HP iPAQ Glisten Windows Phone
Posted by adminJan 21
- Windows Mobile 6.5-powered smartphone with AMOLED touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard; durable, scratch-resistant body
- Tri-band UMTS/HSDPA 3G connectivity (850/1900/2100 MHz) for global roaming; compatible with optional AT&T Navigator turn-by-turn GPS, AT&T Mobile Music
- Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g); 3.1-megapixel camera/camcorder; Bluetooth PC tethering and stereo music; microSD expansion to 32 GB
- Up to 5 hours of talk time, up to 360 hours (15 days) of standby time
- What’s in the Box: handset, rechargeable battery, charger, USB cable, quick start guide, user manual
Amazon.com Product Description
Powered by Windows Mobile 6.5, the HP iPAQ Glisten is designed specifically for the mobile professional looking for a solid, reliable mobile device with a simple user interface and the flexibility of a touch screen and QWERTY keyboard. The jewel-like front includes a 2.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen display that offers vivid clarity from any angle, fast response time and better battery performance. Letters won’t rub off from the keyboard, which has a balanced … More >>
HP Glisten
I have been using a Motorola Q9 for some time and thinking about moving to an iPhone or an Android phone. A good friend recommended I should get an HP Glisten, which I started using about a month ago.
The bad: Windows Mobile 6.5 can be quirky sometimes for people who have never used and I had not been a fan of touch screen WinMo devices personally because in the past you had to take out the stulus all the time.
The good: After a day of use, I learned the quirks and got used to the touch screen interface, which is pretty cool actually: I can use the keyboard, my finger or a stylus. Scrolling on a web page or an email with your finger is quite nice. For things like playing solitaire you may want to use the stylus. Days go by now without ever taking the stylus out.
I really like physical QWERTY keyboards, one of the two main reasons I did not get an iPhone (the other one is that I don’t want to use the phone everyone else is using – too much for think different). The keyboard in the Glisten is one of the best, probably as good as the Q9.
The AMOLED screen is bright, but not very large – reasonable for this form factor. I have found it quite adequate for email and even for web browsing.
I installed the Bing application and it works very nicely. The GPS works great – I don’t want to pay $10 a month for AT&T Navigator.
Adding my Hotmail, POP and Exchange accounts was a snap. Say what you want, but there is no better OS to connect to exchange than WinMo (OK I am biased, I worked at Microsoft until two years ago). You can do all sorts of interesting stuff like sorting your inbox, flagging messages and changing out of the office settings.
The form factor is really attractive for me. It is smaller than the Q9 but very usable. I think this phone looks professional and the build quality feels excellent. Looks a lot like a Blackberry bold.
WiFi is one of the big features. I have poor reception in a few meeting rooms in the office, which was not a problem as the Glisten has a physical button to turn WiFi on and off. It connected to the company WiFi network using WPA2 security and I was online in no time.
Battery life is OK. After a day of use I am at about 50%. The hexagonal-icon menu is OK, navigation is fine with your fingers. The Today screen is great for what I need – it is quite customizable.
Because it is powered by the newer WinMo 6.5 it has the full desktop IE experience, which means you can browse any normal site (as opposed to the mobile version). Zooming and panning works well.
I added a 256Mb MicroSD card with music and additional storage (i.e. caching maps for the Bing app). A really nice feature is a standard audio jack on the side, meaning I can use standard earphones. The camera is good but nothing out of the ordinary.
So far, the phone has been responsive and I have not experienced any lock-ups. Call quality and reception have been good as well.
Overall, I am very happy with this phone and would recommend it. In fact, it is becoming the primary reason I might stay with AT&T.
Rating: 5 / 5