HP iPAQ H4350 Pocket PC Phone downloads, reviews, pda tips and tricks.

With the H4150 and the H4350, HP has delivered two slim iPaqs with included Wi-Fi. Both have almost identical specs and features, but the latter has a built-in keyboard and ships with a larger, higher-capacity battery. But the trade-off is the unit's size, as it's longer than your standard PDA. For some, that won't be a deal breaker--the H4350 is still slim and fairly light. But in an ideal world, HP would develop a slider-style design similar to that of the Sharp Zaurus SL-5600. That said, this is a highly functional handheld. It should especially appeal to a business customer who can afford the US$500 price tag and who works on a corporate campus that's well covered with Wi-Fi access points.

The H4350 is only a hair thicker than the H4150, but it's about 2.5cm longer (13.7 by 7.37 by 1.52cm), and it weighs about 28gm more (164.4gm). The length isn't a terrible nuisance, though it makes this Pocket PC look a little unusual. There were also moments when it reminded us of a fully loaded scientific calculator circa 1989.

The sharp, transflective, 65,000-color, TFT screen is the same one found on this year's other iPaqs. The unit looks a lot like the H4150 with a mini QWERTY keyboard attached to its bottom. All in all, the keyboard--which offers blue backlighting for inputting text in the dark--is superior to the one found on Handspring's Treo 600. The keys are raised and have just enough space between them to prevent mistyping. We also liked how HP put the number keys in a dial-pad configuration and gave them a darker, carbon colouring. They'll come in handy when, theoretically, you'll be able to use the H4350 as a phone using VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology--so long as you're in range of a Wi-Fi hot spot. HP says the device supports this feature, but we were unable to test it.

Unlike some handhelds, the H4350 doesn't have a scrollwheel, and if we had a small design gripe, it was that the five-way chrome-collared, plastic navigation button is a tad small and slippery. Other minor details worth noting: Unlike the H1940, this model features a standard-size headphone jack, and two (rather than one) LEDs for conveying more-detailed alerts and notifications. Also up top is a slot for Secure Digital (SD) and MultiMediaCard (MMC) media and SDIO add-ons such as a camera accessory.

In the box, you'll find a canvas slipcover that can be used as a protective carrying case. There's also a cradle with a separate slot for charging a second battery; yes, the included 1,560mAh lithium-ion battery is removable. An optional extended 3,600mAh battery is available, but it will obviously make the handheld thicker and heavier.

This Pocket PC offers a host of corporate-centric features, including F-Secure FileCrypto Data Encryption and VPN access, which provides you with a wireless connection to your corporate e-mail and network, as well as additional security. That said, you may need an IT person to help you set up your corporate e-mail.

Setting up a standard POP3 e-mail account is a pretty straightforward affair. You can set up multiple POP3 e-mail accounts, and Web-based mail services, such as Yahoo Mail, are accessible via Pocket Internet Explorer so long as you have a Wi-Fi connection.

Using the integrated Wi-Fi and HP's iPaq Wireless connection application, we had no trouble connecting to both a secure, key-code-protected network in our office and an open network, or hot spot, we discovered down the block. There's a built-in sniffer that displays not only available networks but also those that require a WEP key code to access. MSN Messenger, Micr