Marketplace Pick
Market Pick
INTRODUCTION
HP hasn't done much in the smartphone market to date. In 2008, they came out with three devices, the iPAQ 910, the Data Messenger and the Voice Messenger, none of which were successful. These devices, while good for the mobile professional, didn't really have a mass market appeal. Well HP is back, this time with yet another device aimed at the business user. The iPAQ Glisten (interesting name for a business device, we know) runs on the AT&T network and has a BlackBerry-like form factor. Is this the device the one to help you be more productive? Read on to find out!
WHAT'S HOT
The HP iPAQ Glisten has a Qualcomm MSM7200A CPU running at 533MHz on Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional. It has 512MB ROM (200MB accessible), 256MB RAM (~140MB accessible), and has a microSD/HC expansion slot for added memory. The resistive AMOLED touchscreen is 2.5" and is QVGA 320x240 resolution. It's a quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900) phone with triband UMTS (850/1900/2100) with HSDPA. It also has assisted GPS, WiFi b & g, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, USB 2.0, and a proximity sensor. For audio, the Glisten has a 3.5mm headphone jack, and for syncing and charging there is a microUSB port. The rear camera is
3MP with no autofocus or flash. Powering the device is a 1590mAh battery. For even more specs, check out PDAdb.net.
The iPAQ Glisten is one of the few Windows Mobile devices to have a candybar QWERTY form factor like a BlackBerry. While the screen is smallish at 2.5", it uses AMOLED technology to produce deep blacks, plus it is low on power consumption.
WHAT'S IN
THE BOX
Here's the unboxing for the HP iPAQ Glisten. There was no case included.
THE DEVICE
The keyboard on the iPAQ Glisten is very similar to that of the Motorola Q9h, except that the buttons are bit harder to press. On the top of the keyboard are traditional Windows Mobile buttons (such as a D-Pad and Start menu button) which helps hugely with one-handed usability. Some of the keys on the bottom of the keyboard are programmable, which is nice.
On the right side of the device is a microUSB jack for syncing and charging, and to the right of that is a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio. On both sides of the device is a classy chrome strip.
On the let side of the device is the volume rocker.
On the top is a one-touch WiFi toggle (which is useful), and a standby/power button.
The camera on the rear is 3MP with no flash. The entire back is covered with a rubbery coating, which makes the device feel super secure in hand. Notice the stylus silo in the bottom right.
Taking off the back battery cover we reveal the large 1590mAh battery. Unfortunately, you must remove the battery to swap the microSD card.
Here's a closer look at the hardware on the iPAQ Glisten.
Here is the Glisten compared to the HTC Snap and Motorola Q9h.
Here they are stacked, stacked. The Glisten is the thickest device here, but not by much.
Click onto the next page where we'll cover software on the HP iPAQ Glisten.
