The iPaq is the only phone in this roundup still running the older Windows Mobile 6.0, and the cracks are visible. A lot of improvements were introduced in 6.1, so the iPAQ is already behind the eight ball in ease of use. It also loses points in its interface, where instead of providing an alternative like HTC’s TouchFlo, HP has opted for the vanilla, fiddly one that comes natively with windows. On the positive side it means there’s less demand on the slightly underpowered CPU, but the trade-off is that using the device feels particularly clunky - losing the stylus would be disastrous. Combine this with slow responses to actions and the 612c’s case is a little week.

HP have made up for this by providing an amazingly comprehensive set of navigation controls. In addition to the touchscreen, surrounding the numeric keypad are buttons that perform the most common functions. Overlaid on the keys is a raised circle, which acts just like a scroll wheel on an iPod and is particularly useful. As if this weren’t enough, on the left hand side is a clickable jog wheel so you can control the menus with your left hand and use the stylus with your right.

The HP is also laden with features, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS with Google Maps preloaded, a 3.0 megapixel camera with LED flash and a MicroSD slot. The camera isn’t fantastic and GPS can occasionally be horrendously slow to find a signal, but there isn’t a lot that this phone can’t do. Unfortunately, the 240x320 screen is constricting for most activities, and as the largest device in our roundup it’s a wonder HP haven’t included something larger. It certainly won no points for pocketability and it isn’t the most stylish phone, but it felt quite durable. With the included screen protector the phone even survived a week at the beach without leaving any evidence – something we didn’t even want to try on the phones with mechanical components.

Its fatal flaw, however, is battery life. Despite having a battery the same size as the Storm, it only managed a woeful 35h 32min. Using the iPaq as a PDA will see the battery drained in less than a day – you won’t want to be far from a power point.