HP iPAQ h6340

The standard 240 x 320, 65,000-colour screen displays everything with adequate clarity, and because it's transflective you can still read it outdoors - particularly useful with phone operation. Inside there's a Texas Instruments OMAP 1510 processor ticking over at 168MHz.

SDRAM configuration is 64MB, of which we could access 57MB, and there's 64MB of ROM. The portion of ROM left over after Windows Mobile 2003 Phone Edition and the built-in programs have been accounted for is accessible through File Explorer as the iPAQ File Store. This non-volatile space won't be erased with a full hardware reset, and we could access nearly 21MB.

What's sadly missing from the UK variant, though, is the built-in camera that US buyers can enjoy. With its ability to send MMS messages the h6340 is crying out for camera input, but HP has made no commitment to introduce it here.

Besides that omission, the HP h6340 is a classy piece of kit that does its job extremely well. But in the end its chunky PDA dimensions leave it confined to a niche market. It's just that little bit too big to be appealing as a phone, despite all the capabilities, and most people will pass it by. However, for the corporate executive who travels regularly, this all-in-one data terminal/phone could be just what they're looking for.

Author: Roger Kirkwood