HP iPAQ hw6510 / hw6515
Average Ratings
Fantastic pda, descent phone
Due to such negative reviews, I decided to interject my two cents in just to even up the score, you could say.
I have had this phone for about a year. I bought it from overseas, and I must admit that I got a HECK of a deal on mine. So I can see how some could be resentful of this little pda/phone if they had paid full price. But I don't reeally think it has been bad at all. Truthfully, I REALLY like it. I'm not saying that it doesn't have it's little quirks that make me want to chuck it through the wall every once in a while...but for the most part, my daily use has been pleasant! :) If you are looking for a FANTASTIC pda that you can make calls on, check your email, keep organized, and get online for whatever reason...LOOK NO FURTHER. It really is a nice combo of all these things.
PROS:
1- Mobile internet usage anywhere! If you have signal, you can get online. And I love the Windows based programming. I had a Blackbeery previously and it drove me CRAZY!! I basically needed a super small laptop for my business and this is it! And very, very rarely have I had a problem with reception, and that is in the Midwest! When Cingular says "raising the bar", they mean it.
2- Phone function was pretty decent, I never had any less signal in comparison to anyone else that was in the nearby vicinity. And battery life isn't too bad either, even better if you buy the extended battery!
CONS:
1- My phone will sometimes just power off for no apparent reason....BUT (smiling sheepishly) that could, maybe, just possibly be from the frequent abrupt collisions with the pavement that my ipaq has encountered! :) Moral of the story: Buy insurance!
2- No wifi. But they did update the new ipaq by adding this feature, so I am excited to purchase the newer version!
Overall, I liked mine. I would not have paid full price, but if you can get a deal it is worth carrying! Just compare with the Q, reviews on it were a little disturbing! This is one of the better pda phones out now.
Treo Killer... Nah, but who cares?
What if there is no such thing as a Treo killer? Ok, lets pretend for a minute that nothing will ever kill the Treo. Because I really believe nothing ever will. The treo does email, phone, calendar, contacts, and web really well in a great form factor. There are a lot of people who think those few things are sufficient.
But, what about us folks who want more from our smart-phone? Then the HW6515 is your device. It takes all the things that make the Treo great and builds upon them and adds several things:
Pros:
-Excellent Quality camera 1.3mp
-Works better with bluetooth than treo. The Treo only reaches about 10ft, while the HP reaches 30 feet.
-Multitasks-Its great having multiple programs open at the same time
-2 memory card slots (supposedly both are SDIO) I have 3Gb on mine, so I ditched the iPod.
-GPS "turn left in 100 feet" Really cool.
-Native PDF support The Treo requires a paid upgrade to 8.x to get PDF support. Although, docs-to-go does do a better job of rendering PDF's than the HP.
-EDGE
-Great huge screen.
-Renders web pages perfectly
-With SDIO slot
Cons:
-Nasty battery life: 1 day max.
-has a larger battery option, but it makes the HP weigh 2x as much (uhhh...Not!)
-Its not a Treo-Ha, Ha...But who cares?
Best GSM SmartPhone Period
I carry a Treo 650 as my personal/work phone. Its completely tricked out with a 1 gig card, every freaking application, mobitv, etc. It is a great SmartPhone but after using a Palm-based PDA for a while you begin to see the many flaws in the Palm OS. This is where the iPaq blew it away.
The iPaq is smartphone geeks wet dream. I don't even know where to start.
The size is good, its not overly thick like the Treo, and light weight. It is wider than the Treo, but the lightness makes up for it. And also as a trade-off the screen is slightly larger.
Unlike the treo it actually comes with a docking cradle and stereo headphones.
Features, two expansion slots, GPS, IR, EDGE, Bluetooth and a Qwerty Keyboard.
No... GPS is not "crippled" how the hell would it be? I downloaded and installed Mapopolis and it worked like a charm, feeding me directions from Waco to San Antonio, and getting me around the horrid traffic in Austin.
The EDGE is quick (dont fool yourself into believing that all edge devices are the same speed). Internet explorer is great, blows blazer for the treo out of the water.. I could actually download files larger than 2MB and store them to the card. Which was handy for downloading an additional county map while I was on the road.
The qwerty keyboard took some getting used to as it is spaced out further than the Treo, but it is definately useable.
