Windows Phone Thoughts: Breaking the Mold: The HP iPAQ 4350

Networking -- Bluetooth & WIFI!
The other highlight of the iPAQ 4350 is the integration of both Bluetooth and WiFi networking in the same unit. Activation/Operation of these features is done through a iPAQ Wireless application provided in the Programs Menu.


Figure 14: iPAQ Wireless application screen.

When Bluetooth is turned on, a combination LED indicator at the top of the unit (just to the left of the power button) blinks that characteristic blue colour. When WiFi is activated, it blinks green. When both are active, it alternates between blue and green.

I had experience in setting up a Bluetooth connection between my iPAQ 2215 and laptop earlier, so I experienced no difficulty in getting the 4350 to do the same things in very short order. The only thing I was careful about was to change the device name of the 4350 from Pocket_PC to Pocket_PC4350, to avoid duplication with my 2215.

Getting WiFi to do the things I wanted it to was a bit more troublesome. The 4350 worked fine with the 802.11b network I set up in my house, at least for getting access to the Internet. It was a breeze - I didn't really have to do anything. But I wasn't able to get HP Mobile Printing to work with the network printer at all. It couldn't see it, even if I provided the IP address. This could be a configuration problem on my part however, since I'm still very much a neophyte in this area. I also found that the WiFi in the 4350 is not quite as sensitive as some of the laptops available now. A cubicle buddy of mine got a new WiFi-enabled laptop (Toshiba wide screen) and was able to find a number of access points within our office building, but the 4350 was only able to find one, intermittently, and was never able to connect.

I also found that when running Windows Media Player, messages would come up saying it couldn't connect to a network, even when Bluetooth and WiFi were turned off. I suspect this is a WMP setting that I haven't discovered how to disable yet since this doesn't happen on my 2215 which (I believe) is running the same version of WMP.

I suspect the WiFi and Bluetooth are either multiplexed or time-sliced to share the common RF frequencies, since transmission speed slowed considerably when both were on. It didn't make using them unbearable, though. Sometimes, I had to soft reset the unit to restart networking (Bluetooth or WIFI), especially after I'd had the 4350 on for a long time.

Attaching Accessories
As I mentioned before, the connector on the bottom of the unit is the same as the 2200 (and other) series, so most of the peripherals which attach there should work just fine. I tried my Stowaway XT Keyboard on for size, just to see what would happen. It worked, but because the 4350 a bit longer than the 2215, the balance point is different and there's a tendency for the unit to separate from the connection. Maybe more 'filing' of the XT connector would make for a better connection. The Styrite Powerpack works fine with it, too.

Applications Already in ROM
In case you were wondering, here's a screen shot of the version of Operating System included with the 4350.


Figure 15: Memory and OS version screen.

In addition to the normal applications included with the Pocket Mobile 2003 operating system, HP has provided some additional programs:

• Bluetooth Manager;
  
• iPAQ File Store: non-volatile storage in flash ROM;
  
• iPAQ Backup: utility for Backup/Restore to Main Memory, Memory Card or iPAQ File Store;
  
• iPAQ iTask Manager: access and launch programs easily;
  
• iPAQ Image Zone: view images and create slide shows;
  
• iPAQ Wireless: for turning off/on Bluetooth and WiFi networking;
  
• Utilities: Self Test, iPAQ Audio, Power Status, LEAP, HP Enroll.