HP 6945 a real gem so far...
I’ve really got to hand it to HP on this one. I used the first unit they tried this with, the 6315. Great device for iPaq lovers, but the snap on keyboard made the device way to large. I tried the 6515, but it had some issues, particularly when the device used both memory slots. I also had to give up my high-speed wi-fi access because they took wi-fi out. They put wi-fi back in the device. Not certain why they took it out, but it’s back. I can now switch to wi-fi connections when they are available. I’ve been using the 6915 for over a week, and I’ve been extremely impressed. It has everything built in, including integrated GPS. The GPS works much better than the 6515 (it had a tendency to lose the satellites at highway speeds).
One of the first thing I noticed was the speed. Thank you HP for putting the faster processor in the unit. It’s a 416 MHz processor, much faster than the 300 MHz processor in the predecessor device, and much faster than 100 MHz processors in several HTC devices I’ve used. One of my annoyances in other devices is watching the color wheel spin while it “thinks”, either moving to other apps, or just changing view. This device is extremely fast in redrawing screens. I haven’t actually benchmarked it yet, but I put it next to my Verizon Wireless XV6700 (with a similar 400 MHz processor) that I’m testing, and it redraws the screen much faster, and moves between apps much faster. Again, cudo’s to HP.
They’ve added a great iPaq wireless indicator that lets you see all of your connections (GPS, Phone, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) all in one screen. You can turn everything but GPS off and on at the touch of a button. The Today Panel is also still there that lets you get to memory (including storage card), battery power, and backlight, again all with the touch of the screen. They’ve refined the keyboard slightly and made the menu button and the OK button much more easily accessible. I very rarely need to lift the plastic cover to touch the screen. I can do almost everything from the keyboard at the bottom of the screen, without needing the stylus. That was my biggest issue with the HTC phones (like the Cingular 8125). Those aren’t really designed for one-handed operation. With the 6945, it’s been a great one-handed device. Dialing phone numbers is also great. The number pad is on the right of the keyboard, and its numbers by default on the phone screens.
One downer though is the lack of hardware buttons. You can either launch the camera, or hold it in to do voice recordings. Granted, it hasn’t been much of a downer, but it would be nice to get to other things quickly through the use of hardware buttons so again you don’t have to use the screen.
Audio quality has been extremely improved. There are times when I’m using the phone that I can’t tell I’m on a cell phone (audio quality coming through the phone is great), and those I’m talking to can’t tell. When I used a Palm Treo 650, or the previous version of this phone (6515), I heard a lot that they would want me to “repeat” what I said because I was breaking up on them. That’s happened a few times, but only because I was moving up a highway rather than standing in one place.
Pocket Streets is also included out of the box. There are a few maps you can download for free, but you’ll need Pocket Streets, or MapPoint, to get the maps you need on to the device. The built-in GPS works great with Pocket Streets, and has really come in handy several times already. I will say however that while it may be cool to watch your dot move around on the maps, its not cool while your moving at high speeds. I caught myself in that oops moment because I was busy looking down the screen watching myself move on the map. Again, very cool, but I need to get a mount for my car quickly. I’ve made a couple of road trips in the last week, and it works extremely well.
Overall, I’m extremely impressed. HP actually listened to end user feedback, and made some great modifications to the device. Yes, the battery drains quickly when its in full power mode (particularly when the wi-fi connection is open, or GPS is on), but I can sacrifice that piece. I will say however that it doesn’t drain nearly as quick as I thought it would. I’m not certain how they will price this with Cingular (unlocked version is around $600 at hp.com), but it will be interesting to see how well this thing sells. It’s now my choice of device.