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Arguably one of the most popular and highly problematic pocket pc's in recent times has been O2's Shinny little devil, the Atom. Seeing the need to make its move into smaller form factor Pocket PC Phones, HP has learned from the mistakes and tribulations of the original Atom and together with Quanta has produced its own version: The RW6828 Multimedia Messenger.
Like many people I anxiously awaited to original Atoms release, however was soon discouraged under a barrage of complaints from Atom users, and also turned away by the black piano casing finish or "Smudge Magnet" as users have come to recognise it (I learnt the annoyance of piano finish cases from my mpx200 days). Despite the release of the Atom Pure (White pearl finish) it still wasn't enough to sway me. Then one sunny day along came HPs Atom clone, or as the good price hiking people at Harvey Norman call it, "The Atom Smasher". Yes we say Atom Clone, because it is made by the same company as the Atom, Quanta, and is the same form factor, same dimensions etc etc, however on closer inspection there is a gapping universe of difference between the two.... or at the least some points of difference worth mentioning.
Quick Specifications
Released: AU June 2006
Price: $899.00 AUD
GSM: Tri-Band GSM/GPRS/Edge
Processor: Intel® PXA272 processor 416MHz
Dimensions: 102mm (H) x 58mm (W) x 19.5mm (D)
Weight: 140g
Battery: 1530mHh Rechargeable Lithium-Polymer
Screen: QVGA (240 x 320 Pixels) 256K Colour TFT LCD
Audio: Dual stereo speakers, Voice recording, microphone, built-in speaker phone, headphone input jack, LifeVibes™ Concert sound EX 3D widening/bass adjustment
Wireless: Integrated WLAN 802.11b
Build:
An original complaint of the Atom, besides the fingerprint trail it left, was that the casing was flimsy, creaky, and felt quite cheap. Playing with the unit for a short-time in the Optus store, I was inclined to agree with this assessment. Later models have apparently corrected part of this infraction.
The HP 6828 is however, the most solid device I have held to date. The casing is sturdy, tightly sealed, and immediately gives you the impression of a quality build. Whilst colours and design are a personal and subjective choice, the pictures here don't quite do it justice, the compliment of silver and grey looks professional and stylish as HP intended. For those not doing a comparison with the Atom, you will be interested to know this device feels as light as the weight suggests, merely 140grams, which wont weigh those pants pockets down, and makes it light enough to put in a jacket pocket without feeling out of place.
The directional keypad has been nicely bevelled in, and this makes using it quick easy and mistake free. On the left side of the device are the up and down volume keys, I must say these could extrude slightly more as when I have been in a call and sought to lower or raise the volume, at times they have been hard to find or press accurately. The Right side of the device contains the Camera and Notes Button. Both of these perhaps because of less frequent use then the volume keys, both seem perfectly fine.
The top of the device contains the usual expandable characters we have seen on similar devices, that being the expandable memory slot and power button.
The 6828 utilises Mini SD cards. The Bottom end of the device contains the headphone jack, mini USB connector, and soft reset button.
Interesting enough the 6828 comes with a solid and clearly tinted flip screen case designed to protect the LCD screen. At first I was opposed to this, as I thought it intruded on the devices aesthetic value and usage, however, after trying it out for no less then a day I keep it on all the time now. Most users who keep the device in their pockets will be grateful they use it when they first bump into the desk at work, and realise the device is still safe and sound.
Besides the small issue with the volume button, the device is simply beautifully encased and built with quality in mind. Words such as, stylish, professional and a joy to hold and work on come to mind. Literally the only fault or criticism I can level towards the build is the small "Don't Recycle this" symbol on the back battery case; I know that's petty but like I said its the only criticism that can be levelled at this nicely constructed pocket pc (I just don't think we need that symbol on a pocket pc, especially in Australia).
Screen:
The Screen is a 2.7" QVGA Screen with a resolution of 320x240. The interesting point to note here is that the screen is actually 256K, unfortunately Windows Mobile 5 can only display 65K, that's kind of interesting, no? Well the important point with the screen is that it has an excellent contrast and brightness ratio. The screen can be set quite high without effecting the battery greatly and it doesn't take a very high setting for the screen to be quite visible in open daylight, something other pocket pcs have struggled with.
