HP iPaq hw6915 PocketPC phone reviewed

We've been on the fence about HP's hw6000 line of Swiss Army phones ever since we first spotted the GPS-equipped iPaq hw6515 -- these models include everything but the kitchen sink, but they also force you to use that non-standard 240 x 240 screen. Still, MobileTechReview's in-depth look at the latest member of the family, the hw6915, makes us think we could overlook the square screen and lack of 3G data options because, well, the rest of this Windows Mobile 5.0-powered smartphone sounds like exactly what us convergence-geeks are seeking. According to MTR, the quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE handset impresses on many fronts, including its solid keyboard, powerful internal antenna, GPS performance, and best-in-class benchmark numbers. HP also throws in some nice extras, like helpful Today screen plug-ins, a full-featured wireless radio manager, the ability to location-stamp photos, and even A2DP in the Bluetooth stack, which isn't normally included in WM5 AKU2 devices out of the box. Besides the fact that this screen resolution may not support all third-party apps, the only real knock to this model concerns the camera's startup/shutter lags -- and if that's the worst thing to be said about a device that seemingly does it all, then we're totally sold.

[bob @ May 15th 2006 3:30PM]

do phone manufactuerers really want to fall under a reliance to microsoft like the pc manufacturers? cause thats the way its going.

[RyanV @ May 15th 2006 3:39PM]

now if they could only get this thing to market... it is months overdue.

[John Laur @ May 15th 2006 3:41PM]

I have the hw6515 and find it to be a capable device; however it slightly "misses" on all fronts. I think this mainly comes from the fact that so much junk is in there that it's hard to get any one thing right.

The keyboard isn't that great. After a few months of use mine doesn't register keypresses 100% of the time. You have to really watch to make sure it doesn't skip on you. The blue backlighting underneath the keys makes for horrible contrast; it's hard to see. Blue lights are always neat but for usability it should be red or white.

The GPS drains the internal battery like nobody's business. You absolutely have to plug the unit in to use it for more than, say, 30 minutes or so. If you've gotta carry around a car adaptor anyway, you could just as easily get one that has a GPS built into it. Still, it's nice to have in a pinch I guess.

The card slots on the side suck for any SDIO application. The card slot ought to be on the top.

The flip-down cover is the best feature of the phone. You can actually hold it up to your face without mucking up the screen; however it too misses in that it's smoked color and not clear, so you can't read the display through it in many cases when you just need a quick glance at the today screen. It's an awful design choice in an otherwise great feature!

For all the stuff it does, it really needs a couple of extra application buttons. There are only two on the face of the 6515 and the 6915 has to do away with those entirely for the soft buttons! Thus the only button available on the newer phone is the camera button on the side.

Obviously it's been stated already but application compatibility on the 240x240 screen is really extremely severely lacking. Hopefully the Treo 700w will spur this along a bit since it will be far more popular, but it still will be a problem for a lot of existing software that makes the 240x320 assumption. WM applications are simply not written for this screen and the usability they sacrifice simply drawing the top title bar and the bottom menu bar on every screen all the time is immense.

As a phone, it's passible I guess, but the radio is not the greatest nor is the little speaker. It's not comfortable to hold and You can hear feedback from poor sheilding. A bluetooth headset is a good idea, so long as it's not an HP headset!

[Robert @ May 15th 2006 3:42PM]

HP made bluetooth headphones they were horrible search google... and i have the ipag 6515 and the battery life is fine 1 whole week with out charging it. and also as a replacement headsed for the HP's i would recomend the MOTOROLA HT820 works much better but doesnt break the hp's
- Robert
[e-mail]

[lindsay @ May 15th 2006 3:44PM]

http://www.apponcell.com
nice to have for cell phone

[Shmoe @ May 15th 2006 4:05PM]

I can't overlook the square screen. That's just stupid.

[ramos @ May 15th 2006 4:06PM]

nokia E61 beats it hands down with it's 330Mhz chip and a nuumber of very advance pro features.

http://my-symbian.com/s60v3/review_e61.php

[Ted @ May 15th 2006 4:31PM]

Is it just me or does that screen look like it has WAY too much information on it for a 240x240 screen? After using the Treo700w for 10 days, I can't see getting anywhere that much information on the today screen...even at the smallest font setting.