I know there are whiners about the fact that it does not have 802.11b unlike the Siemens... but guess what Cingular sells 10x as many Treos as they do Siemens and Treo's dont have 802.11b.. Getting a SDIO Wi-Fi card to work with windows mobile however is actually possible instead of theoretical for the Treo.
Bluetooth worked great with all four of my headsets, and my PC.
Pros:
GPS!!!
BT
Expansion
Accessories (Clip, Cradle)
Cons:
Comes with Pocket Streets instead of Mapopolis or Navteq
Excellent PDA-Very Good Phone
It has been my experience on all these forums that some people just do not take the time to learn and understand the device they are reviewing. I have been a Nokia lover for years, and have also tired Moto's, HTC's 8125, and the Treo 650. With that being said, to qualify my experience, I am NOT an expert, just a well educated and experienced cell phone user. This is a GREAT DEVICE!!
Pros:
Great display-(learn to live with 240 x 240, it is gorgeous)
Very capable OS-Windows Mobile 2003-SE
Very good RF, very few can beat Nokia!
Decent camera, not as good as Nokia.
PIM-This is why I bought this phone***
I need a Windows based device to receive my e-mail and use Outlook 24/7. That is what makes this device a GREAT all-in-one!!
Bluetooth works great with Moto and Plantronics headsets.
Very sturdy and well built-Solid Phone!
I would have given it a 5, except for this:
Cons:
Battery life could be better
Should come with Handy Switcher or Magic Button.
HP needs to upgrade their internal antenna to stay in contention with Nokia!
I paid $399 for mine and I am very happy with it overall.
Not Worth It
I have been a Cingular rep for 10 years now and I've seen the best and worst of all brands. This one here is good for some, bad for most. Here's my opinion of it:
Pros:
Awesome for PDA functionality.
Great Internet functionality.
Great 1.3 megapixel camera.
2 Memory Card Slots - good storage capacity.
Windows Media Player - plays all media types.
Stereo Headset in box is awesome quality.
Solitaire on the go!! (LOL)
GPS is great on this device.
Cons:
EXTREMELY slow power on time.
Battery Life is horrible
Bad Phone Reception on Cingular - signal drops 2 bars as soon as you press the "Talk" key.
Numeric buttons often don't play nicely with automated phone systems.
Protective cover is a nuisance to flip open & closed to access screen with the stylus.
Battery Cover.
Phone often drops calls and gives "SIM Locked" message for no reason what-so-ever, forcing me to take battery in and out to fix it.
Conclusion:
PDA and data functions work very well on this device, but 2 cups and string would probably get better phone reception. I'd recommend the Cingular 8125 hands down over this device.
Very Capable
Hi,
This is my first review in quite some time. I switched to the HP hw6515 recently, at first i had minor glitches that I soon realized were my own fault. This is one of the best phones/PDAs convergence device I have ever used. Lets get to the meat of the matter with the pros and cons:
PROS:
*** Easy Setup and calibration - 30-45 Seconds and all was set.
*** Stable Windows mobile 2003SE OS - Dont think for a moment that this is outdated one bit! It is stable when connected to my wireless LAN via my Spectec Mini-SD wireless LAN card.
*** Bright, large screen - Large screen is usable in all but direct sunlight.
*** Feels Solid - This phone has a little weight to it! PERSONALLY, I think this is a good thing, it feels like a quality item.
*** Two SDIO Expansion slots - This the feature that sets this phone apart from the others. You have the option of using 2 memory cards, One SD the other MiniSD I am currently using a 2GB TecIC Mini-SD card and a 4GB Transcend SD card. Occasionally I use my Spectec MiniSD wireless card that I mentioned above.
*** Built in Bluetooth - Standard these days but nice to note.
*** Built in GPS - Really sweet feature if you dont require an advanced unit. Comes with Pocket streets 2006 free, but this app isnt that great, however the GPS unit works well, I use it with DeLorme Streets 2006 and it even uses voice navigation!
*** Stylus stays in well :-D
*** Removable plastic flip screen cover - Give the guy a medal that invented this!
CONS:
*** Included Belt case - This thing had to go, it failed 3 times then it was gone!
*** volume - A little low but usable
*** Low RAM memory - 64MB isn't much, however ppctechs.com 128MB upgrade/warranty package can cure that. The memory isnt a REAL BIG problem, it should be better.
