Reviews

UMPC Group Test (Part 4) OQO model 01+ review

This is the third week of our UMPC group test and this week I have been trying out the OQO Model 01+.

The OQO is the smallest and lightest device in our UMPC Group Test, weighing in at 421g and measuring just 134mm x 86mm x 23mm, bigger than a PDA but smaller than an ultralight notebook, the OQO Model 01 is an ultrasmall Windows XP computer that will appeal primarily to businesspeople who need applications with them when they’re out of the office.

Unlike the other devices we had in the group test, the OQO has a built in keyboard and TrakStik–a small, rubbery joystick that controls the cursor. The keyboard is hidden under the slide-up screen which moves on a rack and pinion mechanism. The keys may be quite small but the OQO’s keyboard is easy to use. You won’t be able to touchtype but thumb typing on it is easy enough. The TrakStik is placed to the right of the keyboard, and buttons for left- and right-click are on the left.

At the heard of the OQO is a 1GHz Transmeta processor and has a 20GB hard disk. I found the OQO to be adequately powerful, it wont win any records but for Word, Excel and Outlook it’ fine and it will quite hapilly play back full screen video.

The built-in 5-inch transflective screen has an 800×480 native resolution which is quite impressive looking considering the size of the display, the back light isn’t very even though with some noticeable light and dark areas. The OQO comes with a neat docking cable. This plugs into the bottom of the unit and provides connectors for an external keyboard, monitor, and speakers. The docking solution uses an unusual cable with a handful of ports (Ethernet, FireWire, video, USB, audio, and AC power input) spaced out along it.

The main complaint about the OQ is that is runs quite hot during normal use. This makes it quite uncomfortable to hold after a while and you end up changing hands while using it.

Another thing that’s differnt about the OQO is that the screen is capacitive rather than touch-sensitive. This means that you can only use the supplied stylus with it, you can’t use your finger or another pointing device on it. This can be rather frustrating when you just want to quickly tap on something on-screen. You also have to make sure that you calibrate the stylus correctly and it makes a big difference whether you are left or right handed when you use it. I struggled with the stylus accuracy on the OQO. The stylus is housed top right of the unit.

The OQO Model 01 has full wireless capabilities, both Wi-Fi (802.11b) and Bluetooth. There’s one FireWire and one USB port on the unit however the USB is 1.1 only, not the faster USB 2.0. There’s no video-out on the unit itself, this is provided on the docking cable, but the device doesn’t make for a good presenation machine.

The standard battery in the OQO lasted about 2 hours and the extended battery about twice as long. The battery seems to take rather a long time to charge and this too seems to develop quite a lot of heat. The power adapter is also rather noisy while the battery is charging, producing a high-pitched whine.

Overall the OQO model 01+ is a decent device. WiFi and Bluetooth quality is better than the other devices on test both in terms of range/reception and reliability. On the down side the temperature that it runs at is the biggest cause for concern though, it’s probably a bad idea to allow the unit to chage within its carrying pouch.

So come back next week to see how we rate each device side-by-side where we’ll consider thing’s like cost, warranty etc.

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, UMPC, OQO, Samsung Q1, Ubiquio 702, Laptop, Tracy & Matt]

UMPC Group Test (Part 3) UBiQUiO 702 review

This is the second week of our UMPC group test and over the last 7 days I have been using the UBiQUiO 702.

Weighing in at over 1kg the UBiQUiO 702 is the heaviest (and largest) of the UMPC devices that we are reviewing in our group test. The 702 design is similar to the Samsung Q1, the screens are the same size and they share the same black gloss finish. The thing with the black gloss finish is that it looks great until you touch it afterwards it shows up all your finger prints!

This week the UBiQUiO had a good outing as I have been out of the office on a CCA Training course. The 6 cell battery offers great endurance lasting around 4 hours with fairly heavy use. The issue with the 6 cell battery is that it adds a lot to the weight and size of the device as it sticks out from the back of the device although this can be useful when you have the 702 on a desk as it doubles as a stand.

The 702 has an instant advantage over the Q1 in that there is a built in mouse buttons and pointer control. This works really well when you hold it in both hands and allows for efficient navigation, of course you can still use the stylus and touchscreen too.

Whilst on the subject of using the device hand-held this is one area in which I found two potential flaws with the design. Firstly when you wrap your hands round the device to hold it you end up covering the CPU fan vents. Obviously this can lead to overheating. The other thing is the placement of the USB connectors. There are two USB sockets, one on each side of the unit. Both are in the exact position where you hold on to the device. This means that you can’t have anything plugged in while you are holding it, you can’t use USB keys.