[Andrew Stone @ May 15th 2006 8:06PM]

#2, Bob: "do phone manufactuerers really want to fall under a reliance to microsoft like the pc manufacturers? cause thats the way its going."

Did you happen to see who makes the phone we are talking about here? I think worrying about HP climbing in to bed with microsoft is a little funny at this point, don't you?

[RyanV @ May 15th 2006 8:09PM]

#7 - so how does the GPS on the Nokia E61 fare? oh wait... it doesnt have it.

[Pat Horne @ May 15th 2006 8:32PM]

Nor a touch screen?

[Pat Horne @ May 15th 2006 8:35PM]

#4 Thanks for the neat mini-review. What is cool here is that you actually share the useability, which the mhz-mips-megabyte crowd seems to overlook. Here's a good one on the Treo & HTC in the real world ...
http://www.technologyevangelist.com/2006/05/treo_700w_vs_ppc_670.html

[Rik @ May 15th 2006 9:10PM]

Weirdly the phone has vanished from the HP website - it used to appear as a 'coming soon' model. I'm holding off buying a new phone/ppc (My Tosh e800 is getting a little long in the tooth now) but if they don't get this out soon I'll have to look elsewhere

[Tim @ May 15th 2006 10:04PM]

Man... the hw6915 better not be butt slow like my old hw6515. I'm glad they added new features to this guy, but is it really worth the 240x240?

[Slaven @ May 15th 2006 10:31PM]

I think us (the early adopters) are way too forgiving when it comes to this stuff. I mean sure it's got everything you need on paper, but what if most of those features kinda, sorta worked? What if the phone just locked up when you tried to answer an incoming call? Or occasionally lowered ringer to zero while disabling vibrate at the same time?

You think I'm exaggerating? Read on:
http://slavior.blogspot.com/2006/04/windows-mobile-and-ipaq-hw6515_20.html

Welcome to HP hw6515 - it does everything, just really really badly. The irony is that the square screen was the least of my worries.

[Slaven @ May 15th 2006 10:33PM]

"Man... the hw6915 better not be butt slow like my old hw6515. I'm glad they added new features to this guy, but is it really worth the 240x240?"

Oh yeah, I forgot to rant about that! :)

[xbit @ May 16th 2006 8:24AM]

"do phone manufactuerers really want to fall under a reliance to microsoft like the pc manufacturers? cause thats the way its going."

That's why Nokia and Sony Ericsson use Symbian exclusively for their smartphones and why Motorola are increasingly using Linux.

It's only niche manufacturers (HTC) and existing PC manufacturers (HP) who are making Microsoft smartphones with any real conviction.

[RyanV @ May 16th 2006 3:03PM]

as long as i can make/receive calls, find movie times and weather reports on the web, and be able to get driving directions to John's Pizza on Bleeker Street from anywhere in the country it will be a winner to me - even with a 240x240 screen :)

[junkinhere @ Jul 11th 2006 4:23PM]

I was looking around for a phone that would be compatible with Skype - and here it is!

Being new to the Smartphone/PDA scene - I found the device a little slow (navigating through the menus). But the features like wi-fi make it a fantastic product.

If i'm to pointout anything bad about the hw6915, it would be that everything I launch - stays open and impacts on the performance.

Me happy!

[Won Hung Lo @ Jul 22nd 2006 9:18PM]

Well, I've played with this phone for several days now and am getting more frustrated all the time. It is very slow to boot up... I allow the phone to lock itself after 5 minutes of inactivity. To start it upo again requires a quick 4 digit code... but this phone takes a long time to ready itself to accept the code! Too long... then several agonizing seconds before you can access messaging, contacts, etc. TOO LONG!

Battery life is abysmal also, and you need to keep a spare nearby if you use your phone a lot.

I am using the Palm Treo 650 to compare... I've used the Treo for a year now... YES I KNOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT OS's! But... the Treo is ultra fast, switches on immediately, and you can find contacts, etc in 1/3 the time of the HP6900. Also, battery life on Treo is about 2 days for me, about 2/3 of a day on the HP.

I am very disappointed!