*** 12MB Ipaq file store - with High capacity cards this was unnecessary and cuts into precious system resources.
Conclusion: Buy it, It's great! :-D
Phone OK, not as good as Treo 650
I have to disagree with doczaius - the Treo 650 is a much more usable phone for general use. I purchased the HP for a trial and really wanted to like the phone better than the T650. It has a great hardware feature set and I was thinking that the protocol implementations were well done. Well, in general the hardware is very good but Windows mobile 2003 is a real let down. I find myself having to use a stylus often whereas on the T650 I never use it. I use Chatter email on the T650 which is much more usable than the WM email. Sure, WM does multitasking, but with these size screens who cares? Its not like I open up multiple applications and utilize them on simultaneously. The biggest drawback is that I can't use this phone one-handed - with the T650 I can check mail, etc. all as I'm walking through the airport holding a cup of coffee in my other hand (and carry on strapped over my shoulder). The other item that isn't so good is the keyboard - HP chose a blue back-light which makes the keys very difficult to see (maybe after time I could get used to this, but the T650 keys are much easier to see).
Pros:
solid hardware
good form factor
good protocol implementation
Cons:
WM2003
can't use one-handed
keys difficult to see
Buy the 6515 PDA Phone
First let me advise that this is my first PDA phone. I work for Cingular and decided to get a PDA for the data capability. Before that my primary device was the V3. I was unsure if I would use the numerous functions that the HP 6515 had to offer, but when I got the device I knew I made a great choice. This phone is amazing. The display is large and the smoke plastic display cover is sleek looking and it is essential. The Windows interface is surprisingly easy to navigate, and I can't wait to get my SD and mini SD cards to cram this unit with Mp3, music videos, and well, with space for 6 gigs, just about anything else I want to store on it. I have tried out the Treo 650, and the HP is far superior. Battery life is sufficient enough that I make it through the day fine. The docking cradle and software that links to your PC is simple to set up. I really like the calendar. It is easy to use and plan out multiple tasks. Im a guy so I wont be using the GPS because I never get lost =). File transfers from PC to phone are easy, and just in general the phone far surpassed my expectations.
PROS:
1)Display is large, and bright.
2)Overall size is thin and compact.
3)The screen cover is great.
4)Docking cradle and software is user friendly.
5)Windows OS...Media Player 10.
6)Good Phone reception (Montgomery, AL).
7)Internet Explorer.
8)Pocket Excel/Word = Useful.
9)Stereo Headphones.
10)Keyboard is nice, ergonomic.
11)Everyone asks about it.
CONS:
1)Why can't HP throw in a small SD card?
2)It would be nice to minimize things to a toolbar.
3)Takes full attention to operate most features.
4)Every now and then it will freeze while on internet and multi-tasking.
5)HP's website is so not user friendly.
6)You have to turn the phone sideways to use the camera which makes no sense whatsoever.
7) MobiTV doesn't support it yet =(
8)A leather case would have been nice as opposed to the huge plasic holster.
Size Does Matter
Whomever said size doesn't matter has not seen this phone because as soon as you see the 6500(cigular) Ipac you will know why I feel this way. First off windows mobile on the phone is the best app. ever it is no comparison with the palm treo. This phone pulls us excel for scheduling functions almost as well as my computer I love the ability to have a camera as opposed to the blackberry to me this phone has the features to match the outburst of size!
PROS
-camera(1.3) on a serious data device
-applications are easy to access
-touch screen is always a plus
-the size and impact when people see it
-the functionality its an overall device
Cons
-the size on this side also
-the cover is just trying to hard(inneeded)
Not my Cup of Tea
I purchased this phone hoping to step up my ability to handle e-mails and Internet access while on the road for my job. I quickly found that this phone requires your full attention at all times to use any of its functions. This unit is everything else first and a phone last. Don't plan on being able to navigate thru the menus unless you have a thumb or finger the size of a stylus. This phone is not "EASY" to use. The navigation is very complicated and not worth the effort and battery power, buy your self a magellan unit instead. Also, This phone does not come from cingular setup. You must call them to setup up every detail of the phone. If your not a pro on a PDA, then don't fool yourself into thinking you'll "get used to this one". It wont happen.
Pros
Tons of features
Cons
Hard to use on the go
Poor navigation functionality
very short battery life
poor reception (Cingular-NorCal)
