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"Play Hard and Work Easy"... Enter the HTC P3600i Review.
Have you ever looked for the (as my wife calls it) 'WOW Factor'? That moment arises from deep within you for no apparent reason other than simply... WOW!
The HTC P3600i has that WOW Factor! As it sat there in its cradle... charging for the very first time... I looked on in awe... in amazement...
...Dang, have you ever been in the position where you have bought a new device, 'the Device', opened the box, read the manual... only to find that it reads something like... "Charge the device for 12 hours prior to use for the first time"...?
So there I sat for 12 hours... like an expecting father... until the moment of truth... the first moment of use... that first taste... Wow!... Worth the wait? Let's find out...
The P3600i
Armed with GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, Push Email, GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800, GSM1900, UMTS850, UMTS1900, UMTS2100, CSD, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, and much, much more, the P3600i is set to impress!
Whether you are a seasoned Pocket PC user... or a new user... the P3600i is sure to fulfill all of your expectations.
In the case of this review, I'm looking at the HTC P3600i... and I have to say that I am nothing short of impressed at the pure volume of 'gadgetry goodness' this device has to offer!
Let's take a closer look at the P3600i and what this 'road warrior' has to offer:
Size and Weight
As I have suggested, this device packs a great deal of 'punch' for it's compact size. It is 108 mm (L) x 58.2 mm (W) x 18.4 mm (T), and weighs a tidy 150g (and that's with battery pack).
Processor
If you are looking for a balanced device offering both power and battery life, the P3600i is built to impress. The processor is a powerful 500 MHz Samsung CPU which makes web browsing, data process management, email, music and general telephone very efficient.
Memory
Offering a generous 256MB flash ROM, the P3600i comes with a generous amount of on board storage. Couple this with 64MB RAM for program memory and this device is sure to impress the memory hungry enthusiast!
The memory card slot on offer is in the mini SD format... and takes cards up to 32Gb.
Display
The display on the P3600i is a 2.8" (240 x 320) QVGA 65K color TFT LCD which delivers a crisp vibrant result. Sure this is not a VGA screen, but then again, personally I will take the feature set this device has to offer with the QVGA screen rather than comprimise on a feature set and have the VGA screen.
A VGA screen is nice and sweet to look at... but at the end of the day... it's kind of like the difference between HDTV in 1020p versus 1080p... unless you have bought the device primarily to watch DVD movies on, you are NOT disadvantaged by the QVGA screen (IMHO).
Battery
The battery on the P3600i is a 1500mAh battery. I have been using my device (primarily as a heavy business user) for eight weeks and get a comfortable and full days use out of the device without any need for a charge. If you are a medium user, you would comfortably get two days use from the P3600i without the need for a top up charge in between.
Camera
As with most high end devices these days, the P3600i comes with a rear camera and also a forward facing camera (designed for use with video conferencing/calling), but also good fun when taking self portraits!
The main camera is a 2.0 mega pixel CMOS with the forward facing camera (2nd camera) offering a VGA CMOS... which offers a very good quality image for conference calls and self images.
The camera software is 'built into' the P3600i and is not only easy to use... but is also fun!
When you first 'press' the Camera button, you are presented with the following screen which easily allows you to choose either on main memory (on board) or storage card. You may also note that you are given the option to 'Don't Show Again'... which allows the user to have their 'initial' choice set as the default. (You can change this option at a later date should you wish to).
From there... using the camera is 'easy peasy' (as my four and a half year old says (Elijah... he'll love the fact that I got his name into this review).
To take video... just tap on the camera icon once...
To send an MMS... just tap on the camera icon twice...
To add/take a contact photo... just tap on the camera icon three times...
To take a photo with some 'fun' pre-defined boarders/templates... just tap on the camera icon four times...
Yep... you guessed it, to take panorama shots... just tap on the camera icon five times...
Speedy shots... just tap on the camera icon the sixth time...
Rapid frame... just tap on the camera icon the seventh time...
and so on...
Like my four year old says... "easy peasy"...
Remember that you can change the resolution of the photo, manually set the light meter, set a timer and SO much more!
The Network Wizard
Have you ever wanted to travel to that distant place, jump out of the plane and feel comfort in knowing that your device will 'just work' and allow you to always keep in touch?
Look no further... check this out...
No need to manually load GPRS & other network settings
In a new country and let the network wizard auto detect
Auto SIM detection and configuration then applies all respective GPRS/MMS settings
Network settings are automatically configured and loaded for most countries
...and you're back in contact with the world... and all YOU needed to do was turn on your device and allow it to do take care of the rest!
Comm Manager
Communications made easy!
Like a lot of the 'merged devices' on the market these days, the P3600i comes with an easy to use, simple though highly functional/pratical Comm Manager.
This is a 'one stop shop' for managing Wireless/WiFi, GPRS/Data, Bluetooth, Push Email, Phone On/Off, Flight Mode, Silent Mode and Active Sync!
The P3600i offers true connectivity and supports HSDPA, WLAN 802.11b/g, Bluetooth v2.0, & GSM Quadband with EDGE!
If you want to put the phone into 'Flight Mode'... simply tap on the 'Flight Mode' icon, if you want to turn the phone on/off, simply tap on the 'Phone' icon, and so on...
