Now that you have an impression of the size of the hp ipaq 614 business navigator, it’s time to look at what HP has integrated into the device from a physical standpoint. After the excellent rx4240 and 110 classic, HP must beat itself - can the boys do it?
When looking at the 614, one immediately notes the slightly weird keyboard - no application buttons, no 5way. Instead, HP now graces users with a combined “nav 5way keyboard”. For example, instead of having dedicated 5way keys, you briefly touch the circle in order to toggle a 5way press(center is missing). The two small buttons under the screen can be used as application launch keys or as direct access toggles for the two WM6 softkeys. As for the other keys…the icons are mostly self-explanatory…
Sounds weird - but after a bit of playing around, you’ll eventually become accustomed to the new from of input(and start to like it). Controlling applications works very well indeed - however, gamers will still prefer a dedicated 5way navigator.
The left side of the unit contains a jog dial and two further soft buttons - one doubles the ok key found in the front, whereas the other one is for the voice recorder. The jog dial itself is very well done and handles well - no issues here:
The top of the device features a “silence” button - while this is not quote as comfortable as a Treo’s slider(no visual indication of status - come on, give us a LED), it’s nevertheless great to see HP integrate this into their devices.
On the right side, there is only the camera key. Two pressure points(focus and shoot) - while the first point is very easy to reach, fully pressing the key takes a bit too much pressure for my taste:
The stylus of the box is telescopic and thick enough for my taste(Centro, rx4240, 614 and Treo stylus; from left to right):
Last but not least, the bottom of the 614 contains HP’s classic MiniUSB port, a reset button and the stylus silo(!!!). Unfortunately, HP seems to have omitted all kinds of headphone port from this device(probably because of breakage issues - just ask Palm or Gamepark Holdings) - it seems to be bluetooth only here nowadays:
In the end, HP really seems to be at war with the concept of a 5way. First, the 4700 got that dreaded touchpad. Then, the rx4240 got a scroll wheel(which was insanely cool - but sucked for gamers); now the 614 gets a “touchscreenish” navigator instead of hardware buttons. Nevertheless, the 614 is an excellent machine from a physical perspective - everything is in the right place. If you can live without the 3.5″ headphone jack, all is fine for you - it’s a HP box…
Tune in soon to find out more about the 614’s screen!