Gadget Review: HP iPAQ rx4540 Mobile Media Companion
As an introduction to the review that follows, please play the video because that in itself is testament to how promising this portable and stylish gadget is.
The HP iPAQ rx4540 Mobile Media Companion does not fall short of its namesake. You could view all sorts of media file formats off it without the hassle of converting video files to either wmv or 3gp, unlike what most mobile phones require. From it, you could listen to any music with the appropriate equalizer settings, care of mobile WinamPAQ. By installing other third party programs, most of them free for download, you could also play just about any portable multimedia file you want.
The iPAQ rx4540 sports a 3.5mm audio jack that makes it possible for you to use any standard headphones of your choice. The unit comes with a cheap-looking headset with seemingly fragile wires and buds. You may also go wireless, thanks to the its Bluetooth v2.0 that makes stereo quality audio streaming possible. I’ve tested this nifty feature with my Motorola Bluetooth DJ headphones and pairing both BT devices were seamless. It just leaves a lot to be desired when it came to sound quality while on Bluetooth. Comparing audio quality transfers from different headphones, I strongly recommend that you use thin-wired ones, like the cheap-ass looking headphones the rx4540 comes free with. I could only speculate that thicker-wired headphones are big on resistance thus sacrificing some sound frequencies.
The HP iPAQ rx4540 runs on Windows Mobile 2005 (or WM5) and, comparing with my previous toy that only has WM2003-SE, boy, has the OS evolved! For one, it’s a wee bit faster. It was also said that if the unit’s battery gets drained on the new Pocket PCs, there’s no fear of having all your data erased unlike before which was a total pain in the bum every time it happened. As I get myself reeducated on the new OS’s functionalities, I discover bits of improvements by and by like when I launched a Word file that has images, them photos got loaded with the text, unlike the prior shitty old version where you get a place holder box with an X-mark where the image supposedly is. Also, those new third party applications for the WM5 OS are a real joy to have. They enhance the experience of owning a PPC even more, like those of SPB, SBSH, and Resco Utility suites.
Stay connected with WiFi. I have just recently been to CDO, free WiFi infested city, and browsing the net has never been fun and easy on the go! This is the first device I’ve used WiFi with and I did not have to do anything except click on the WiFi button to establish connection. I just waited for it to search the area for signal and, dundunduuuuun, I can already read about stuff I missed out on from the Man-Blog Forum!
It is one thing to revel on a PPC’s multimedia capabilities and another to play games off it. Aaaaah, the games. Developers keep coming up with new ones with a whole different level in visual and audio quality. I’m spending time now on Tetraedge’s Syberia II. I have other promising games on standby which I will install in turns cause they’re a bitch at requiring disk space.
This gadget is NOT a mobile phone, thankfully, and is thus priced at 50% less of what a Dopod 838 Pro feches. Both devices run on different processors but with the same processing speed of 400MHz. And since it does not require the needed power to continuously connect your unit to a phone network, you get to save on battery. Turn the device off and it stays off without eating power on the background.
The rx4540 does NOT have an on-board camera. Most mobile phones already have this feature, anyway, so that’s alright. It also does NOT have radio. It, however, has an internal memory of 1Gb, further expandable via its SD Card slot, so you could store your songs away and not need to wait for your favorite song to be played on radio.
The HP iPAQ rx4540 is not yet locally available because the local HP seems busy marketing the more expensive, GPS enabled, Travel Companion rx5900 series. Asses. Pray they stock this baby locally soon because what I’ve just shown you might have already made you want to board your ass on a plane, go to Australia, and get one for yourself ASAP.
