CNET editors' review

HP's latest Windows Mobile-based smart phone, the HP iPaq hw6515 ($449.99) for Cingular Wireless, boasts many advanced features that are sure to please the well-seasoned road warrior. The EDGE-capable world phone comes equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard, a plethora of messaging options, integrated Bluetooth, and a 1.3-megapixel camera. It also has something the competition doesn't: a built-in GPS receiver for making the smart phone a handheld GPS device. That said, the iPaq hw6515 lacks integrated Wi-Fi and suffers from poky performance when multiple applications are in use. It certainly won't topple the Palm Treo 650 as the smart-phone king, but the hw6515 does offer a nice alternative to mobile professionals who favor Windows Mobile. Also, if you don't want a camera or your workplace doesn't allow it, you can opt for the HP iPaq hw6510, which includes all the same great features of the hw6515, with the exception of the camera.

Design of HP iPaq hw6515 Mobile Messenger (AT&T)

Essentially, the HP iPaq hw6515 is a slimmed-down Pocket PC organizer, and thankfully, it's a lot more compact than the company's first Pocket PC smart phone, the HP iPaq H6315. Measuring 4.7 by 2.8 by 0.7 inches and weighing 5.8 ounces, there's no arguing that the device is trim for a PDA. Yet, the hw6515 is wide, and it will appear bulky to those accustomed to the more pocketable Palm Treo devices. You may feel more comfortable clipping the hw6515 to your belt with the included case.

The HP iPaq hw6515 rocks a bright 3-inch, 320x240-pixel screen that displays text and images in 64,000 colors. To protect the TFT QVGA screen from scratches, HP throws in a plastic flip cover that's easily attachable. Just below the screen are two shortcut keys to your Contacts and Inbox, Talk and End keys, and a five-way joystick. And like the Palm Treo and the Samsung SCH-i730, the iPaq hw6515 boasts its own full QWERTY keyboard. The rounded backlit keys are tiny but well spaced and responsive, if a bit slippery.

On the right side of the smart phone, there's an SD expansion slot and a Mini SD card slot just below it. On the left spine, you'll find an infrared port, a volume rocker, and an image-capture/voice-record button. The HP iPaq hw6515 features a 1.3-megapixel camera--the hw6510 doesn't come equipped with a camera--and you can find the lens on the back of the device, along with a flash and a self-portrait mirror. The only thing missing is a camera lens cover.

Aside from the aforementioned belt case and flip cover, HP packages the hw6500 series with a desktop-synchronization cradle, a pair of earbud-style headsets, and an AC adapter. A variety of optional accessories are also available, such as HP's Bluetooth stereo headphones for $100 and a digital FM transmitter for $60.

Features of HP iPaq hw6515 Mobile Messenger (AT&T)

Modestly equipped with a midrange 312MHz Intel PXA272 processor, the HP iPaq hw6515 has a total of 128MB of memory, but only 55MB of that is user-accessible. Fortunately, as mentioned earlier, the phone features both SD and Mini SD expansion slots for extra storage. As a Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition device, the iPaq hw6515 gives you the typical pocket versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer. We would have, however, liked to see the phone running Microsoft's latest Windows Mobile 5 operating system, which comes with an improved Mobile Office Suite, including PowerPoint Mobile. That said, you get a couple of extra utilities with the hw6515, such as iPaq Backup and Pocket Panel Lite for one-touch access to device status--battery memory, backlight settings, and so forth.

When dialing into the phone features, the HP iPaq hw6515 is replete with communication options. First off, the gadget is a quad-band world phone that operates on GSM cellular networks around the globe. Designed to keep travelers in touch on the go, the hw6515 also supports text messaging and POP3-, IMAP4-, and SMTP-based e-mail. In addition, it's compatible with Microsoft Exchange Server so that you can access corporate e-mail--that is, if your IT department allows it. The hw6515 is EDGE capable, so if you live in a coverage area, you can benefit from faster network speeds, topping out at about 130Kbps, to transmit and receive data. However, compared with the maximum 2Mbps throughput of EV-DO on CDMA networks, EDGE is downright slow. In addition to EDGE, you'll find integrated Bluetooth wireless networking to connect to hands-free headsets, laptop computers, and other mobile devices. In an effort to keep a fairly compact form factor, HP opted to forgo integrated Wi-Fi, which is unfortunate.

On a positive note, the HP iPaq hw6515 boasts a robust 1.3-megapixel digital camera for a phone. HP thoughtfully included its HP Image Zone photo-management software, which allows you to view slide shows of your photo library. We found the images we took to be sharp, but their color was slightly washed out. For other entertainment features, the hw6515 comes with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile for handling multimedia files, including MP3s, WMAs, and WMV video clips.

Interestingly, the HP iPaq hw6515 is equipped with an internal GPS receiver, meaning you can quickly convert the smart phone into a navigation device just by installing your Pocket PC GPS software of choice. The hw6515 ships with Microsoft's Pocket Streets, which doesn't provide real-time driving directions, but you can plan routes ahead of time. This application, however, can communicate with the iPaq's built-in GPS receiver and pinpoint your approximate street-level position.

Performance of HP iPaq hw6515 Mobile Messenger (AT&T)

In CNET Labs' tests, the quad-band HP iPaq hw6515 (850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) performed reasonably well as a phone. We used it in New York on Cingular's network, and while callers sounded clear on our end, they knew we were chatting on a cell phone. Also, if we didn't place the earpiece exactly within the audio sweet spot, voices had a tendency to become muffled.

As a PDA, the HP iPaq hw6515's application performance was smooth overall, though we did notice significant sluggishness when a multitude of programs were running simultaneously. This is most likely due to the phone's modest CPU speed. Battery life was pretty good, however. The hw6515 managed to get 5.8 hours of power with the device playing a looped video clip and the screen set to half brightness. By comparison, the Palm Treo 650 lasted 4.25 hours. Since our battery-drain tests are designed to zap power as quickly as possible, you'll probably get more mileage with real-world use. By the same token, battery life will be significantly affected if you have all three of the hw6515's wireless radios on at the same time.

Basic Specs

Smartphones Basic Specs:
Dimensions (W x D x H): 2.8 in x 0.8 in x 4.6 in
Weight: 5.8 oz
Data services: MMS , SMS
Battery installed ( max ): 1 Lithium ion
Product Basic Spec:
Built-in devices: Camera , Antenna , Display , Speaker
OS provided: Microsoft Windows Mobile for Pocket PC Phone Ed. 2003 SE
Installed RAM: 64 MB
Processor: Intel 312 MHzXScale PXA272
Combined with: With digital camera
Input device type: Stylus , Keyboard , Touch-screen , 5-way joystick
Display type: 3 in TFT active matrix
Wireless connectivity: IrDA , Bluetooth
Width: 2.8 in
Depth: 0.8 in
Height: 4.6 in
Service & support details type: Limited warranty