Customer Reviews

HP iPAQ H6315 PDA Pocket PC Phone Edition H6300 6315

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have been using this gadget for almost 2 years now and never a day I can even imagine leaving my home without it! OK, it is a buggy little device, and I have to go to the occasional soft reset ritual. But consider this; I am a real estate professional and I need a GPS capability, a Bluetooth headset connection to talk to, a decent reminder (that actually talks) and an internet browser. All without having to go to my desktop or open my laptop computer...this device provides it all!

My device proof it's worth, I am able to simultaneously use a GPS capability, talk using my Bluetooth headset while open up a PDF documents. Everything at the same time! I do suggest this most essential software to use with this device that can give you up most satisfaction of using HP 6315 (and it is proven to work well for me) as follows:

1. Make sure you update your HP 6315 to the latest ROM (at the time this is written: 1.10.08 ENG)
2. Update HP iPAQ h6300 Pocket PC Series Wireless LAN Driver available from HP.com
3. Download the freeware: Shutdown (Windows XP Style) at http://www.freewareppc.com/utilities/shutdownwindowsxpstyle.shtml for the occasional chores of soft resetting your device (you'll thank me for this)
3. Install Microsoft Voice Command
4. Install Microsoft Pocket Street
5. Get Microsoft GPS device (mine is Microsoft Street & Trips 2005) and purchase the Pharos Bluetooth add on (i-GPS BT)
6. Get Jabra BT250v (it is proven work with my device)

Ever since I have this things installed, I am really happy to keep this device as my companion. Remember that this is a fragile electronic gadget, it does not work perfectly and occasional soft reset is needed. But handling it gently, it has been stable and provides a reliable service for my needs. And since now you can get it less than $500, this device worth for my money. I hope this review is helpful for you. Your experience may vary.

I do suggest getting the latest 1 GB SD card (the price is amazingly affordable) to save your most valuable (all) data.

I would have given 5 stars if it is not for the occasional soft reset ^_^;

Don't be in the least tempted by the iPaq 6315, never have I come across a gadget with so many flaws, even with the latest software update that supposedly fixes the bugs. The problems are literally too many to list completely, the phone locks up, the bluetooth connection is flakey, dialogue boxes don't always close, and the latest fun thing on mine was for it to continually try to get a GPRS connection. This latest issue required a hard reset to solve, erasing all the data on the machine (I was travelling at the time).

So, unless you don't really need to use it as a phone, are prepared to do daily soft resets and regular hard resets, buy something else.

Oh, and don't look for support from HP. They've "delegated" any phone issues to the service provider.

I bought my 6315 in February 2005 and it's been my primary phone & PDA ever since. It initially had a lot of issues, but in March the software upgrade was released and most of them got fixed. What didn't was the low speaker volume. I addressed that issue by getting ringtones and MP3 that were 300% louder than normal. Some individual phones had other issues and users generally replaced them, but I was one of the lucky ones. Other issues mentioned in reviews here were never an issue with my phone. My Bluetooth, WiFi, and GPRS always worked as advertised, and my four email accounts were always delivered right to my phone (even while driving across the country). My speakerphone worked perfectly, and after the software upgrade, I went from one or two soft resets a DAY to one or two every two weeks or so, which is less often than most computers.

The best part of the device is that it incorporates everything you need. I could listen to MP3s over my Bluetooth headset, make notes during phone calls, and write emails with either the included thumb keyboard or use handwriting recognition.

Other than the phone, I primarily used it for two things: navigation and entertainment. Traveling all the time, I loaded Mapopolis, which is like a downloadable version of Mapquest. Without a GPS, I was still able to navigate around Washington DC without crashing my car. The other main use was reading ebooks, and the large 3" diagonal screen was perfect for this. Waiting in line or at the dentist's office? Read a book!

The simple fact is, after having a converged device like this, I'll never again go back to separate PDA and phone. My wife had that for a long time, but every time someone changed their personal info, she had to update their email address in Outlook Express, their phone number in her cell, and everything in her PDA. I make the change once in either my phone or in Outlook, and both are updated. And it all fits in one pocket.

I live outside of USA, and my ipaq 6315 works pretty well in my country. We use GSM technology whit european band. I use before palm, clie and ipaq, but this product allow me to sync with my job email, schedulle, notes, etc and the same time have my mobile, and works! I'm happy with the product and it's an excellent choice to have all in one.
If you need to sync with lotus , you need to buy a software to that, but its ok.

