Thursday, November 21, 2002
The Hidden Gems inside the New iPAQ H5450
Posted by Jason Dunn in "HARDWARE" @ 03:31 PM
Chris Hendriks, one of the 230+ people who applied for the Thoughts reviewer team, has written a trial article so interesting I wanted to publish it right away. I love it when I learn new things, and if you do too, give this article a read.
"The new iPAQ H5450 is a must have item for those power users who are corridor or road warriors. A sleek, powerful Pocket PC that integrates four distinct wireless technologies within the updated but classic IPAQ form factor. Within this deceivingly similar form factor reminiscent of the H3800 and H3900 series, hides a number of firsts or “hidden gems” for the iPAQ line of PDAs."
The new iPAQ H5450 is a must have item for those power users who are corridor or road warriors. A sleek, powerful Pocket PC that integrates four distinct wireless technologies within the updated but classic IPAQ form factor. Within this deceivingly similar form factor reminiscent of the H3800 and H3900 series, hides a number of firsts or “hidden gems” for the iPAQ line of PDAs.
The first of these is the new MediaQ MQ-1100 video controller. To quote the MediaQ press release …
“The MediaQ platform controller provides stunning new 3.8-inch transflective-TFT color screens with support for 240x320-resolution and 65k vivid colors in the iPAQ Pocket PC h5400. MediaQ's graphic acceleration solution sets the industry standard by providing a rich visual environment that enables multimedia applications and data services delivered over wireless networks. The controller features a full 64-bit 2D graphics engine and 256KB embedded SRAM, which simultaneously improves the graphics performance of applications while reducing overall system power consumption.”
The graphics chip also adds hardware support for screen rotation by 90, 180, or 270 degrees. Software developers will make use of this feature especially for gaming.
A Screen to Die For
A second “hidden gem” is the new 3.8” transflective TFT color screen that was designed for a truly vivid user experience. Though the 3900 series iPAQ uses a similar transflective technology, the 5400 series takes this experience to a new level. The 5400 series screen was designed from the beginning to support Microsoft ClearType and to provide a bright yet True Color display. The “blue glow” or “bluish white background” reminiscent of other iPAQs is no more.
Can You Hear That?
The 5400 series is the first iPAQ to offer a custom 16-bit integrated audio controller with separate stereo headphone and mono speaker amplifiers designed to eliminate that annoying speaker “pop” (the third hidden gem). The definition for 16-bit audio describes the benefit of this new feature:
“A unit of measure that indicates the resolution of a digitized sound sample. The higher the resolution, the better the audio fidelity. 16-bit audio is the standard used for standard audio Compact Discs (CD-DA).”
Those of us who often listen to audio files should be in for a distinct treat when listening to our favorite music selections by headphones or powered speakers. The audio system adds a couple more firsts for the iPAQ line. The speaker is at the top and the microphone at the bottom of the PDA (great for VoIP or just recording notes). For the first time, the audio out jack offers not only stereo out but also microphone out. Many of us will be able to tape personal, meeting, or lecture notes using a more directional microphone as an accessory than the one built into the PDA. The old “record” button on the top left hand side has been changed to support the volume up (with an upwards toggle), volume down (with a downward toggle), and voice record (with a press in the center of the toggle switch).
A One-Two Punch: Battery & Wireless
The fourth “hidden” gem is not that hidden but quite obvious – the new removable and re-chargeable battery. Wow, I love this feature! I can order another standard or extended battery and quickly exchange it with the discharged one and I am back in business.
Finally, the new 5400 series iPAQ integrates four wireless technologies:
• SIR – Serial IR for standard file transfer
• CIR – Consumer IR or the new Universal Remote feature first seen in the 3900 series but further refined in the 5400 series. Control your audio and video equipment!
• WLAN 802.11b – Wireless LAN for roaming the hallways and corridors between meetings yet still staying in touch with email, Instant Messaging (IM), and VoIP (chat with your colleagues)
• Bluetooth – Connect to your Bluetooth cell phone when on the road to get email or other information. Print out files to Bluetooth enable printers. Use one of the other new Bluetooth profiles that are first to the 5400 series.
This Isn't Your Father's Pocket PC...
Obviously the new feature rich iPAQ H5450 Pocket PC is not for everyone. I wouldn’t buy one for my mother who has never used a PDA before. This new PDA is definitely designed for the technophile, the corridor warrior, and the road warrior. This is the perfect PDA for the individual who must be connected but likes the convenience of having separate data and voice devices that can be easily connected via Bluetooth. Going out for dinner or a movie on the weekend? Leave your iPAQ at home and just bring your small unobtrusive mobile phone. Going on a business trip? Pack both your iPAQ and mobile phone for maximum convenience.
I must add a final word of caution for any owner of the new iPAQ H5450. You WILL disrupt any business meeting or event when you pull out the 5450. Please be prepared to get to your meeting or event early so that you can demo and pass it around to all your colleagues. Be prepared for total strangers to walk up to you in order to see your new 5450 – especially if using VoIP! Also, make sure that your boss has own 5450 before he sees yours!
