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PDAs
CNET editors' review
CNET editors' rating
Reviewed: 6/22/03
Release date: 6/23/03
Editorial policies
Read CNET editors' review
The good:
Integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; 128MB of RAM; USB charging; biometric security; some storage space in nonvolatile flash memory; strong software bundle.
The bad:
Hefty; pricey.
The bottom line:
With Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and 128MB of RAM, the H5550 is the Swiss Army knife of the mobile power user.
Specs:
OS provided:
Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Premium;
Installed RAM:
128 MB;
Processor:
Intel 400 MHzXScale PXA255
See full specs >>
Price range:
$799.99
See all products in the HP iPAQ h5000 Pocket PC series
OS provided:
Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Premium
Installed RAM:
128 MB
Processor:
Intel 400 MHzXScale PXA255
Wireless connectivity:
IrDA,
Bluetooth,
IEEE 802.11b
Dimensions (W x D x H):
3.3 in x 0.6 in x 5.4 in
Input device type:
Stylus,
Touch-screen
CNET editors' review
Reviewed on 6/22/03
Release date: 6/23/03
Hewlett Packard's former top-of-the-line iPaq, the H5450 showed promise as a useful wireless handheld, but some performance issues kept it from living up to its full potential. Now the company is serving up a tuned-up, improved version of that earlier high-end model: the H5550 ($649 list price), which includes a healthy 128MB of RAM and the latest Pocket PC operating system. Though it may be a bit much for the average consumer, corporate buyers will find it to be a powerful jack-of-all-trades. It's the Pocket PC equivalent of Palm's Tungsten C, minus the integrated keyboard.
Design of HP iPAQ Pocket PC H5550
Like the H5450 before it, the H5550 is a fully loaded but heavy handheld. This model weighs 7.3 ounces and measures 5.4 by 3.3 by 0.6 inches. These are roughly the same dimensions as those of earlier iPaqs, so this model is compatible with many of the line's accessory jackets. The device also carries the same sharp, 65,000-color, transflective TFT display that has appeared in all iPaqs since the H3900 series.
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| Same old same old: HP goes with the traditional iPaq form factor. |
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| There's nothing new here, but this iPaq is compatible with HP's collection of add-on sleeves. |
The H5550 is a dead ringer for the H5400-series iPaqs, with the same radio-antenna nub at the top and a biometric fingerprint scanner below the joysticklike directional pad. To either side of the navigation button is the familiar quartet of iPaq buttons, which let you access Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, and HP's home-spun iTask application.
Atop the device is an SDIO-compatible Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard slot and a power button, as well as a record button that doubles as volume control--a smart move, seeing as the record function on Pocket PCs is infrequently used. The headphone jack is found at the bottom of the device. This may seem like a somewhat strange location, but it's a sensible choice when you consider that HP has to keep the iPaq's sides clear so that you can slide on the aforementioned accessory jackets. The headphone jack is the standard 3.5mm size.
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| Print job: You can safeguard your investment with the unit's biometric fingerprint scanner. |
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| All of the HP's innovations are in the device, not in its standard cradle. |
The H5550 ships with an AC charger, a syncing cradle, and a dongle to charge the removable battery while traveling. You can connect via USB, but if you need to plug in to an older system, you can use the serial port. There's no separate USB cord to sync without the cradle, but the integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth give you two more avenues to sync with similarly equipped systems. Another plus: The H5550 can charge via USB as long as it's in its cradle and connected to a PC.
Features of HP iPAQ Pocket PC H5550
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SIMs suspicious? Beneath the battery is a SIM slot--is HP planning an iPaq phone? |
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The most interesting features of the iPaq H5550 lie within it. The 400MHz XScale processor is the fastest available from Intel, though some may argue that Samsung's new 266MHz processor is its equal. HP has also boosted the RAM to an impressive 128MB and the ROM to 48MB. This leaves plenty of room for the new Pocket PC 2003 and even a bit left over for safe storage of important info in the nonvolatile flash memory (up to TKMB, depending on the model). But the integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are the stars of the show; they allow users new ways of communicating with other Bluetooth devices or to log onto any of the 802.11x networks that seem to be popping up everywhere.
A few other hardware improvements are also impressive--and even add a bit of mystery to the H5550. First, we liked that the headphone jack is not only standard-size (so that you can plug in your favorite 'phones) but also that it has a microphone element for using a headset. HP has switched to a removable battery, allowing you to swap in a new one when necessary (if you purchase one). Better yet, beneath the battery is what looks like a SIM card slot, suggesting that an iPaq/cell phone combo may be in the works. HP avoided the question of whether there'd be such an iPaq smart phone, but we think the SIM slot said a mouthful.
As we mentioned earlier, the OS is new. Microsoft's Pocket PC 2003 is reputed to have better wireless functions with a simple setup and more powerful security. E-mail and PIM functions have also been tweaked, and Microsoft provides a number of new programs, such as Windows Media Player 9, ActiveSync 3.7, an image viewer/editor, and a game. For more OS details, see our Pocket PC 2003 feature.
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| A memorable event: You may add memory or SDIO devices in the SD expansion slot. |
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| The bottom seems to be an odd place for a headphone jack, but we liked that it's the standard 3.5mm size. |
HP does include a number of tailor-made iPaq applications, including Fingerprint Reader, Backup, File Store (which stores important info in nonvolatile ROM), iTask Manager, and Image Viewer. However, most of them are either more akin to control-panel applets than full-blown programs, or they are duplicated in the Pocket PC 2003 embedded programs. The software CD, however, does include a wide range of third-party software to address almost every need under the sun. Some of the more interesting titles include Westek ClearVue Suite, which lets you view e-mail attachments and Office documents in their native formats, and a couple of Voice-over-IP (VoIP) Solutions such as Avaya IP Softphone and IP Blue VTGO.
Performance of HP iPAQ Pocket PC H5550
The H5550's 400MHz processor gives the device a lot of power for work or play. And with its 128MB of RAM, there's plenty of room for expansion before you have to pop in extra media. Movies and games played equally well on the device; with Hexacto's Bounty Hunter 2099, gameplay was smooth, without the blips and timing problems we've seen in earlier iPaqs.
Wi-Fi networking went well. Thanks to Microsoft's tweaks, setting up a connection has been greatly simplified, and the HP detected the network immediately. Two taps later and we were surfing the Internet via a Wi-Fi access point. Pages loaded quickly for a handheld, but we noticed that some of the Favorites that HP selected were not optimized for Pocket Internet Explorer. We did like the unit's streaming media performance; we watched a Terminator 3 movie trailer that unfolded like silk (albeit violent silk).
The HP image: Since the 3900 series, HP's iPaq screens have looked crisp and bright.
The Bluetooth, too, works like a charm. Improvements to Pocket PC 2003 make Bluetooth easier to use, and they streamline the connection process. We were able to connect to another Bluetooth-enabled iPaq (the H2210) and swap files in no time. You may also use the Bluetooth to connect to a phone, a headset, or a PC for Internet access or syncing.
The H5550 comes with a 1,250mAh, lithium-ion battery, which should provide a good amount of time between charges. However, the device must have an appetite for juice, because we only squeezed adequate performance scores from it. Playing movies in PocketTV with the screen at 50 percent brightness, the iPaq mustered only 3 hours, 25 minutes of video before running down. Granted, this is better than the H2210's 3 hours, 7 minutes, but the step-down model uses only a 900mAh cell. You can expect better performance with the less-harrowing task of listening to MP3s--or worse performance if you're using energy-hogging Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
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