Reg Review Bsquare's pitches its Power Handheld as the next stage in the evolution of wireless computing, but the machine is something of a throwback to the early days of handheld machines. Mobile computing buffs will surely go all misty eyed as they recall the likes of the Poqet PC, the Atari Portfolio, the Olivetti Quaderno, the HP 200LX and all the other gadgets that were dubbed 'palmtops' in the days before Palm. The Power Handheld (PH) is the inheritor of their legacy.

Fortunately for Bsquare, technology has moved on since the late 1980s, and the company's take on that old form-factor is rather more powerful and feature-filled than its predecessors. And, crucially, it's a wireless device, with an integrated GSM/GPRS radio for voice and data communications.

Straight out of the box, the PH looks like a typical PocketPC that's put on a little weight and lost its looks. It's a hefty but not uncomfortable 290g and measures 14 x 8.7 x 2cm. There's a slightly off-centre 4in screen alongside a four-way navigation control with a separate button in the middle. This time, the application activation buttons, of which there are six, are above the display. To its right is the stylus bay; to the left the IrDA port, headset jack, power connector, SIM bay and SD IO slot. On what you might think is the base is the on/off switch and volume controls.

But the PH is no mere Windows Mobile 2003 system. Switch it on and the screen not only reveals itself to be a very slick 640 x 480, 16-bit colour job but one that operates in landscape mode. With the screen the right way round, you're ready to use the keyboard. The lower third of the devices slides out from the device to reveal a mini QWERTY layout spaced to ease two-thumb typing. Imagine a PalmOne Treo 600 stretched to just over twice its usual width and you'll have a good idea of how the PH looks with the keyboard extended.

Comparing the PH to the Treo 600 is apposite. Both are pitched at professionals with a need to read and send emails while they're out and about. But while the PalmOne machine is geared towards people who need something more than a mobile phone but want a handset form factor, the PH comes at the problem from the other direction. Rather than a fat phone, it's a skinny laptop substitute.

Hence the VGA display, big enough, says Bsquare, to give you the kind of screen real estate you'd expect from a PC. Obviously notebook and desktop displays have come on quite a bit from the VGA days, but 640 x 480 remains a good compromise between mobility and resolution.

And it's a very nice screen indeed, presaging what PocketPC manufacturers may yet offer when they get their hands on Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition. At only 4in in the diagonal, it can leave you squinting, but to aid the opthalmically challenged, there's a zoom function. Press the zoom key, located above the navigator control, position the green square over the area of the screen you want magnified, press the button again and up it comes at double the size. You can then scroll around the screen, which remains sensitive to stylus taps.

Like Windows Mobile, the PH's core operating system is Windows CE, version 4.1. Bsquare's decision to replicate the Windows XP user interface again signals the type of user it's targeting: someone who wants the immediate familiarity of the Start Menu, My Computer, My Documents, Control Panels and so on. True to PDA users, the PH also features the usual PIM applications, though the contacts database is an adjunct to its phone application, which provides all the mobile phone functionality you'd expect.

Alongside it there's an Outlook-style combined email and SMS messaging application, plus Microsoft's own pocket versions of Internet Explorer and Word. Rather than license Excel too, Bsquare bundles its own, compatible spreadsheet, but it does look to Microsoft for the device's media player utility.

Other applications can be downloaded or zapped across from a host PC via the PH's bulky USB cradle and Microsoft's ActiveSync. The unit ships with 128MB of RAM plus a 64MB Flash disk, so there's plenty of space for documents and apps. Processing horsepower is delivered by a 400MHz Intel XScale, but Bsquare thoughtfully provides a control panel to drop it down to 200MHz to help conserve battery power. Neatly, the switch takes place on the fly.

Carrier

Like PalmOne, Bsquare is pitching PH at mobile phone networks rather than users themselves. Not only are carriers likely to buy in larger volumes, but they're better able to swallow part of the up-front hardware cost in order to put the device out at a more affordable price in the hope of recouping the subsidy through GPRS data tariffs.

