Photo gallery: HP iPAQ 112 ClassicDedicated PDAs are a dying breed. The demand for such devices is shrinking because hybrid PDA-phones make more sense for many who wish to reduce the number of items carried around. Granted, some organisations still need them for specific tasks, like inventory management. Certainly there are some consumers who still prefer to have a dedicated device because the lack of cellular radios equates to longer battery life. It takes a big organisation to cater to such a niche market, and they don't come much bigger than HP, which has one enterprise and one consumer model in its portfolio of non-smartphone iPaq handhelds.
Design
The design of the 112 is reminiscent of the HP iPaq rx19xx series with its rounded base and slim design. The metallic silver front panel is complemented by a black soft-touch finish around the sides and back, which makes it feel pretty good in the hand. Those who like their PDAs compact won't be disappointed by the 112. Measuring 69mm wide by 117mm tall by 13.6mm thick and with a weight of about 115g, it's pretty light for a device with a 3-inch display.
While 3-inch displays are nothing new, most current PDA smartphones have significantly smaller LCDs. So, by comparison, the one on the 112 is huge although the screen resolution is still only 320 x 240, which is a pity considering some PDAs from a few years back were already sporting VGA screens. We're sure HP made this decision to keep costs down. Nonetheless, the current panel displays text sharply and is suitably bright. Above the LCD is a light sensor which adjusts the brightness automatically -- increasing it under strong light and dimming it in dark environs to save both battery juice and eyes.
Below the LCD are four shortcut buttons and a five-way navigator, while on the right is the power button and a voice recorder button for instant access to voice memos. There's a grand total of two connectors on the 112, a 3.5mm audio jack on the top and a standard mini-USB port for charging and syncing.
Naturally a stylus is important for a PDA without a keypad. The metal stylus has a good weight and feel to it but we did find that it fit too snugly into its silo in the top right corner -- a problem that should solve itself over time as the stylus is used more.
Features
Memory-wise, this PDA comes with 64MB of RAM and 256MB of ROM. The Windows Mobile 6 Classic operating system and HP addons don't hog too much space as there's around 195MB of free ROM for users. Although 64MB of RAM may seem small compared to the 128MB found on many PDA-phones these days, the 112 didn't feel sluggish in operation. The fact that it didn't have to keep any phone applications running helps in this regard.
The 112's Home screen has a few HP enhancements, including the TodayPanel and iPaqWireless, which make it easy to get to commonly used items like memory and wireless settings. Unfortunately, there's no panel showing what Windows Media is playing. This would be useful since the 112 is potentially a viable replacement for an MP3 player given its standard 3.5mm audio jack and full-size SD slot, which supports up to 8GB SDHC cards.
Performance
Powered by a 624MHz Marvell PXA310 processor, the 112 feels responsive and there was more than sufficient processing punch for the applications that we ran on this unit.
To simulate its use as an MP3 player, we started a music playback battery life test. With the backlight off, a pair of headphones plugged in and music playing the 112 ran for 10.5 hours before shutting down. Though this won't rival most dedicated MP3 players, it should meet or exceed most users' expectations of a PDA.
Overall
The iPaq 112 is a pretty solid device and one of the very few new PDAs out there without phone capabilities. We do have to mention that it doesn't offer much more than any high-end non-cellular iPaq from two years back, other than the fact that it runs WM6 Classic and has a faster processor. However, if your old PDA has kicked the can and you need something basic, this PDA is a decent choice, thanks to its attractive AU$399 price tag.
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