HP iPAQ Voice Messenger

The first thing I noticed about the HP iPAQ Voice Messenger is the QWERTY keyboard. Generally do not like cell phones or smart phones, which are incompatible with the normal keyboard with T9 input. This is because I find it very difficult to type messages using a QWERTY keyboard. And the Voice Messenger, the keyboard has 20 keys (with two letters per key) only drives this point.

Typing messages is a tedious affair for the Voice Messenger. It took much longer to write the messages in my mobile phone with T9 typing. Furthermore, it is not easy to identify the correct buttons as they are really small.

There is also a five-button navigation and scroll through the menu, simply slide the thumb over them. This can be very frustrating, especially when it is too easy to skip past the entries you want to select. Also in the menu system does not respond, and takes a while before they searched his command.

Despite the hiccups, the Voice Messenger is a sturdy, sleek and, not to mention, a slim phone.

Weighing only 105g and 13.6mm thick, the Voice Messenger can easily slip into a lady’s dinner bag.

The Voice Messenger has a black exterior front and the back is made of aluminium. The problem with any aluminium casing is that it tends to attract fingerprints. Unless you are diligent in cleaning the phone, it stops looking attractive after awhile.

The first thing I liked, upon switching on the Voice Messenger, is the bright display.

The smartphone has a 2.4in display with 240 x 320 pixels which is the standard resolution for most mobile phone.

When I was in a theatre, I had to switch on the smartphone to send an urgent text message to a friend.

Although the smartphone was in silent mode, the bright screen had distracted one of the audience members and I was told to switch it off. Yes, it’s that bright.

The Voice Messenger has two dedicated buttons, namely Key Guard and Ringer/Sound switch.

Key Guard allows you to lock the smartphone while the Ringer/Sound switch button turns on the silent mode.

These handy buttons allow you to lock the phone and put it in silent mode without having to fiddle with the keypad.

The Voice Messenger’s 3.1-megapixel camera (with 5x digital zoom) shoots decent pictures but it’s nothing to call home about.

Handy apps

The Voice Messenger is powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 and is bundled with Office Mobile which includes applications such as Excel Mobile, OneNote Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile and Word Mobile. While you can edit and view documents with these applications, you cannot create them.

The phone also has Google Maps and coupled with the built-in GPS, it is very useful when you need a street view and directions to your destination.

Besides these programs, you will find the other standard programs such as Windows Media Player, Internet Explorer, games and more. The Voice Messenger has 128MB of RAM memory as well as a microSD slot which supports up to 8GB memory cards. But you have to remove the back casing of the phone to insert the card, which is a bit of a hassle.

Conclusion

The sleek and sturdy HP iPAQ Voice Messenger is let down by its rather crammed Qwerty keypad but there are other things going for it.

It has all the important features such as WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth which you look for in a smartphone. The affordable phone also has a decent camera, a bright screen and handy dedicated buttons.

Overall, the Voice Messenger is a decent smartphone if you can live with the keypad.

Pros: Slim and sleek; handy dedicated buttons; bright screen.

Cons: Qwerty keypad and navigation button are not user friendly; the phone can be unresponsive at times.
HP iPAQ Voice Messenger Specification
3G smartphone
Operating system: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard edition
Processor: 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A ARM11
Memory: 256MB ROM/128MB RAM
Display: 2.4in QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) screen
Camera: 3.1-megapixel with autofocus and 5x digital zoom
Supported networks: Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz), GPRS, EDGE, Triband UMTS (900/1900/2100MHz), HSDPA, HSUPA (high-speed uplink packet access)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi (802.11b/g), micro USB connector
Battery: 1,260mAh lithium polymer
Other features: GPS, microSD card slot, Qwerty keypad
Dimensions: 50 x 13.6 x 114mm (w x d x l)
Weight: 105g