When I integrated my PDA and my cell phone that I used to carry and bought my HP 6315 I was already an iPAQ fan. I carried a 5900 wi-fi PDA and a camera phone (cannot remember which phone, seems like a million years ago.) At first the software seemed to be incompatible with the phone applications, I was plagued with numerous soft resets to recover from the dreaded out of memory lockups due to the limited amount of on board memory and the lack luster processor. After I added a 1GB SD memory chip it resolved some of the lockup issues, but the software was still an ugly duckling. I found an upgrade on the internet that was released for the European version of the phone that resolved some of the Bluetooth issues, (like not connecting with my Motorola H810 wireless headset, mostly Bluetooth issues.) Finally after what seemed like years TMO released the bios upgrade which changed my functional misfit into a mobile powerhouse! Sure it seems like a lot of phone (bulky at best) but with the addition of reliable Bluetooth connectivity all issues were manageable. In fact I still have my 6315 although I recently upgraded to the TMO MDA (another review) My biggest issue is the non-integrated thumb board (duh!) but being a graffiti expert I don't really miss a beat when it comes to sending text messages or writing notes or even word documents. As far as durability, this thing is unbreakable, provided you protect it with a good case like my Krussell case (the best case money can buy!) The unit has all of the functionality of a tiny laptop, the size is about the only drawback and if you are currently using an iPAQ type device you won't miss a beat. Bottom line with some massaging this phone is pretty good if you don't mind an occasional dropped phone call due to the marginal reception in less than favorable conditions, still in all I loved the unit and would plunk down the $500.00 bucks that I paid a year ago again.

i am using this phone right now. I have researched a lot of phones before buying this.
Pros :
The main features in this which i liked were ;
----WiFi ( which i could connect right away to any internet wirelessly) , ----Bluetooth( i could sync to any computer or phone to transfer my files) . and we also get a usb sync cable to connect it directly to a computer to transfer files.

Cons :

-- Slow processor at 168MHz, gives a generally sluggish response. If you are not looking for WIFI phone, better go for a faster pda like HP 6515. its much faster than this 6315 and 6515 has inbuilt GPSbut it doesn't have wifi..
-- 64MB of memory with 55MB
--Some bugginess causes unexplainable problems such as the snap-on keyboard not working momentarily, often only remedied by a soft reset of the device.

Extra :
you can buy a 512mb sd card on ebay for 20 bucks and increase your memory.
you can also buy a SDIO gps card on ebay to add GPS navigation to this 6315.. it costs arouund $75

This product isn't actively being offered by T-Mobile or HP any more, but people may come here looking for reviews because like myself, they see a great deal on the HP iPaq H6315 somewhere and want to know if it's worth buying. In a word, the answer is no.

I've had my H6315 for about 5 months and the phone feature just quit working - it perpetually gives me a "missing or invalid SIM card" message no matter how many times I open the back and replace the SIM card or reset the handheld. Not that I need to worry about resetting the handheld very much - it resets itself frequently, usually when I need to make a call and have turned the phone on expecting to do so. Instead, I have to sit and wait for a couple of minutes while the handheld's system reboots itself. Recently it started doing a hard reset automatically, wiping out all my stored data and forcing me to restore it multiple times.

I was attracted to this smartphone because it offered phone, wireless Internet, and Bluetooth capability all in one shot. The Bluetooth functionality works great. Unfortunately, I've never succcessfully gotten the wireless Internet to work, even after installing system upgrades. My husband is a system administrator and even he can't get the wireless Internet to work. And the phone connection is so bad even a short conversation usually involved a couple of callbacks to the other person, from dropped calls, even in places where the indicator showed the network was strong.

Although I am upset the phone functionality only lasted 5 months, I have to say I'm not sorry it finally quit. The phone was so bad it's almost a relief to have to go get something else. I'm keeping the iPaq to use as a PDA, but the whole point was to get a phone and PDA in one. I should have taken other reviews of this device to heart and skipped buying this. It was a waste of money and time. Trying to get it to function as a phone was frustrating and time-consuming, and that doubled when I tried to activate the "advanced" features that supposedly make the smartphone so great. I am going to get a Treo this time because I know multiple people who have those, and no one has had a problem. In our household, we are 0 for 4 on HP/Compaq products and I don't think I'll be buying another one. They just don't ever seem to live up to promised functionality, or last.

My IPAQ h6300 received the software upgrade and since then has worked seamlessly. You need to turn off connections so it doesn't search for GPRS, etc. all the time. But that is easy to do with the connection manager. My bluetooth headset now works phenomenally too! It is great to be able to import all of my contacts from outlook and direct dial or email them just by tapping the phone number. Plus Wireless Internet built in, and Word, Excel, etc. on the fly. I have had a phone and PDA both for some time and it is convenient to have both in one, especially with the carrying case that comes with it. Get to know it, then you will love it.

I am currently using this phone with service from T-mobile, and it crashes so frequently causing all the data in phone to be erased. I performed a software upgrade from the T-mobile website which still did not help.
Anyone who buys this phone willl be soo frustrated with it.

I have been looking for a PDA and a phone. To find this combo is perfect! I have already unlocked it and used many other carriers on this device. I gradually keep buying programs for it and load them all on the SIM card. What I love most is it does NOT have the silly keypad (although amny of them come with that attachement. I value my screen space and writing space more than anything. It does not have a great external speaker, but I only use a bluetooth earpiece and car stereo. It has become quite the entertainment device as well. I LOVE IT!

I would buy this over any of the existing new PDA phones.