55.3 Mop/sec |
162% |
|
|
9995 ms |
5 Mop/sec |
168% |
|
|
9.77 ms |
102 MB/sec |
145% |
*iPAQ 3650 running Pocket PC 2000
Comparative Table of Results
|
|
Compaq iPAQ 3600 Series (2000, 206Mhz) |
Compaq iPAQ 3970 (2002, 400Mhz) |
HP iPAQ 2215 (2003, 400Mhz) |
Toshiba e750 (2003, 400MHz) |
iPAQ4350 |
|
1000 |
846 |
1146 |
1225 |
1600 |
|
|
1000 |
855 |
1784 |
1838 |
1827 |
|
|
1000 |
855 |
1126 |
1128 |
1155 |
|
|
1000 |
785 |
567 |
688 |
3860 |
|
|
1000 |
638 |
1204 |
1085 |
1286 |
|
|
794 |
656 |
1257 |
1221 |
1276 |
|
|
18.2 |
15.7 |
27 |
26.8 |
27.2 |
|
|
790 |
710 |
1262 |
1252 |
1223 |
|
|
560 |
480 |
905 |
859 |
919 |
|
|
6.35 |
5.36 |
9.78 |
9.62 |
10.1 |
|
|
476 |
379 |
799 |
757 |
807 |
|
|
123 |
118 |
19.6 |
20.5 |
20.5 |
|
|
421 |
380 |
1339 |
1391 |
1458 |
|
|
26.9 |
19.9 |
52.3 |
68.4 |
270 |
|
|
13.5 |
11.3 |
22.8 |
22.9 |
26.8 |
|
|
216 |
175 |
60 |
73.2 |
727 |
|
|
31 |
21.3 |
100 |
37.7 |
39.4 |
|
|
13.1 |
4.73 |
7.96 |
7.28 |
8.68 |
|
|
52.8 |
82.4 |
208 |
233 |
225 |
|
|
515 |
210 |
564 |
569 |
595 |
|
|
106 |
62.7 |
225 |
243 |
248 |
|
|
319 |
406 |
606 |
607 |
608 |
|
|
108 |
89.3 |
51.4 |
61 |
244 |
|
|
0.046 |
0.061 |
0.077 |
0.075 |
0.076 |
|
|
34.1 |