PC Magazine have got their hands on four of the new iPAQs, including the iPAQ h6300; we'll be inundated with these by the end!

"At 4.7 by 2.9 by 0.7 inches (HWD) and 6.7 ounces, the h6315 certainly looks and feels like a Pocket PC. Rubberized sides let you keep a grip on the device, and handy side buttons let you adjust the volume or turn on the camera or voice recorder with one hand.

The h6315 works fine as a phone, with an internal speaker that's loud enough, although it can't be used as a speakerphone. Our early test unit connected easily to a Bluetooth headset. The audio was a bit hissy and muddy, but we chalked that up to the T-Mobile network, which is wobbly near our offices in New York City.

The camera took somewhat washed-out photos in our simulated daylight test, but was fine for capturing snapshots quickly. Images were good enough for sending in MMS—bright with reasonably true colors.

HP has obviously put some effort into its networking software. Individual, inconspicuous LEDs near the top of the device show which of the h6315's three networks is online. If you're using GPRS and a Wi-Fi network comes into range, a dialog box will pop up and ask if you want to switch. If the Wi-Fi fades, you can keep surfing, and the iPAQ will try to redial your GPRS connection. This worked for us, though we noted that when you switch networks you also switch IP addresses (in other words, you'll have to log into Instant Messenger again). You can also run Wi-Fi and a voice call (or even Wi-Fi, a voice call, and a Bluetooth headset) simultaneously.

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As a PocketPC, the h6315 won't be winning any speed awards. The TI processor, with a speed below 200 MHz, is optimized to save power, not provide blazing performance. In testing, the h6315 was even slower than HP's low-end rz1710 and much slower than Dell's Axim X3i. Opening a 47K Microsoft Word attachment in the mail application summoned the whirling wait cursor for noticeably longer than it did on our Axim X3i, and managing a long list of e-mail felt a bit gummy. But the processor choice pays off in battery life: we got an excellent 7 hours 29 minutes of normal use with both the WiFi and GPRS radios on, thanks to the 1800-mAh battery. (An even beefier 3600-mAh battery is available as an add-on.) HP estimates 4.5 hours of solid talk time and 210 hours of standby time in phone mode."

Source: PC Magazine