Like the Samsung Q1 the UBiQUiO 702 allows for text input via on screen keyboard or via Dial Keys but once again the relatively low native resolution of the display (800 x 480) means that the dials take up half the screen which limits their usefulness.

In terms of accessories, you do not get a great deal with the UBiQUiO. There is the obligatory charger, spare stylus, wired headphones/microphone and a plastic desktop stand. The only other thing you get is a yellow(!) cloth bag to put the device in. This wont offer much protection!

The 702 offers WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Once again, setting up a bluetooth partnership with my mobile phone was an effective way to get internet access this device but bluetooth is the only way you will be able to achieve this with the 702 as there is no PCMCIA or CF slot to use for mobile 3G cards. Fortunately the bluetooth on the 702 is reliable.

Although the bluetooth may be reliable the same cannot be said for the WiFi connection. Although the connection was easy to set up the connection would stop working at random intervals and at times would require a reboot to get it working again. Reception was also bad, even sitting close to my wireless router I could only get a ‘good’ signal, my laptop in the same place reports an excellent signal. With the 702 you’re stuck with WiFi as there is no ethernet socket to use instead.

On the plus side the battery life is good while the processor is reasonably quick and the hard drive, being a 2.5″ unit, is fast when compared with the Samsung Q1. The screen is quite large and is sharp and bright, touch screen is accurate enough but the native resolution too low in my opinion. On the down side, the biggest problem with the 702 is the weight. 1.02Kg may not sound like a lot but after holding it in your hands for 10 minutes you begin to realise how heavy it is, just like carrying 10 mobile phones! WiFi performance is also poor and there is a distinct lack of external connectors for VGA and wired ethernet.

Overall the UBiQUiO is a capable device but come back next week to see how the UBiQUiO 702 and Samsung Q1 shape up against the OQO model 01+ and I’ll be deciding which UMPC I liked best!

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, UMPC, OQO, Samsung Q1, Ubiquio 702, Laptop, Tracy & Matt]

i-Mate JAQ3 review

I finally got my hands on an i-Mate JAQ3 to review. The JAQ3 is a device that I have been looking forward to getting hold of. Most of the candy-bar with keyboard devices are Smartphones and I have always found the Smartphone OS somewhat frustrating. The reason for wanting the JAQ3 is that the form factor lends itself nicely to one-handed use but where it differs from similar devices is that it’s a Pocket PC Phone Edition device complete with a touchscreen!

The JAQ3, manufactured by TechFaith Wireless, has a very similar look to the extremely popular BlackJack, it’s just a bit bigger. In fact at 126 x 67.5 x 14.5mm the JAQ3 isn’t a small device. It may be pretty thin but in terms of width and length it’s not much smaller than the HTC Universal. If you compare to the Orange M3100 below you’ll see what I mean!

Looking at the picture above you might think the JAQ3 is a bit of a beast but once you start using it it really doesn’t seem that big. This probably has a lot to do with how thin the device is but the weight also has a lot to do with it. At 145g on my scales it’s about 20% lighter then the M3100. The balance is pretty even and it sits in the palm of your hand quite nicely.

The JAQ3 is a Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition device running AKU 3.2 and has just about every feature that you could want from a device. Just one exception – there is no UMTS/3G. Personally I dont think this is a big deal with push email the speed that the data comes down at seems less important and EDGE seems more than fast enough to browse the web. I know 3G is important to some people but I’d question how many people actually make full use of 3G.

For those that need a faster connection method the JAQ3 has 802.11b/g WiFi built in. I don’t use WiFi very much but compared to other devices that I have the performance of the JAQ3 is very good both in terms of speed and range. I can use WiFi all over the house which is something that other devices can’t manage.

Memory expansion on the JAQ3 is via the microSD card slot on the top of the device. The slot has a neat cover to keep the dust out and also stops the microSD card ejecting itself if you drop the device.

Another plus for me is the standard mini USB socket for sync and charge and the standard 2.5mm Jack Socket the device utilises for headphones. 2.5 to 3.5mm headphone adapters are much more common place than EMU adapters that you need for current HTC devices.

On the left hand side of the device you’ll find a scroll wheel, an ‘OK’ button and the camera button. I like the fact that a scroll wheel is included as I have become used to this on my HTC TyTN.

