ViewSonic V35: the first pancake is always lumpy ...?

Gradually until Russia got all the new low cost machines that are already nearly six months ago produced a true pocket-sized revolution in Western countries. Following the Dell Axim X5 and HP iPAQ 1910 in the domestic market appeared ViewSonic V35, handheld, which is very similar to his Russian counterpart, RoverPC P3, but it has some interesting features, which I tell you, as the Taiwanese fugitive finally then fell into my hands.

Packaging insides

The handheld comes in a colorful cardboard box on which the paint all the advantages of the model. By the way, packing RoverPC P3 looks much more modest, but it is not important, it is important that it contains, as is the case with ViewSonic V35 is:


- CAM PDA


- Cradle to synchronize


- Case of black kozhzama


- Adapter for recharging


- Supporting documentation and a CD with necessary software. Of course, it's not a lot, and packed all very simple, and the documentation is not too mnogg, as, for example, is often the case with products from HP, but do not forget that we face the usual budget PDA, not a top product, and therefore turn to his direct examination.

Proletarian intellectuals

Design ViewSonic V35 can not be called particularly original. Classical solution: strict, economical, without any frills. The experienced user's opinion is unlikely to attract. The designers of the competing firms are trying every way to hide "the plastic origin" of its handheld devices, and ViewSonic, it seems, he is not shy. On the background of their more famous counterparts (eg, the same handsome HP iPAQ 1910) V35 looks like, frankly, not rich, so that for all lovers of fashion, probably will not work. The front part of the body PDAs - silver standard, while the rear for some reason black. In my opinion, not very good design decision. However, the exterior of the PDA - a subjective thing, but because many probably will prefer "discreet forms of" ViewSonic V35. However, for the size and weight, then here is our hero of the occasion. V35 - one of the smallest and lightest handheld platforms Pocket PC, allowing it to hold in your hand - a real pleasure. Especially the difference in the weight categories, "there after the" dialogue "with HP iPAQ h5455 or Dell Axim X5 - known" fatso. " ViewSonic brand new, you can easily carry in your pocket light shirt or jacket and not worry about the symmetry of the figure:) External ergonomics supplemented scroll (if be more correct, the lever), which noticeably more pleasant to read and work with the device. True, that's navigation joystick models, situated as it is found under the screen in the middle, not too convenient, and the input function (action) is not supported, that is, with it you can not run the application. Stylus for V35 is also very controversial. On the one hand, it is well thought out, has a telescopic design (ie, can move apart, increasing in length), but on the other hand, for soft-rezet it has to unwind every time. While, for example, Rover P3 pen can reboot their machine without additional manipulation with it. Cradle of machines - the most common. By the way, physically connector for synchronization of identical Viewsonic RoverPC P3-shnomu, so I'm quite reasonably decided to use someone else's cable to synchronize the machines, but nothing happened. The computer asked the driver. Cover, supplied, and does not possess the grace and functionality, and resembles in appearance, rather ocheshnik. A similar copy now comes bundled with RoverPC P3, Toshiba e310 and Dell Axim X5, therefore, the 35 th of his clothes are not alone.

Inner world

Insides Viewsonic V35 - camye common: heart handheld is already quite old Intel PXA250 processor clocked at 300MHz, which is established today in most manufactured handheld computers and almost all (a fraction has a new PXA255 with increased bus twice) Pocket PC-machines. Of course, 300MHz can sometimes be missed (for example, to play high quality video), but for budget items is quite acceptable, and with the help of numerous utilities-razgonyalok can always increase the clock speed "smart pebbles" at least 100MHz. As for the original performance, something about it you can learn from a separate section below. On board the machine 64MB of RAM, 36.45 MB of which are available to the user. This, of course, quite a bit, but there are SD / MMC-slot, and, with support for SDIO (Secure Digital I / O), so that problems should arise. My guinea handheld "eaten with relish," suggested to him on the 64MB card standard MMC. Incidentally, in the absence of card slot rather germitichno closed plastic covers, so that for his safety you should not worry.

Birds, show face

The screen quality is a ViewSonic V35 - one of the best in class. The display is very bright (though until recent iPAQ'ovskih it is still far), saturated colors and the picture looks very sharp. The only thing that frustrates both the standard size - 3.5 inches, but I seem to have forgotten again, that does not consider the latest hi-end, and state employees, for whom this "omission" excusable. The resolution is standard 320x240 pixels. Like all transflective screens, a copy of V35 looks very good in the room and much worse in the sun. Even though in the latter case it remains readable. It is clearly seen the difference in screens RoverPC P3, HP iPAQ h5455 and ViewSonic v35 at maximum brightness. However, this comparison is not entirely correct. Let us in the low-end of class shall understand any of handhelds can compete for this indicator, with our hero. If we consider that the budget machine Dell Axim X5 has a less bright screen than RoverPC P3, it becomes clear that in this price niche competitor V35 her not to be. For quality ispoleniya screen Viewsonic exceed a HP iPAQ 1910, which, incidentally, is more expensive.

