ViewSonic Pocket PC V35

Good old marketing. If you look at the ViewSonic website, you could be fooled into thinking that the V35 really is the 'thinnest, lightest and most powerful Pocket PC in its class'. ViewSonic fails to elaborate on exactly what class this is, but we can safely assume it's targeting the likes of the HP iPAQ H1910, MiTAC Mio 338 and Toshiba e350.

Unfortunately, the marketing isn't backed up by fact - mainly because it was created for the US launch of the V35, which happened several months ago. The e350 is now thinner and more powerful (as it boasts a more recent processor), but at least the ViewSonic wins on weight: 127g against 150g. However, the iPAQ and Mio are both lighter, at 121g and 124g respectively.

Another surprise could confront the innocent buyer when switching on the device: don't expect 64MB of storage from the advertised 64MB of RAM, as only 36.45MB is available. You can add more memory via the SD slot, but many programs prefer to run from main memory.

One nice touch is the 5.1MB of Flash ROM ViewSonic provides for backing up data. This is a quick and easy process, although when we restored our data we discovered our appointments had all disappeared. Still, it avoids the dreaded scenario of having to set up the V35 with ActiveSync every time the battery runs dry.

We're less impressed by the V35's integrated battery - sensibly, the iPAQ H1910's is removable. ViewSonic helps to make up for this by including an app called Smart Battery, which adjusts the speed and thus power consumption of the processor depending on the active task. However, we found the V35 lasted for about three hours, some distance away from the 'up to ten hours' that ViewSonic quotes.

This rather optimistic time assumes no use of the backlight, but we found half-brightness to offer the best compromise. And even at this setting, the V35's screen impresses. With a 3.5in viewable diagonal coupled with transflective technology, it's easy to read in all conditions. Another plus is the carry case - it's good to see this bundled (unlike the iPAQ H1910) and, because the front is reinforced, it should withstand a direct hit (unlike the Mio).

Sadly, this level of quality doesn't stretch throughout the build, with a mediocre silver-plastic finish on the front and black plastic on the back. We were also disappointed to see the headphone socket on the bottom-right-hand side of the machine - this means you can't listen to MP3s without taking the V35 out of the carry case. The infrared port is more sensibly placed at the top of the machine, while a jog dial graces the left-hand side.

One weapon the V35 lacks is expandability. The only accessory worthy of note is a foldable keyboard and, as the SD card slot doesn't support the SDIO standard, you won't be able to add Bluetooth or 802.11b cards.

But perhaps we're expecting too much for £199. After all, ViewSonic gets the basics right: it's fast enough, thanks to the 300MHz processor; you get a USB docking station as part of the package; and don't forget the excellent screen. And, as ViewSonic assures us you'll be able to upgrade the V35 to Pocket PC 2003 it should keep up to date for some time to come.

Author: Tim Danton