The right side of the device has the USB socket, the headphone socket and the power button.

The camera is a 2.0 megapixel unit on the back of the device. The image quality isn’t bad but there is no ‘flash’.

One of the biggest reasons that I wanted to try a device like the JAQ3 was that I wanted to be able to use the device with one hand. I do like the keyboard on the M3100 but even with big hands it’s almost impossible to use single handed and the one thing I miss most about smartphones is the ability to text or email with one hand. The placement of the keyboard on the JAQ3 gets around this problem as the device fits nicely in that palm of your hand and allows you to use your thumb on the keypad. The keys are reasonably large and well raised, they also have a positive ‘click’ action so that you know when the button has been pressed.

As I mentioned earlier, the i-mate JAQ3 differs from similar devices of this type in that it has a touchscreen and runs Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC Phone Edition where as devices such as the HTC S620 and the Samsung i320 are Smartphone devices without touchscreen support. I find that working with a PocketPC is much simpler and always found that the Smartphone menus and settings were rather awkward.

The JAQ3 has an excellent screen, it’s sharp and evenly bright and there is no sign of the yellow colour-cast that can be found on some LCD screens. The landscape screen arrangement is a pleasure to use. The touchscreen is accurate and so far I have not experienced any alignment issues.

The stylus is a decent size and is located on the bottom of the device.

The joypad is centrally placed below the touchscreen and is pretty easy to use. The action button in the middle seperate which is something that I prefer rather than having to press the whole joypad down. On either side of the joypad you’ll find standard softkeys and the start menu, email, ‘OK’ and Internet Explorer buttons as well as the usual red and green phone keys.

Battery life of the device is pretty good. I have been getting a few days use between charges with average use. Battery life is helped by the relatively small screen and lack of 3G. Generally I would say that it’s on a par with most Pocket PC devices out there.

Having used the device for a few weeks I have to say that the biggest drawback is the CPU speed. The 200MHz Texas Instruments OMAP 850 processor feels sluggish and at times can be quite frustrating. Several times I found myself pressing buttons more than once thinking I hadn’t tapped the screen successfully the first time. However this wasn’t a button or touchscreen issue but the processor lag. You do get used to this after a while and I wonder if it’s more noticeable to me as I have been spoilt by 400mhz devices.

In conclusion, the i-mate JAQ3 is a decent device that I enjoy using. I like the ability to use it with just one hand which is something of an advantage over the sliding keyboard devices. It is a rather large device but the fact that it’s thin means that you hardly notice it in your trouser pocket. The processor performance is a bit slow and the lack of 3G may put some people off. That said, I still like it and would recommend that anyone looking for device with a ‘front facing’ keyboard that you can use with one hand should seriously consider the JAQ3!

The JAQ3 is currently on offer at Clove Technology and you can save £20 of the purchase price using our voucher code. Find the full details HERE.

i-Mate JAQ3 Specification:

Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, i-Mate, i-Mate JAQ3, i-Mate JAQ3 Review, JAQ3, Tracy & Matt]

UMPC Group Test (Part 2) Samsung Q1 review

This week I have been trying out the Samsung Q1 which is the first device in our UMPC group test.

The Samsung Q1 was one of the first true UMPC devices to come to market. It has been around for a while and there is a new 32Gb solid state disk version coming out soon.

The design of the Q1 is pretty neat and I quite like the gloss black finish. I lost count how many times people at work and even strangers on the train said to me ‘That looks cool, what is it?’.

The main reason for me wanting to try a UMPC type device is that I want something that I can use hand-held as I often end up standing for at least part of my journey to work and using a laptop while standing is virtually impossible. I thought that a UMPC might offer the solution.

The first disappointment about the Q1 was the control of the mouse. I thought that the control on the left of the screen was some kind of analogue stick and that would control the pointer. However, it does not! Despite it having an analogue feel it’s actually a digital control that acts like keyboard cursor keys. This is quite frustrating and I am obviously not alone in making this assumption as everyone that tried the device out all tried to move the pointer with this control.

You are therefore forced to use the touchscreen for pointer control. This is ok as the device is easy to hold with one hand while using the stylus with the other. General navigation is pretty easy with this method.