Audio:
The 6828 much like its Atom comrade, comes with two speakers which translates into stereophonic sound, or simply stereo sound. The speakers offer a rich clarity missing from many pocket pcs. The main problem, and one we will discuss later is the speaker volume, this is one of the current down points of the device, although like several items HP could readily resolve this with their ROM update.
Camera:
The 6828 contains a 2 MegaPixel HP PhotoSmart VGA Camera.
Many complaints from Atom users were of slow camera operation; loading the camera video finder and then delays with the actual photo being taken
(This was corrected in later ROM updates). The HP 6828 doesn't seem to suffer from this problem as much, there are of course small delays in the time taken to load the viewfinder or camera app, but on the whole the second or so to do this seems quite on par with the XDA Mini. Taking pictures seems to have a slightly longer delay when saving to a memory card, but we might expect that.
All in all when good light is available, the Camera seems quite appreciable for a pocket pc device camera. The device can take pictures upto 1600x1280, and offers a reasonable level of compression controls. The device has the usual photo options (Contact photo, Template, Night) but also the panorama and burst picture modes which are also supported on the Atom, add a unique and wider choice to the picture taking capabilities. The device also has support for video recording.
FM Radio:
Exactly like the Atom, the RW6828 comes armed with an FM Radio. The radio is of reasonable quality although HP have eluded to fine tuning the radio reception is their forth coming ROM update. Overall the reception is good, but to use the radio you have to have the headset plugged into the device (This is the antennae), you can listen to the device through the speakers once this is plugged in but as aforementioned the lovely stereo speakers are a little lacklustre when it comes to volume.
Battery Life:
I've always been pretty flexible when it comes to battery life on pocket pc devices. The O2 Mini previously allowed several days prior to a charge, then the Jasjar had to be charged everynight, and now I have come full circle again as I only need to charge the 6828 every 2nd or 3rd day. This is with moderate usage, but no wifi usage. The bad point about charging the 6828 is that only 1 usb cable is included. This means that the cable you sync your device with is also the cable that connects into the power-adapter. So essentially to charge the 6828 you must either charge it whilst syncing your device, or remove the sync (usb cable) and place it onto the charger and then charge your device.
For those coming from a Windows Mobile 2003 device, you may be interested to know that loosing all your data is no longer a fear. Under WM5 data is no longer fully stored in the RAM, meaning if your device looses power for longer then 30 odd minutes, your data will still be there and waiting on your device once power is restored.
Most users will no doubt opt for simply charging it whilst its syncing, or have no hassles with simply removing a cable from once place to the other. Although it is interesting that HP didn't provide 2 as most other devices now come standard with. I guess only providing the users with 1 of everything keeps the 6828 at its competitive price.
Overall I give the 6828 and its 1530mAH Lithium battery a thumbs up when it comes to battery life. As mentioned under moderate usage of the PDA functions, phone functions and even some pocket sized gaming I can squeeze 3 days out of the device but a quick charge every 2nd night usually keeps the battery well over 50%.
The Software:
The RW 6828 comes powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 5. The software included on the device, or value-added software, and the respective o2 and HP Roms are the core differences separating the two devices. The original and for some time majority of o2 ROMs still contained or left the Atom as a buggy and unstable device. For the most part it appears they finally got it right with the latest o2 Atom ROM making the device quite stable and responsive.
HP on the other hand got it right from the get go. Whilst as we will see the RW6828 isn't without some software issues, or areas for improvement, on the whole the 6828 is tremendously stable. After the initial installation of all my favourite apps, several weeks down the track and I have yet to soft-reset the 6828 once.
A nice touch to the 6828 ROM is that by default the extended ROM has been compressed into the actual ROM. What this means is that there is around 11-12mb of extra storage that whilst this is achievable on the Atom, takes some tedious work. And whilst 11-12mb of extra storage when you are using a memory card isn't significant, its still nice to be able to install some more apps on the device without using up all the space.