You have been warned – now enjoy!
"The new iPAQ H5450 is a must have item for those power users who are corridor or road warriors. A sleek, powerful Pocket PC that integrates four distinct wireless technologies within the updated but classic IPAQ form factor. Within this deceivingly similar form factor reminiscent of the H3800 and H3900 series, hides a number of firsts or “hidden gems” for the iPAQ line of PDAs."
The new iPAQ H5450 is a must have item for those power users who are corridor or road warriors. A sleek, powerful Pocket PC that integrates four distinct wireless technologies within the updated but classic IPAQ form factor. Within this deceivingly similar form factor reminiscent of the H3800 and H3900 series, hides a number of firsts or “hidden gems” for the iPAQ line of PDAs.
The first of these is the new MediaQ MQ-1100 video controller. To quote the MediaQ press release …
“The MediaQ platform controller provides stunning new 3.8-inch transflective-TFT color screens with support for 240x320-resolution and 65k vivid colors in the iPAQ Pocket PC h5400. MediaQ's graphic acceleration solution sets the industry standard by providing a rich visual environment that enables multimedia applications and data services delivered over wireless networks. The controller features a full 64-bit 2D graphics engine and 256KB embedded SRAM, which simultaneously improves the graphics performance of applications while reducing overall system power consumption.”
The graphics chip also adds hardware support for screen rotation by 90, 180, or 270 degrees. Software developers will make use of this feature especially for gaming.
A Screen to Die For
A second “hidden gem” is the new 3.8” transflective TFT color screen that was designed for a truly vivid user experience. Though the 3900 series iPAQ uses a similar transflective technology, the 5400 series takes this experience to a new level. The 5400 series screen was designed from the beginning to support Microsoft ClearType and to provide a bright yet True Color display. The “blue glow” or “bluish white background” reminiscent of other iPAQs is no more.
Can You Hear That?
The 5400 series is the first iPAQ to offer a custom 16-bit integrated audio controller with separate stereo headphone and mono speaker amplifiers designed to eliminate that annoying speaker “pop” (the third hidden gem). The definition for 16-bit audio describes the benefit of this new feature:
“A unit of measure that indicates the resolution of a digitized sound sample. The higher the resolution, the better the audio fidelity. 16-bit audio is the standard used for standard audio Compact Discs (CD-DA).”
Those of us who often listen to audio files should be in for a distinct treat when listening to our favorite music selections by headphones or powered speakers. The audio system adds a couple more firsts for the iPAQ line. The speaker is at the top and the microphone at the bottom of the PDA (great for VoIP or just recording notes). For the first time, the audio out jack offers not only stereo out but also microphone out. Many of us will be able to tape personal, meeting, or lecture notes using a more directional microphone as an accessory than the one built into the PDA. The old “record” button on the top left hand side has been changed to support the volume up (with an upwards toggle), volume down (with a downward toggle), and voice record (with a press in the center of the toggle switch).
A One-Two Punch: Battery & Wireless
The fourth “hidden” gem is not that hidden but quite obvious – the new removable and re-chargeable battery. Wow, I love this feature! I can order another standard or extended battery and quickly exchange it with the discharged one and I am back in business.
Finally, the new 5400 series iPAQ integrates four wireless technologies:
• SIR – Serial IR for standard file transfer
• CIR – Consumer IR or the new Universal Remote feature first seen in the 3900 series but further refined in the 5400 series. Control your audio and video equipment!
• WLAN 802.11b – Wireless LAN for roaming the hallways and corridors between meetings yet still staying in touch with email, Instant Messaging (IM), and VoIP (chat with your colleagues)
• Bluetooth – Connect to your Bluetooth cell phone when on the road to get email or other information. Print out files to Bluetooth enable printers. Use one of the other new Bluetooth profiles that are first to the 5400 series.
This Isn't Your Father's Pocket PC...
Obviously the new feature rich iPAQ H5450 Pocket PC is not for everyone. I wouldn’t buy one for my mother who has never used a PDA before. This new PDA is definitely designed for the technophile, the corridor warrior, and the road warrior. This is the perfect PDA for the individual who must be connected but likes the convenience of having separate data and voice devices that can be easily connected via Bluetooth. Going out for dinner or a movie on the weekend? Leave your iPAQ at home and just bring your small unobtrusive mobile phone. Going on a business trip? Pack both your iPAQ and mobile phone for maximum convenience.
I must add a final word of caution for any owner of the new iPAQ H5450. You WILL disrupt any business meeting or event when you pull out the 5450. Please be prepared to get to your meeting or event early so that you can demo and pass it around to all your colleagues. Be prepared for total strangers to walk up to you in order to see your new 5450 – especially if using VoIP! Also, make sure that your boss has own 5450 before he sees yours!
You have been warned – now enjoy!