Test input in the Samsung Q1 is via one of two methods, there is an on-screen keyboard for use with the stylus or there are ‘Dial Keys’. ‘Dial Keys’ are displayed on screen on the left and right and allow you to use your thumbs to type whilst holding the device with two hands. They take a lot of getting used to but I’m sure with time they could be quite an efficient input method. However I did find that the native resolution (800 x 480) of the Q1 limited the usefulness of the Dial Keys.

While on the subject of the screen I am quite impressed with the quality of the LCD. It is sharp and clear and is bright and evenly lit. But still I do not think it’s native resolution is high enough.

The Q1 ships with an organiser pack and a USB keyboard. The organiser is a leather and suede pouch in which you can mount the Q1 and the keyboard. This seems like a decent idea but all this does is effectively turn the Q1 in to a laptop device which seems to me to defeat the object, especially when you consider that this also puts the weight up to about the same amount as an ultraportable laptop. It does however give you another way of using the device.

One thing that I did think was a bit silly about the keyboard fitting in the organiser pack was that the USB plug was too big and stuck out of the side of the case which means that you have to unplug it each time you want to put the thing away. Fitting a slimmer USB connector would have solved this problem.

Samsung claim that the battery life of the Q1, with the standard battery, is 3.5 hours. In reality I have been getting between 1.5 and two hours of use out of the Q1 with the power saving settings set to maximum. I initially thought that the battery was faulty but despite this being replaced by Samsung for a new one the battery life remains the same. This is a long way short of the claimed battery life.

There are two speakers on the front of the Q1 and the audio playback is pretty decent. The audio is enhanced by SRS; the setting for which can be altered through software controls.

One of the other things that I must have on a device is the ability to connect to the internet on the go. With the Q1 I simply set up a Bluetooth partnership with my phone and used that to get online. The Q1, unlike the other two devices on test, has a Compact Flash card slot on the top. Once CF 3G cards become readily available this with be a much better solution.

I struggled with the WiFi on the Q1. Despite the Q1 connecting to my 802.11g wireless router I found the performance quite poor, the range quite limited and it would also occasionally stop working all together. Luckily the Q1 has an RJ45 Ethernet socket so I was able to use this at home and work but this isn’t practical in a mobile scenario.

Another thing that I really liked about the Q1 was the stand that is built in to the unit. Whilst working at home I was able to stand the Q1 next to my laptop and watch videos playback while I was working.

Yesterday I went to visit family that I haven’t seen in quite some time so before I went I loaded all of our photos on the Q1 and I then set up a slide show and passed the device around. This is so much cooler than taking your photo album with you!

The built in VGA socket adds to the usefulness of the device. I can imagine that there are a lot of people out there that would want to take this device with them for presentations. You just need a standard VGA cable to hook the Q1 up to a larger monitor. This is something that I did earlier this week too! The VGA Socket is also hidden behind a flap which keeps the unit looking neat when you aren’t using it.

Overall the Samsung isn’t a bad device. With practice I’m sure that I would get used to the other input methods and become more productive. I used the Q1 while walking around the office and it was quite useful to be able to still have proper PC apps. running on the device, which is something you just cant do with a Pocket PC.

Come back next week to see how the Samsung Q1 compares to the other devices on test. We’ll also have a summary in a few weeks time!

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, UMPC, OQO, Samsung Q1, Ubiquio 702, Laptop, Tracy & Matt]

iPod shuffle crystal case from JAVOedge

Matt recently bought me a new second generation iPod Shuffle which I love.

Matt also keeps telling me how good JAVOedge products are so I asked him to get me a JAVOClearCase for it.

JAVOClearCases come in seven colours and what’s more the seven colours come in one pack!

Apple have just made the iPod Shuffle available in a new range of colours but with the Crystal Cases from JAVOedge you can change the colour of your iPod every day!

The cases are really easy to fit and remove. Not only do they look good but they protect your iPod from getting scratched.

“Design meets form and function. The JAVOClearCase maintains a low-profile to preserve the look and size of your Apple iPod Shuffle 2nd Generation without adding bulk or weight! Get all 7 available colors with this all inclusive 7-Pack!”

Key Features

I really like these cases, they are well designed and fit extremely well. The cut outs for the controls are in exactly the right place. I can also swap the colours as often as I like and at less than $8 for the pack of seven JAVOClearCases they are a bargain!

Tracy

[Post tag(s): iPod Shuffle, JAVOedge, JAVOClearCase, iPod, Tracy & Matt]

i-Mate JAQ3 Reviewed

Jack Cook of MobilitySite has just posted a decent review of the i-mate JAQ3.

