HP IPAQ H4150

The HP iPAQ h19xx series has proven to be a successful line of entry-level handhelds mixing slim and lightweight designs in a range of attractive packages. HP has now taken the step of offering a slightly modified version as a high-end device in the form of the iPAQ h4150 (£499 inc. VAT). That is not to say that HP is simply offering a standard device with a slightly improved specification. The h4150 takes full advantage of both integrated wireless LAN and Bluetooth.

The 3.5-inch touchscreen supports 240 x 320 pixels and up to 64,000 colours. Initial batches of the device had a problem with the screen appearing dull. Fortunately, this has been resolved with the screen of our review unit being bright and clear. The screen dominates the machine, but HP has modified the navigation buttons and directional key beneath the screen, making them less prone to being accidentally activated.

PERFORMANCE
Powered by the Intel 400MHz PXA255 XScale processor, the iPAQ h4150 has sufficient power to instantly load applications. Accompanied by 64MB of flash storage (56MB accessible to the user, with the remainder being reserved for the OS and for applications to use as a scratch disk so that they run quicker), this device has less memory than iPAQ’s older high-end device, the h5550. That said, 64MB is the standard for most Pocket PCs so it is not out of line with current capabilities. The Secure Digital slot on the top of the unit has support for IO, so can take a host of modern peripherals as well as write to SD cards faster than ever before.

The main focus of the iPAQ h4150 is on connectivity and as you would expect of a high-end device, it is fitted with both 802.11b and Bluetooth modules. Both features are identified as on or off by the flashing lights situated either side of the onswitch, with blue for Bluetooth and red for 802.11b wireless LAN. The addition of wireless connectivity has added to the weight and size of the h4150, but this is a mere 5g, taking the overall weight of the device to 130g – still highly pocketable.

Wireless can be a serious drain on battery life, but the h4150’s Lithium-Polymer offered up to 8 hours under typical usage. We did see a ten to twenty percent drop in battery life when using the Wi-Fi access on a regular basis, though. We would suggest that users who are not in a Wi-Fi hotspot learn to switch this function off in an effort to conserve battery life. With no hardware switch, linking either wireless connection really is as simple as clicking on the screen.

USABILITY
Supplied with a docking cradle, the iPAQ h4150 can be synchronised to a laptop using the USB cable and the standard ActiveSync software. The cradle also acts as a recharge unit but the device can be charged on the move using a connector that slots directly into the bottom of the device – ideal when you need to take your PDA away for more than a few days.

Alongside the standard applications that come with the Pocket PC 2003 operating system, the h4150 comes supplied with HP Mobile Print Centre, Bluetooth Manager, F-Secure FileCrypto Data Encryption and a host of iPAQ support applications, which make managing your PDA a great deal easier.

In use, we found the iPAQ h4150 to be a highly usable device. Once you grow accustomed to setting up a wireless connection, and remembering to switch it off when it’s not needed, the h4150 proves a reliable device to use. In keeping with other iPAQs, it can be used with an external keyboard.

The HP iPAQ h4150 joins the larger h5550 as the flagship models of the range, with the h5550 offering more storage space. Users looking for a Pocket PC with wireless connectivity will be hard-pressed to find one that is as small and usable as the h4150.

RATING: 9

PRICE: £424/£499 (EX/INC. VAT)
PROCESSOR: INTEL PXA255 400MHZ
OPERATING SYSTEM: POCKET PC 2003
MEMORY: 64MB SDRAM (56MB USER ACCESSIBLE)
EXPANSION: SECURE DIGITAL IO
SCREEN: 3.5-INCH / 240 X 320 PIXELS
BATTERY: LITHIUM-POLYMER
LINK: USB
SIZE: 71 X 114 X 14MM
WEIGHT: 130G
CONTACT: 0870 547 4747  WWW.HP.COM/UK