In the UK, Bsquare's first and so far only partner is Vodafone, and the PH's Today screen - the equivalent of PocketPC's readout of current appointments and unread emails - is suitably red of hue. In a mood of typical Reg iconoclasm, I ignored all this and used my official handset's O2 SIM. The radio is a dual-band 900/1800MHz unit, but Bsquare also provides a model with a 900/1900MHz transceiver. Using the Phone application to choose the right network was easy, and setting up a new GPRS connection shortcut wasn't much harder. For corporate users, the PH supports VPNs using IPsec and PPTP clients.

One problem: opening a GPRS connection in an application breaks that link when the app is closed - even when there's a second application running that's also using GPRS. It's easy to quit the email app, having read your new messages, only to find that the browser you had running in the background suddenly has to re-open the connection.

GPRS doesn't provide great download speeds, but it can't be beaten for coverage. Surfing the web isn't zippy, but with a 640 x 480 display at least you get most sites to appear the way they do on a notebook or desktop. The real benefit of the screen is not for Internet access but the ability to get a decent view documents, typically sent as email attachments. These open in PH's office apps, where they can be edited and sent back. Bsquare's Spreadsheet doesn't display all the cell formatting data, but it doesn't remove it either, so it's all there when the file is returned.

PowerPoint users will be disappointed. Editing presentations isn't supported - a big omission - though there is at least a viewer app, which can also display PDFs. Bsquare also provides a Zip tool for archives.

Editing a file or writing an email requires the keyboard. The slider mechanism is smooth with a positive lock when the keyboard is fully extended. The keys give the PH the feel of a classic palmtop. They're small, and there's an audible click when they're pressed. The numeric keys are inlaid into the QWERTY layout and selected using a Function (FN) key.

Holding the device in both hands and using my thumbs to type proved comfortable and enabled reasonably fast text entry. It's certainly much easier to use than a Treo or Blackberry micro-keypad. You might not want to compose your magnum opus on it, but I was able to bash out a good portion of this review on it.

Powering the handheld

What may limit the ability to enter large quantities of text on the PH is not the keyboard, but the battery. Even Bsquare suggests using the mains adaptor whenever possible. The screen's backlight can be set to dim after a period of inactivity, but keeping it on - which you need to do while using the device - the 1900mAh battery will run flat in just a few hours. Voice calls and GPRS links will reduce it further. Beyond a certain level, the PH will shut down the GSM radio. So don't do what I did: spend two hours typing only to find that you can't email the document because there's insufficient power to activate the wireless link.

That said, the PH last as long in the field as some of the smart phones I've tried, such as Nokia's 6600 and Siemens' SX1. I found that the Treo 600's battery lasts longer, though that's probably because of its more aggressive backlight-killing settings. These devices are far more likely to be used for voice than the PH. Indeed, it's hard to see anyone using the Bsquare box as a phone, even though it allows you to do so. The keyboard slider also holds the PH's microphone and speaker. The latter's too crackly at high volume settings, so most users will opt for the bundled headset, which includes its own volume control and a switch to flip between stereo mode for music playback and mono/mic for phone calls. Bsquare also bundles a rather natty leather case.

In fact, I expect most PH users who make a good number of calls each day will keep a separate handset. Alas, the PH has no inherent Bluetooth support - though you can add it using the SD IO slot - so there's no way to dial contacts across devices. Wi-Fi can be added in the same way, but I look forward to the day when both wireless technologies are integrated into the device.

Verdict

It's tempting to see the Power Handheld being squeezed out by notebooks on one side and PDAs/smart phones on the other. But mobile computing isn't a one-size fits all market, and there's room for a variety of form-factors. Bsquare's device does meet the need of users who want a portable data terminal that can offer a less crammed display and text entry system than a PDA or smartphone yet can offer such a laptop-like experience without the weight.

However, it doesn't come cheap. Vodafone is offering the device for between £170 and £400, depending on the tariff you choose, which limits it to big business. Those prices aren't unreasonable, but they can be hard to justify when a subsidised Treo can be had for £50.

But the experience the two devices offer is very different, and for heavy-duty email work, the PH is by far the easiest to use, thanks to its bigger keyboard. For web browsing and document creation it's the superior solution. What it lacks is the portability and voice-friendliness of the other machine.

But if you're looking for a lighter, more mobile alternative to a laptop, the Power Handheld, with that gorgeous VGA screen and Windows XP look'n'feel, is hard to beat. The palmtop is back. ®

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