Convergence: the art of bringing together complementary technologies in order to justify a buzzword's existence. HP's latest crack at convergence is to cram just about every mobile gadget going into a single, small digital device.

Why carry a separate mobile phone, handheld computer, music player, voice recorder and camera when the new iPaq H6340 offers all these functions (and a few more besides) in one device?

If you thought that was a sarcastic way of lining up HP's latest offering for a slating, think again: we really rather like the iPaq H6340. This little silver brick gets more things right than it gets wrong and, impending quibbles about its quirks notwithstanding, it makes the grade as a great handheld computer.

If you've not considered such a gadget before, then it's worth knowing that this particular one uses the Windows Mobile 2003 (for Pocket PC) operating system. If you use Windows XP on your PC you'll be instantly at home here, as the interface (menus, icons, dialogue boxes, and so forth) are very similar.

You navigate with a pen-like stylus, rather than a mouse, and text input can be made either by tapping at an on-screen keyboard or by relying on the surprisingly good handwriting recognition.

The iPaq H6340 includes another input option, in the shape of a small clip-on keyboard: and, talking of extras, HP also offers a detachable camera as an optional extra (if you're prepared to stump up an additional £94). Plus the battery pack can be swapped, which is a good idea.

The big selling point with this handheld device is it's wireless capabilities. You can use it as a phone in almost any country and transmit and receive data by GPRS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It works well enough but, as with similar devices we've seen, the H6340 doesn't feel quite right as a phone handset. Held up to the ear, the body of the device feels too wide, and dialling numbers via a screen seems strange.

The H6340 has more serious weaknesses, too. First, the memory (64Mb RAM, 64Mb Rom) seems a little tight for a device whose major selling point is versatility, although the presence of an SD card slot means more storage can be easily added.

Second, and more of a concern to our mind, is the price. At around £468, depending on the mobile phone airtime contract, it's one costly little box of electronics. We like it, but we couldn't afford to buy one.

Contact:
HP 0845 270 4222
www.hp.co.uk

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