With the recent release of the Palm TX, it seems the specifications of the "basic PDA" have changed, with integrated Wi-Fi a must-have feature nowadays. Following this trend, HP has come up with the iPAQ rx1950, targeted at non-power handheld users.

Design
From the exterior, the new rx1950 looks identical to the HP iPAQ H4150 and, in terms of the physical dimensions, the former is just slightly smaller and lighter at 113.6 x 70.6 x 13.5mm and 125g.

While the improvements on the size and weight of the rx1950 make for a comfortable feel, HP has surprisingly stuck with a QVGA (320 x 240-pixel) display for its 3.5-inch TFT 64K-colour screen. A higher-resolution VGA (640 x 480-pixel) screen would have been ideal, though it would have added to the cost of the device. Overall, the display performed well, with a useful option for switching to landscape mode.

The five-way toggle is responsive and the in-built shortcut keys are both functional and easy to press for quick access to Calendar, Contacts, Messaging and Wi-Fi. The precarious placement of the dedicated key for sound recordings on the left side is too convenient, however, and was depressed accidentally on several occasions. A "hold" button would have been the perfect solution to this problem. The stylus is worth a mention, too, as it feels exceptionally thin and fragile.

Other conveniences built into the design include the replaceable battery so you never have to worry about constant recharging, and the standard 3.5mm headphone jack located at the top of the device.

Features
The most outstanding features of the rx1950 are its integrated Wi-Fi and the employment of the new Windows Mobile 5.0 OS. While the onboard 300MHz processor is technically slower compared with the 400MHz chip on the H4150, the advantage is that it offers an improved battery life.

Through the iPAQ Wireless application, scanning and connecting to networks is a breeze. Infrared capability is present and located at the bottom of the unit, though the lack of integrated Bluetooth may put off some users.

With Windows Mobile 5.0, the Home screen has been give a great makeover and now features the four main categories of Music, Photos, Games and Internet, along with the usual toolbars at the top and the bottom of the screen.

Bundled with the rx1950 are the latest software applications such as Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, Word Mobile, Excel Mobile and PowerPoint Mobile, along with the improved Internet Explorer Mobile, which has a bar for indicating how much of the page has loaded.

All the usual PIM features are in place and synching between iPAQ and PC went without a hitch during tests. File transfer is a simple matter of dragging and dropping, as the handheld appears as a mobile device with all its folders visible in Windows when connected via USB.

On the downside, the rx1950 has only 32MB of RAM and 64MB of ROM, all of which are user available. Thankfully, the ROM is non-volatile, which means your data will still be there even when the battery goes dead. An expansion card slot that can handle MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital (SD) and SDIO formats has also been thoughtfully included.

Performance
The 300MHz processor was sufficient for all applications to run smoothly, although there was a slight lag when viewing videos in full-screen mode. Beyond that, there was little to complain about the screen and the performance. The rx1950's speaker was respectably loud.

In our tests playing a looped MP3, the 1,100mAh Lithium-ion battery lasted a whopping 11 hours before the low battery warning popped up. When we looped a video, the rx1950 lasted for close to 7 hours.

Strictly speaking, the rx1950 descends directly from the HP iPAQ H1940. Both are designed for the simple PDA user and are good value for money. Their essential difference is that the 1940's Bluetooth has been swapped for Wi-Fi. With its low processing speed and lack of phone and camera capabilities, this new model is designed to cater more for work than play.

HP iPAQ rx1950
Company: Hewlett-Packard
Price: AU$399