Soft filling hard shell

Due to their target niche These units are not equipped with a rich set of software, but it comes with everything you need. Poor supply for our country can hardly be considered a big disadvantage, but because government employees have become popular. From the existing wealth should be noted along with the usual Microsoft Pocket Office (Pocket Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, Reader, and Outlook), MSN Instant Messenger for Pocket PC, Windows Pocket PC Media Player 8.0, Voice Recorder and more eBackup 2.0 Backup data (a very simple little utility, calculated on the average man, but because once I advise to install Sprite Software Pocket Backup), and the Westtek ClearVue for viewing presentations PowerPoint. Also in the options of the device using the Smart Battery 3.1 can slow or accelerate the speed of the handheld by selecting the desired mode from "Auto", "Low Perfomance" and "High Perfomance". By default, the computer operates in "Auto".

Life is short, when you pay a little ...

As far as we promised manufacturer? Up to 10 hours of battery life? The battery capacity 900mAch? Well, if only from the backlight off and no sudden movements, which, naturally, is not an average job. After some anguish, we obtain very different numbers. Thus, during normal operation (performed by a variety of tasks and levels of illumination) battery lasts for 4-5 hours. While working as a cinema (continuous playback video in the DivX format with a maximum level of illumination) - about 3 hours, and reading books (a minimum of action and light) turns a little more than 7 hours. In any case, until 10:00 cherished far and how far from ideal, which, however, not surprising since miracles do not happen and today 900mAch PDA is not enough. For example, in the same Dell Axim X5 battery installed capacity of approximately one and a half times more powerful (1440mAch). In addition to the V35 battery non-replaceable, which also does not paint the device.

Bird trills

Built-in speaker to listen to handheld computers - lesson to be extremely ungrateful. The fact that the speaker of this size are physically just can not give more or less decent sound, but because much of the dynamics of the now produced models are almost identical. While the differences often can be felt even at the hearing. In ViewSonic sound is not too different from the usual PPC'shnogo, but has some lower quality, even in comparison with not the best on this parameter RoverPC P3, but the volume levels of these PDAs are approximately equal. Lying near h5455 and did was a cut above. However, with the headphone output of the model is all right, so that the average dynamics musically buyer, I think, not much to lose as unlikely to find a practical application to him. As the same MP3-player V35 is not worse than others. There is already a matter, rather, in the headphones, the lack of which there was no market.

Running a race

High-speed option now produced handhelds, though not so important, but still has its weight being equal, and therefore ViewSonic V35 was tortured by VOBenchmark 2.12.For comparison, I cite data from other computers the same price niche (in bold the best result in each of the subtests):

Test / Model	ViewSonic V35 (XScale 300 MHz) Normal	HP iPAQ H1910 (XScale 200 MHz)	RoverPC P3 (XScale 200 MHz)	Dell Axim X5 (XScale 300 MHz) Normal
CPU Floating Point	6.33	6.32	6.21	9.50
CPU Integer	13.52	13.53	13.54	20.08
Graphics Bitmaps BitBlt	17.29	40.94	18.49	36.69
Graphics Bitmaps StretchBlt	0.55	0.60	0.55	0.20
Graphics Filled Ellipse	0.83	2.15	0.79	1.96
Graphics Filled Rectangle	1.01	3.78	1.00	6.35
Graphics Filled Round Rectangle	0.61	1.66	0.55	1.33
Memory Allocation	6.39	6.41	6.40	6.31
Memory Fill	0.83	0.60	0.82	0.94
Memory Move	0.31	0.32	0.31	0.38
Text	1.25	3.88	1.36	3.50

It follows from these data, V35 - a very slow machine, which gives not only the hardware close Dell Axim X5, but even the HP iPAQ H1910, having a third slower processor, closely approaching RoverPC P3, which once again proves their closeness in kinship ( more precisely, conveyor) line.

Verdict

ViewSonic V35 - a very good budget ($ 329) handheld computer-based Pocket PC, with a remarkable display, feature-rich and, unfortunately, not the most attractive design. On price setting 35 th - a direct competitor RoverPC P3 ($ 299). If you are going to read books, you will not regret the $ 30 that make up the difference between them because the screen is our hero is much better. As compared with the more glamorous sibling HP iPAQ 1910 vyusonikovskaya machine cheaper, and completing her richer. As for the hit of the season - Dell Axim X5, then there is no doubt V35 slimmer, and better display. In general, all the good machine, but here in the spring so you want something a fashion, catching pretty girls ...:) thank the online store "The World of Technology" for the provided equipment. The authors, translation:

Dmitry Ryabinin