Jørgen Sundgot takes the most powerful Pocket PC in existence for a spin: the iPAQ h5550 packs an amazing array of features, but they come at a price.
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When Compaq first introduced its iPAQ series, the company aimed squarely for the high-end market with a device which has often been attributed to driving the growth of the entire platform. Following its merger with Hewlett-Packard, the iPAQ brand has survived, as has the original thought behind the iPAQ: delivering a powerful and versatile tool. The iPAQ h5550 is so far the ultimate result of an evolution that has progressed for three years, and boy does it pack a punch.
 | HP's new iPAQ h5550 is a veritable powerhouse
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Design
The top-end iPAQ of 2003 largely retains the form-factor of the first-generation iPAQs and is therefore a giant of a device, yet manages to remain sleek. It does, however, have a drawback in that it is somewhat top-heavy, promising potential strain during extended one-handed use. Its display, however, is quite impressive, as it is one of few 3.8" displays and as such more comfortable than the de facto 3.5" standard. This provides decent backlighting and does an adequate job of presenting ClearType, but does not impress in the area of stylus travel - speaking of which, is of the non-retractable plasic kind, and also best described as adequate.
Equipped with one button more than most Pocket PCs, the typical four hardware shortcut buttons and a five-way directional pad straddle the lower front of the unit with the latter centered. Followed by a power on/off button in the upper right corner and volume up/down buttons placed at the top of the left side of the unit, the h5550 is devoid of the common voice recording button - something to keep in mind for those who emphasize quick access to making voice notes. Fortunately, all buttons provide excellent tactile feedback, and are sufficiently recessed to avoid accidental key presses.
A rather unique feature gracing the front of the h5550 is its biometric fingerprint scanner, which can be configured to deny access to the handheld unless a valid fingerprint is provided - a capability which functions rather nicely and even works after a hard reset. For those in need of stringent security, this solution is not only intuitive and convenient, but also provides a high level of security.
In contrast to the biometric scanner, LEDs are quite common on Pocket PCs, and the h5550 offers a whopping three of them: one for Wi-Fi, one for Bluetooth and one for general notifications such as alarms and reminders. Also, the h5550 sports another uncommon trait for Pocket PCs, namely vibrating alert which comes in extremely handy for those with jam-packed schedules.
In the audio department, the h5550 gives off quite a good impression through offering four-level bass boost with a handy power saving feature, as well as automatic microphone gain - both features which proved to work very well. The built-in speaker of the unit is as usual not much to write home about, but audio delivered through its 3.5 mm audio jack is of excellent quality.
Connectivity
Offering only an SDIO capable SD/MMC Card expansion slot despite its gargantuan size, the h5550 is surpassed by its younger sibling, the iPAQ h2210, as well as several other mid-range and high-end Pocket PCs. On the brighter side, the bundled USB cradle is quite sufficient, and when it comes to wireless the h5550 truly shines.
Equipped with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (802.11b), the h5550 offers unparallelled built-in connectivity support, and also offers tools that let users manage its features with relative ease. The range of included Bluetooth profiles is more than adequate, and the Wi-Fi portion comes with support for necessary security measures such as WEP and 802.1x - and combined with improved support in Windows Mobile 2003, such features are easier to use than ever before.
Also, the iPAQ h550 is the only recently introduced iPAQ model to support Compaq's proprietary sleeve expansion system. This feature is likely to be highly appreciated by existing owners of such accessories, but potential buyers in general should not place a great deal of emphasis on this as support for this system appears to be diminishing sharply.
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