“My first impression is that the JAQ3 is a device made for the mobile road warrior that wants the ability to perform all of those daily tasks quickly and easily like you can on a Smartphone but yet have that extra ability to perform more in depth functions provided by the typical device that has the Pocket PC OS incorporated in it. The JAQ3 uniquely incorporates a QWERTY keyboard, a landscape touch-screen and 4-way navigation/action button as well as a JOG Dial and an OK key on the left side to make one handed access easy.”

Read the full review on MobilitySite.

Remember, you can still order the I-Mate JAQ3 from Clove Technology and save £20 off the normal price with the voucher code located HERE.

Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, i-Mate, i-Mate JAQ3, JAQ3, Tracy & Matt]

UMPC Group Test (Part 1)

I’m sure that I have mentioned this before on the blog but I commute to and from London every day and try to get some work done on the train. As I’m doing more on the blog these days I need to use a laptop more and I need my internet access.

At the moment I have a small Dell Latitude D420 which I carry everywhere with me. It’s light and fairly powerful and there isn’t much wrong with it. I even have a built in 3G card. The problem I have isn’t with the laptop as such but anyone that uses trains regularly and takes their laptop will know (probably) that the space between seats coupled with the tiny seat back tables makes using a laptop pretty awkward, even with a fairly small laptop. There are also few tables on most trains.

Pocket PC mobile devices aren’t quite powerful enough for the job and they also do not run the software that I need to use. But now that UMPC devices are becoming more common I thought that one of these might solve my problem as most of these are designed for hand held operation.

Luckily my friends from eXpansys were kind enough to lend me a few devices (the UBiQUiO and the OQO) to test for this purpose.

So over the next few weeks I’m going to be ‘real world’ testing and reviewing three UMPC devices. I’ll be letting you know which one I think’s best.

The devices I shall be reviewing are:

The UBiQUiO 702

The OQO Model 01

The Samsung Q1

Specification of each device:

Matt

[Technorati tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, UMPC, OQO, Samsung Q1, Ubiquio 702, Laptop, Tracy & Matt]

SanDisk Sansa e270 MP3 player review followup

I just wanted to offer a quick follow up to the SanDisk Sansa review that i posted last year.

I’ve been using my Sansa e270 every day for the past three months and one thing that has amzed me above all else is the battery life. I use the player for 2 hours each day in the three months that I’ve had the device I have have only charged it about a half dozen times. It is averaging 20 hours of playback per charge!

I don’t think there are many other MP3 players out there that can boast the same sort of battery life.

Posted by: Matt

[Technorati tag(s): MP3 Player, SanDisk, Sansa e200, media player, SanDisk Sansa e270]

Parrot SOUND SYSTEM review

Introduction
MP3 music can be found everywhere – on your MP3 player, your mobile phone and your PC. The Parrot SOUND SYSTEM is a new wireless hi-fi concept. Say goodbye to those cables when listening to your favourite tracks: stream by Bluetooth to the Parrot speakers.

The Parrot SOUND SYSTEM consists of two independent speaker units. Each speaker contains a built-in digital two-channel Class-D amplifier with a 60W output. The speakers are linked together by Bluetooth. Each unit also has its own set of volume controls and a pairing button.

First Impressions
I was initially surprised at just how heavy these speakers were, then I remembered that each unit had its own power supply and amp. I like design of the speakers which come in a white lacquered cabinet. The black fabric speaker covers can be removed and automatically snap in place via magnets.

Usage
The initial set up of the speakers is very simple. All you have to do is plug the speakers in to the mains and press the pairing button. Then it’s just a case of discovering the speakers with either your PC or Mobile Device.

You can also use the speakers with non-Bluetooth devices with the supplied line-in cable. This is a pretty neat idea as you can connect your device to one of the speakers and the audio will also be output to the other speaker as they communicate with each other over Bluetooth.

I did experience some issues with the speakers when reconnecting to them via Bluetooth with both my laptop and HTC TyTN. The first time I establish a partnership and connect they work just fine but if I disconnect and reconnect again later I cant get them to work again, I have to delete the partnership and recreate it to make it work.

This issue may well be more to do with a problem with the Bluetooth implementation on my laptop and mobile device rather than a fault with the speakers but this does illustrate a way in which Bluetooth technology can let you down!

The speakers sound quite impressive. The weight added by the internal transformer and amplifier make for a good bass response while the top end is nice and bright.

