At A Glance:

The HP iPAQ Data Messenger was announced late last year. It is a quad band device utilising a Qualcomm MSM7201A 528 Mhz processor to drive Windows Mobile 6.1.

In the box
- Transceiver unit
- 1 standard battery
- Data Cable
- Charger set
- Headset
- Manuals

Exterior
The front of the device is shiny midnight blue, with what appears to be an optical navigation dial and two soft keys. The entire top half slides to one side to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard built into the bottom half of the device.

Buttons/Screen
The mute button is on top, while the volume toggle and lock buttons are on the left of the device. The covered USB port is on the right, as is the camera hotkey.

The screen is a 240 x 320 pixel one, measuring 2.2 inches across according to the manufacturer’s specifications, and the screen does actually light up 2.2 inches long. The QWERTY keyboard lights up with a white backlight. The top row of buttons is too close to the screen half of the phone and as a result, that row of buttons is a bit difficult to press down. The rest of the keyboard is fine, but the tactile feedback is a bit funny and the keys make an electronic clicking noise when you press down.

Hardware & Software
The Data Messenger is 57 x 17.4 x 11.4 mm in size and weighs 160 grams. It feels pretty solid, but the stylus is taken out of the bottom left of the device, which is not suitable for a right-handed person. Usually, the stylus is taken out of the bottom right or from the top of the device.

The software is the standard package for a Windows phone. You get a Windows OS and three MS Office programs. The Notes-Tasks-Calendar-Calculator applications are the common ones found in every Windows Mobile phone.

Camera/Video
The device carries a 3.2 megapixel camera. It activates fastest from the camera hotkey on the side of the phone. Although the viewfinder is a little slow just like in all Windows Mobile devices, it does autofocus and then shoots the picture for you. However you might find that you have to press down a little hard on the camera key to get it to respond properly.

Connectivity
This is a HSDPA 7.2 Mbps phone. It supports 3G and two flavours of WiFi, namely 802.11b and 802.11g. EDGE and GPRS are present, and Bluetooth is supported for local connections.

Games
The standard windows games of Solitaire and Bubble Breaker are preinstalled in the device.

Editor’s Opinion
The Data Messenger is a device that is cut clean and solid for general business usage. It is fairly large and heavy to accommodate the slide-out keyboard, but it is still a lot smaller than earlier iPAQs. However, a few things such as the 2.5mm audio jack should make way for the more common 3.5mm one, and a second camera in front would be nice for those 3G video calls.

Conclusion: Decent Windows Mobile device, great for texting and emails because of the full keyboard.

• Tags : HP iPAQ Data Messenger