 
Traditionally, WiFi connections can be difficult... but I am pleased to say that establishing a WiFi connection on the P3600i was a breeze! As with 'Flight Mode' and 'Phone On/Off' above, simply tap on the 'WiFi' icon and the P3600i will find all wireless networks within range and offer to connect. Naturally the security code is required if the network is protected.
The first screenshot below shows the device with the WiFi off (ie: no WiFi connection) and the second screenshot shows WiFi on (ie: connected to a wireless network)...
To turn WiFi on and off requires nothing more than a tap on the WiFi icon!
The P3600i also gives the heavy user a wide range of manual options and tweaks for WiFi etc behind the simplicity and austomation of the Comm Manager... but I have only been in there for a 'play. The Comm Manager takes care of all of the work for you.
GPS
GPS anyone? Yes, the P3600i comes with a built in GPS receiver... which is so, SO, so darn easy to setup!
I use Travroute's Co-Pilot LIVE v6 with y P3600i and I have been very impressed the ease of setup, all the way through the intergration of the software on the device, and ending up with a fully functional (practical) GPS.
Here's how easy it was to setup Co-Pilot LIVE V6 on my P3600i (10 easy steps!) -
1. Install your GPS software (either via the PC or via a .cab file... I use a .cab file)
2. Launch CoPilot
3. Activate the software (usually this is as easy as entering your email address)... and the software is activated!
4. Tap 'GPS' (within CoPilot Live)
5. Tap on 'Setup GPS'
6. Tap on 'Other' (as the GPS is built into the device)
7. Tap 'Next'
8. Highlight 'Automatic'... and tap 'Next'
9. The GPS Com Port is atomatically configured for you
10. Enter your destination... and off you go!
Happy travelling... see you soon...
What comes in the box?
HTC P3600i unit
USB Sync Cable
Power Adapter
Stereo Headset
Leather Side Pouch (and this is a nice pouch!)
Getting Started Disc & User Manual & Quick Start Guide
Bonus Software CD
Pre-Loaded Software (ROM based)
Outlook Mobile
Office Mobile (Word, Excel, Power-Point)
IE Mobile
Windows Media Player 10 Mobile
Pocket MSN
Mobile Email with Push Mail
Wireless Modem
Games
Encryption Software (encrypt all information on your storage card in 1 easy tap)
Device Summary
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Professional
Display: 2.8" 240 x 320 QVGA 65K color TFT LCD
Networks: HSDPA/UMTS Tri-band 2100MHz and 850/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900
Camera: Main camera : 2.0 Mega Pixel CMOS 2nd camera:VGA CMOS
CPU: Samsung 500 MHz
Memory: Flash ROM 256MB / RAM 64MB
Keypad: 5-Way Navi key, 360 degrees jog wheel
I/O ports: IrDA SIR, Bluetooth V2.0, WiFi 802.11b/g, Mini SD hot swappable slot
Weight: 150g with battery pack
Dimension: 108 mm (L) x 58.2 mm (W) x 18.4 mm (T)
Battery: 1500 mAh
Standby/Talktime: GSM: Up to 200-250 / 5 hours; WCDMA: Up to 180-250 / 4 hours
Pro's
Wow... where do I start... the best place to start would be to re-read this review!
Cons
Even though the casing is a magnificent looking polished black with an insatiable WOW! factor... it is a finger print magnet (this can be easily overcome with a 'Piel Frama' hand made leather case!
The P3600i comes packed with 64Mb RAM. Whilst this is more than enough for the average to heavy user, 128Mb would be optimal. Having said that, I can't remember the last time I used a device and didn't think that additional memory would be a bonus.
Conclusion
Whether you are a light, medium or heavy user of a Pocket PC, the P3600i will definitely NOT dissappoint you! HTC have done an amazing job in bringing a device to the market that packs one amazing punch when it comes to covering all bases.
GPS, Email Push, WM6, great battery life, great form factor... and so the list just goes on.
After having used the P3600i for a little over 6 weeks now (as my personal device), I can't think of how this will dissapoint.
Here's what I purchased from Press Digital to further enhance my experience with my new HTC P3600i:
Piel Frama Executive Hand Made Leather Case
Just Mobile RoKy Bluetooth Fabric Wireless Keyboard
Sandisk 2GB Ultra II miniSD Memory Card
Dopod D810 / HTC P3600 / SPVM700 Screen Protectors - Twin Pack
BTW... One final thought...
In my mind, there are three distinct form factors available on the market today for the Pocket PC Phone Edition (AKA 'Merged Device') users:
1. Candy Bar (eg: HTC P3600i - single form factor, no slide option)
2. Horizontal Slide (eg: Dopod 838 Pro or i-mate KJam - unit slides open in a horizontal manner to reveal a keyboard)
3. Verticle Slide (HTC Touch Dual or O2 Stealth - unit slides open in a verticle manner to reveal a number pad)
BEFORE deciding on what features you are looking for in a device, it is important to decide which form factor you prefer. I mean, what is the benefit in having all of the features under the sun in one action packed, you beaut device... if it is on the wrong form factor? It just doesn't make sense!
Whether you are a seasoned Pocket PC user... or a new user... the P3600i is sure to fulfill all of your expectations.
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