Conclusion
I use my Parrot SOUND SYSTEM speakers all the time. My laptop, like many these days, has tiny built in speakers which sound awful for anything other than system sounds. With the Parrot Bluetooth speakers I can simply connect to them when I want to listen to music and I don’t have to worry about cables. They offer a decent solution for anyone wanting wireless audio from their PC, Mobile Phone or Bluetooth Capable MP3 player. The independent speaker units mean that you can plug the speakers in to the mains at opposite ends of a room and still experience stereo sound.

Parrot SOUND SYSTEM specification:

More Wireless Speakers available at Maplin

Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile blog, Parrot, Parrot SOUND SYSTEM, Bluetooth, Tracy & Matt]

HTC P4350 (HTC Herald) review

The HTC Herald was first announced towards the end of 2006 and the device generated a lot of interest. One thing that seemed to ‘excite’ people about the device was the size. At 59mm x 109mm x 17mm the Herald is a lot slimmer than the Hermes which measures 58mm x 112.5mm x 21.95mm. The Herald is also about 16g lighter than the Hermes.

HTC’s own commercial arm released the HTC Herald as the HTC P4350 (catchy name!) and the device is now available from a number of UK retailers for around £380. So far the P4350 is not available on contract from any UK operator. Despite this the P4350 is proving to be popular.

There have been several other reviews of the HTC P4350 so I hope mine will serve as a summary.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The first thing I noticed about the P4350 was the clean lines of the device and the neat arrangement of of the main navigation buttons below the screen. However the Email and Internet buttons present above the screen on Hermes devices are missing from the P4350.

The other thing you notice is the new keyboard sliding mechanism. On the P4350 the keyboard mechanism is spring loaded and snaps open or closed smartly. This change to the keyboard mechanism is a welcome one and this is similar to the action of the keypad on the Samsung D900. The other nice thing about the sliding keyboard is that opening it turns the screen on but closing it will not!

The keyboard on the HTC P4350 is opens the other way to all of the previous HTC devices. Being a HTC TyTN user it does take a little time to get used to the device opening this other way but it now suits me better as a left hander.

USAGE
A very welcome addition to the keyboard area are the two indicator LED’s. These LED’s indicate the Fn and Caps lock status. I find this very useful!

I also like the fact that you can access the microSD card externally and that the slot is hidden behind a rubber flap which helps to stop the memory card flying out if you should drop the device.

The HTC P4350 has a full size stylus. This is a welcome change as recently HTC have included telescopic styli with their devices. Being full sized might mean that I stop using my fingers so much!

The camera on the back of the P4350 is your usual HTC 2.0 mega pixel unit but the P4350 does not have a ‘flash’. The quality of photos from the camera is pretty average and there is no front facing video conference camera, however as the P4350 does not have 3G this would be impractical anyway.

On the bottom of the P4350 you’ll find an Enhanced miniUSB connector. This type of connector has become standard on HTC devices lately. When HTC first added this connector to devices it was really annoying! It meant that you had to use the headphones the shipped with the device rather than your own decent headphones. I even provided a headset modding service for a while. However there are a number of manufacturers are now selling adapters.

CONCLUSION
I’ve been using the HTC P4350 for a few weeks now and it’s currently my main device. I initially thought that the lack of 3G would be annoying and hold me back. However I have not missed the 3G service at all. I really like the new keyboard mechanism and find that the P4350 is extremely easy to use one-handed. I do miss the jog wheel which has been replaced with a slider on the P4350.

The battery life on the P4350 is great lasting much longer than my TyTN. This is probably due to the lack of 3G which does suck power. I fond myself charging the device a lot less often.

The WiFi on the P4350 is very easy to use and set up and one thing that is great about AKU3 is that you can paste the network key in to the box. This is extremely useful when your network key is 63 digits long! With previous AKU versions you were expected to type this in!

I really like the HTC P4350, it is definitely my favourite device at the moment. I would like the device to the 3G and HSDPA but this isn’t a huge problem for me. Being slimmer than the HTC TyTN is good as it fits in my pocket that much easier.

Thanks to HTC for letting me borrow the device, I really wish I could keep it!

Here are some more photos of the HTC P4350:

HTC P4350 (HTC Herald) Specification

See the full specification on the HTC product page.

Matt

[Post tag(s): smartphone blog, Pocket PC blog, Windows Mobile Blog, Dopod, HTC P4350, HTC Herald, HTC Excalibur, Tracy & Matt]