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By Melvin Teo
May 10, 2006

HP's second GPS-enabled iPaq, the hw6965, comes less than a year after the launch of its first offering (the hw6515) in 2005. Although much of the hw6515's form factor and design have been retained, the innards of the new iPaq have certainly undergone a major overhaul, from its operating system (Windows Mobile 5.0) and onboard applications (built-in support for push email) to enhanced features such as a faster processor and Wi-Fi. More features, however, don't necessarily translate to better performance, as we found out in the hw6965.

Design
Try to think of the last HP handheld that grabbed your attention with its stunning looks and sexy design, and you'd probably be struggling just like us. A couple of years back, while O2's svelte mini broke any age-old perceptions about PDA-phones being chunky bricks that made belts a necessity, the iPaq h6365 restored some measure of that public opinion right back. Thus, even though it was a solid performer, it hardly grabbed the spotlight. This time round, the hw6965, as with its hw6515 predecessor, boasts a clean outlook--decked in a single, matt-silver shade and black posterior casing--which somehow manages to swing public opinion between stylishly executive and unattractively plain. No such qualms about its excellent, rugged build quality, though. Even the plastic screen cover, which can be flipped open and automatically locked in place, is well-constructed and never feels flimsy, yet can be easily removed without any hassle. Keeping the cover on during phone calls also prevents the screen from being smudged with facial oils.

Size-wise, the hw6965 is virtually identical to the hw6515. However, while it manages to trim 3mm off its thickness, a gain of 16g makes the handheld even heavier than the Treo 650. As it is, the width and weight will put off conventional mobile phone users pampered in recent times by feather-light clamshells, although PDA traditionalists should have no such problem acclimatizing.

Considering the squarish screen display, central joystick and full QWERTY keypad with white backlight, a comparison with the reigning king of one-handed PDA operation becomes inevitable. However, while the Treo 650's navigational pad is excellent, the hw6965's central joystick is a tad too stiff and uncomfortable to use. Partially due to this, and also because of its somewhat wider footprint, we never felt natural using the hw6965 in a one-handed fashion like the Treo. Nevertheless, we still managed decent two-thumbed messaging speeds with the reasonably spaced keys even if they were not as ergonomically raised as those on the Palm offering.

The volume rocker switch on the upper left is handy and easily manipulated using the index finger. A tough, sizeable stylus ensures that long periods of graffiti writing don't cause finger cramps. However, the device lacks a shortcut key for quick access to the wireless manager, which is a strange omission considering the wealth of wireless options.

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