Smartphones are everywhere these days. Mobile service providers have filled their shelves with a variety of smartphone devices. Even the title of this magazine has changed to emphasize this ever-growing market segment. Does the old-fashioned Pocket PC (a.k.a., “Windows Mobile PDA”) still have a place in today’s mobile world? HP thinks so, which is evident with their latest release, the iPAQ 110.

I’m a relative latecomer to the smartphone world. I started using my first Pocket PC phone in early 2007, and this past summer I finally got my first smartphone. While I think it is a great device, I still keep around a couple Pocket PCs. The stylus and larger screens just make them easier to use for many applications.

I must admit, when I first heard about this device and saw the $300 list price I assumed it was a low-end, entry-level Pocket PC device. After getting it, I was very pleased to see it was not just another cheap, fragile handheld. The 110 is sleek looking and packs plenty of power and memory.

Fast processor and plenty of memory

The 110 comes with a 624 MHz Marvell PXA310 processor, which I found to be more than fast enough for every application and game I ran. The 64 MB of SDRAM is more than enough for the multiple applications you might be running. The best feature by far for me is the 256 MB of flash ROM (198 MB available for storage). While most people store the bulk of their data on some sort of storage card, there are many applications that require all or part of it to be installed in primary memory. Having to constantly clean up primary storage is a hassle and shouldn’t be a problem with this device. The 110 also includes a standard SDIO card slot. While many devices are moving to mini or micro-sized SD slots, I’m glad to see that this device includes a standard slot—I have many full-sized SD cards, so there is no need for me to buy something new.

The 320x240 Transflective color TFT display is bright and easy to read. On the power side, the 110 includes a removable 1,200 mAh lithium-ion battery. One positive change for HP is the standard mini-USB interface. While some long-time iPAQ users won’t be able to use their old AC adapters, the move to a standard interface will be welcomed by many.

The 110 includes an 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi interface and Bluetooth 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate (EDR). I was able to quickly configure it to talk to my home Wi-Fi router. I also connected the 110 to another Pocket PC via Bluetooth to transfer files.

Windows Mobile 6 Classic software

The 110 is the first iPAQ to feature the Windows Mobile 6 Classic operating system and software suite (for details, see At A Glance, page 85). Included with WM 6 is the standard MS suite of Office Mobile applications (Excel, PowerPoint, and Word), as well as Messenger and Windows Live. It also includes HP’s iPAQ Wireless application which has a nice Today screen plug-in that lets the user turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on or off with a single tap of an icon.

The 110 is designed to compliment your mobile phone; it includes the Bluetooth Phone Manager software which lets you pair up with your phone and access the Internet via your cellular service. I was able to easily connect it to an iPAQ 510 smartphone and was browsing the Internet in minutes.

For new users to the platform, the HP iPAQ QuickStart application provides a great overview of the main features of Windows Mobile. HP has also included the PhotoSmart Mobile software, which lets you view and edit digital pictures.

A thin, sleek device

The 110 is a very slick looking device. While it is similar to previous HP devices, it sports a new darker-metal look. The back has a rubber-like feel to it and feels very secure in my hand. The most surprising characteristic of this new iPAQ is the size—it is only about 1/2 inch (13mm) thick and weighs just 3.68 oz (114.6 g). You can easily toss it in your shirt pocket without it causing your shirt to sag.