This device is the latest in the mobile messenger series from iPAQ. Now with the latest Windows Mobile 5.0, the hw6965 features a quad band GSM radio with GPRS & EDGE, Bluetooth, IrDA, full QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi and integrated GPS. Processing is taken care of by Intel's PXA270 processor (running at 416MHz), supported by 128MB flash memory and 64MB SDRAM.

With Windows Mobile 5.0, you get the full Office Suite, including Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile and Outlook Mobile. Business users will no doubt want e-mail, which is supported by POP3/IMAP e-mail and can even work with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 for all the perks of push e-mail technology.

Importantly, Windows Mobile 5.0 now offers non-volatile memory storage. Previous versions of Windows Mobile needed constant battery backup to maintain data. It also comes with a Windows Terminal Service client and ICA client preloaded that can help IT managers remotely manage their servers.

Today screen has a handy status indicator for all the different radios: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GSM/ GPRS and GPS. At a glance you can see if they're on, or switch them on or off with a tap. The screen itself is a 240 x 320 pixel touch screen LCD displaying 64,000 colors. As regards GPS, an application called Map King is pre-loaded, with maps for 5 cities (NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai & Hyderabad) included on the CD. You can choose and download any one of them. Additional maps can be bought for Rs 1800 – 2000.

You can use Map King on the move-it is designed with clear fonts and large buttons. It allows you to find points of interest, petrol stations, hospitals, shopping centers or to simply find a route from A to B. The map of NCR, which came preloaded on our device, was about 1 year old-so most changes that occurred in this period were not reflected. But navigation from point to point works well. It's right about 90% of the time and it's accurate down to about 20 meters. For a converged GPS device, that level of accuracy is great.

The plastic flip cover that covers the screen can stay locked in the open or closed position and protects the screen when you place it in the belt case. Plus, it's removable and replaceable-so you can simply get a new one if it gets scratched. You'd still have to get a good screen protector though, since the screen is prone to develop pits and scratches after using the stylus.

Certain problems with Windows Mobile continue. Applications don't always close when you tap the close button. They keep running in the background, hog the memory and slow down the device. You have to manually close all apps periodically. Depending on your type of usage, regular reboots are necessary to keep the device lag-free.

Bottom Line: The internal changes to the 6965 and the asking price have made all the difference. It's a far better buy than the 6500 ever was.

  Report sourced from www.ciol.com