Another interesting point to note is the program memory. This is more significant as without enough available program memory you will find yourself not being able to run some of the more high end applications or pocket pc games. I am unsure whether this is the same on the Atom, however the 6828 handles program memory exceptionally well, on the Mini and jasjar, I was forever trying to squeeze out every drop of memory and seemed always going into System > Memory > Close all. On the 6828 I have rarely had to do this. It appears perhaps as if memory leaks of the past have been contained or it just handles program memory better, but its enjoyable not to have to worry about this.
Without a doubt the 6828 straight out of the box is more stable then the Atom. On the whole the 6828 feels more responsive then the Atom although many factors and plug-in's can readily impede responsiveness so that may well be subjective.
Included Software: The 6828 includes the usual Windows Mobile 5 applications, as well as HPs own Camera and Photo Smart applications which seem a great improvement of the default Windows Mobile versions.
Pocket Music: This is a value-added media application that offers support for playing your favourite tunes, and also has a nifty today plugin as well as some alarm features. I haven't had an issue with this application and find it to be more useful then the Windows Media Player however it must be noted that some people have found the included pocket music software to be stuttery and unstable.
FM Radio: As mentioned above, the device also contains an FM radio and the software with which to program, listen and even record the Radio.
When it comes to value-added software, the O2 Atom wins hands down. O2s MediaPlus suite is almost the killer app; o2 Phone Plus, and o2SMS are handy little value added applications worth mentioning. If your choice of Atom or 6828 purchase comes down to value-added software the Atom should probably be your choice.
The Phone
The phone of the RW6828 is excellent. The phone reception is not quite the crystal clear clarity I enjoyed on the Jasjar, however it is a vast improvement on the clarity I experienced with the Mini and my playing with the Atom. Previously issues of hissing or crackling or not being able to hear the other party, have plagued various pocket pc phones, however no such claims can be laid against the 6828.
The device contains a speakerphone option (Holding down the Talk button) however you can forget trying this in a noisy area. Which brings us to one of the largest problems with the 6828; The speaker volume. HP seem to have capped the speaker volume at an unusually low arbitrary level. We know from the Atom (whose speaker volume was soft but then unlocked) and other mono Pocket PC devices that these babies can put out some sound, unfortunately with this cap users are finding themselves having to use louder ringtones or having to edit the actual .wav or .mp3 files to be naturally louder so we can hear the device when its not in our immediate proximity. This is an issue that HP are set to address in the future with the much anticipated ROM update.
It may disappoint users who are coming from the Mini or other earlier HTC devices to learn that the T9 Phonepad isn't included in the 6828 nor the Atom. Writing messages is still reasonably simple with the use of the WM5 improved handwriting recognition tool, but its no Phonepad. On the down-low those considering a 6828 will be happy to know they can download a copy of the Phonepad that does work on the 6828 but this isn't exactly "street legal".
The Conclusions
With the Advent of the O2 Atom Exec the improvements of the 6828 over the original Atom have somewhat faded. What the HP still has going for it is a wide future of ROM releases from HP seen as how the device and product cycle are still quite new. Combine that with its stylish looks, and ultra competitive price and it is still likely to give O2 a run for its money.
I have taken the liberty of breaking down several pro's and cons of the various devices and perspectives.
HP RW6828 Versus the O2 Atom
Pro
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Solid and quality constructed casing, no creaking issues, and doesnt leave a map of visible fingerprints
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HP Rom very stable
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Significantly cheaper then the Atom and almost another cost class below the Atom Exec.
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HP Support (Many O2 users will atestify to O2s woeful and slow support and repair).
Con
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No O2 Media Plus or other o2 applications.
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O2 have become quite good and quick at releasing fixes and rom updates. HP does appear to be taking their time
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If price and O2's customer support aren't an issue the Atom Exec is probably a better bet.
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Low speaker volume level.
For Users looking at this device:
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Quality device
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FM Radio, 2MP HP Camera
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Stable
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Excellent build
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Excellent phone capabilities
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Light
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High contrast screen makes viewing even in daylight very pleasurable
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Reasonable price for a light, small, packed Pocket PC Device. |