Tuesday, June 14, 2005
A Quick Look at the HP hw6515 Messenger
Posted by Ekkie Tepsupornchai in "HARDWARE" @ 06:00 AM
Some of you may recall this thread regarding the delayed release date for this hw6515 device, I am now hearing that the release will actually be much sooner than the reported November date. The hw6515 will originally ship in late-July with WM2003SE, but will be re-released with Windows Mobile 5 in early 2006. The device reviewed here is a pre-production version of the hw6515 with WM2003SE. The sister-model, hw6715 (same specifications except with WiFi), will ship in early 2006.
I recently had the opportunity to test the HP hw6515 device. Unfortunately, this was a pre-production unit without the GPS support, so I didn't get to preview the one feature I was most curious about. Overall, the device provides a good medium-point between users who want more power than the standard MS Smartphone, but still want the convenience of hardware-based alphanumeric text input capability (in this case, the thumbpad) without going overboard on size and weight. This review is not a thorough review by any means. I only wish to provide my impressions in using the device for the limited time I had it. Additionally, some of the comparison photographs are a bit blurry. I apologize ahead of time as I didn't have my regular digital camera handy when I had the competing RIM and Treo devices in my possession (I had to resort to my phone camera instead). With that, please read on for my humble impressions along with a handful of screenshots and comparison photos.
Figure 1: Today screen with PocketPlus... you can see the screen is cramped even with minimal information.
Figure 2: PocketInformant displays without any issues.
The obvious sacrifice with the hw6515 is the QVGA-quality square-resolution screen. I wasn't quite as bothered by the QVGA-class resolution as I thought I would be. However, on the downside, it does feel obvious that the WM2003 OS platform wasn't built with this square-aspect ratio in mind; I found myself having to scroll vertically through screens that shouldn't require it. I didn't have the luxury of time to fully test this device with every PocketPC application I own. Instead, I focused my testing on a few key applications that I use most often. Amongst that group, all were 100% functional with the square screens (you'll see from the screenshots how PIE, PI, ListPro, PocketPlus, and PocketMusic all display). The thumbpad takes time to adjust to as the keys are very small (I would expect this to be the case for any thumbpad device), but once I adapted, it was nice to be able to enter text without needing my stylus. While FITALY input is still the faster method of input for me, the thumbpad proved to be the easier method of input as it doesn't require the same level of precision / concentration as FITALY and the learning curve was obviously short. I should mention though that there were occasional instances where I had to rely on the SIP keyboard to input specific characters (such as the backslash character).
Figure 3: No problems with ListPro either.
Figure 4: You really need an app like PocketPlus to help maximize the screen real-estate for PIE. BTW, is there any surprise that the post you see is from Darius? The man is a posting-machine!
As a phone device, the hw6515's sound quality was surprisingly clear both in speaking and listening. Operating this device with my Bluetooth headset worked exactly as it should, in both bonding and in standard use. The screen visibility without the backlight is better than most backlit-reflective devices. It's certainly much easier to read (without the backlight) than my current hx4705 and it's almost as good as my old sidelit-reflective iPaq 3870. This may sound trivial, but what it means is that within most environments with adequate lighting, I could comfortably use the device without the backlight, allowing me to conserve battery should I ever need to. In terms of size and weight, the device is lighter and smaller than I had expected (see the comparison shots below with the RIM Blackberry 7230 and Treo 600). Finally, this device is an EDGE-GPRS-enabled device. As a T-Mobile user, I've never tested out EDGE speeds before now, so this was a point of curiosity for me as well. For those of you in the same boat as I, allow me to ensure you that the speed difference between the EDGE connection and a standard GPRS connection was VERY noticeable.
Figure 5: PocketMusic worked surprisingly well. You can't see as much information as one of the sub-windows will be minimized. Given the limitations though, the program displayed as it should.
Figure 6: You can toggle Bluetooth and/or the phone signal on or off
Overall, HP seems to have done fairly well here. I don't see this as being the right device for power-users (which is probably 90% of the reading audience here at PPCT). The sacrifices in screen resolution and aspect ratio would be too much for most of us to accept, but for regular consumers who wants a reasonably pocketable convergence device with hardware input and basic PocketPC functionality, this would be a tough option to pass up. From an enterprise point-of-view, it's not quite a RIM-killer due to the lack of push-email support and due to the lack of elegance in which WM2003 handles square-aspect screens. Once this device is re-released with Windows Mobile 5, I would expect this to be a much more compelling solution.
Figure 7: Here's the dialer.
Figure 8: Holding down the power-button reveals a profiles menu with a variety of options.
Figure 9: The hw6515 side-by-side with my hx4705. Can you tell the screen is easier to read on the hw6515 without the backlight?
Figure 10: Standard view - from left-to-right: Treo 600, HP hw6515, RIM Blackberry 7230.
Figure 11: Side view - from top-to-bottom: RIM Blackberry 7230, Treo 600, HP hw6515.
Figure 12: Top view - from top-to-bottom: RIM Blackberry 7230, Treo 600, HP hw6515.
Figure 12: Bottom view - from top-to-bottom: RIM Blackberry 7230, Treo 600, HP hw6515.
I recently had the opportunity to test the HP hw6515 device. Unfortunately, this was a pre-production unit without the GPS support, so I didn't get to preview the one feature I was most curious about. Overall, the device provides a good medium-point between users who want more power than the standard MS Smartphone, but still want the convenience of hardware-based alphanumeric text input capability (in this case, the thumbpad) without going overboard on size and weight. This review is not a thorough review by any means. I only wish to provide my impressions in using the device for the limited time I had it. Additionally, some of the comparison photographs are a bit blurry. I apologize ahead of time as I didn't have my regular digital camera handy when I had the competing RIM and Treo devices in my possession (I had to resort to my phone camera instead). With that, please read on for my humble impressions along with a handful of screenshots and comparison photos.
Figure 1: Today screen with PocketPlus... you can see the screen is cramped even with minimal information.
Figure 2: PocketInformant displays without any issues.
The obvious sacrifice with the hw6515 is the QVGA-quality square-resolution screen. I wasn't quite as bothered by the QVGA-class resolution as I thought I would be. However, on the downside, it does feel obvious that the WM2003 OS platform wasn't built with this square-aspect ratio in mind; I found myself having to scroll vertically through screens that shouldn't require it. I didn't have the luxury of time to fully test this device with every PocketPC application I own. Instead, I focused my testing on a few key applications that I use most often. Amongst that group, all were 100% functional with the square screens (you'll see from the screenshots how PIE, PI, ListPro, PocketPlus, and PocketMusic all display). The thumbpad takes time to adjust to as the keys are very small (I would expect this to be the case for any thumbpad device), but once I adapted, it was nice to be able to enter text without needing my stylus. While FITALY input is still the faster method of input for me, the thumbpad proved to be the easier method of input as it doesn't require the same level of precision / concentration as FITALY and the learning curve was obviously short. I should mention though that there were occasional instances where I had to rely on the SIP keyboard to input specific characters (such as the backslash character).
Figure 3: No problems with ListPro either.
Figure 4: You really need an app like PocketPlus to help maximize the screen real-estate for PIE. BTW, is there any surprise that the post you see is from Darius? The man is a posting-machine!
As a phone device, the hw6515's sound quality was surprisingly clear both in speaking and listening. Operating this device with my Bluetooth headset worked exactly as it should, in both bonding and in standard use. The screen visibility without the backlight is better than most backlit-reflective devices. It's certainly much easier to read (without the backlight) than my current hx4705 and it's almost as good as my old sidelit-reflective iPaq 3870. This may sound trivial, but what it means is that within most environments with adequate lighting, I could comfortably use the device without the backlight, allowing me to conserve battery should I ever need to. In terms of size and weight, the device is lighter and smaller than I had expected (see the comparison shots below with the RIM Blackberry 7230 and Treo 600). Finally, this device is an EDGE-GPRS-enabled device. As a T-Mobile user, I've never tested out EDGE speeds before now, so this was a point of curiosity for me as well. For those of you in the same boat as I, allow me to ensure you that the speed difference between the EDGE connection and a standard GPRS connection was VERY noticeable.
Figure 5: PocketMusic worked surprisingly well. You can't see as much information as one of the sub-windows will be minimized. Given the limitations though, the program displayed as it should.
Figure 6: You can toggle Bluetooth and/or the phone signal on or off
Overall, HP seems to have done fairly well here. I don't see this as being the right device for power-users (which is probably 90% of the reading audience here at PPCT). The sacrifices in screen resolution and aspect ratio would be too much for most of us to accept, but for regular consumers who wants a reasonably pocketable convergence device with hardware input and basic PocketPC functionality, this would be a tough option to pass up. From an enterprise point-of-view, it's not quite a RIM-killer due to the lack of push-email support and due to the lack of elegance in which WM2003 handles square-aspect screens. Once this device is re-released with Windows Mobile 5, I would expect this to be a much more compelling solution.
Figure 7: Here's the dialer.
Figure 8: Holding down the power-button reveals a profiles menu with a variety of options.
Figure 9: The hw6515 side-by-side with my hx4705. Can you tell the screen is easier to read on the hw6515 without the backlight?
Figure 10: Standard view - from left-to-right: Treo 600, HP hw6515, RIM Blackberry 7230.
Figure 11: Side view - from top-to-bottom: RIM Blackberry 7230, Treo 600, HP hw6515.
Figure 12: Top view - from top-to-bottom: RIM Blackberry 7230, Treo 600, HP hw6515.
Figure 12: Bottom view - from top-to-bottom: RIM Blackberry 7230, Treo 600, HP hw6515.
