This Hand-Held Stands Out

Philips' new Velo 1 uses a unique CPU with DSP power to cut weight and add functionality.

Peter Wayner

The first group of hand-held PCs (HPCs) to run Windows CE were remarkably similar to one another (see "At Last: Pocket PCs That Run Windows," January BYTE). The greatest differences were not in the electronics but in details, such as the plastic shell and the stylus location. Philips breaks out of this mold with a different and more capable HPC, the Velo 1.

The Velo still runs Windows CE, its most important job, but it uses a CPU with enough floating-point horsepower to run standard digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms. Thus, there's no need for a separate modem; the main CPU also functions as a 19.2-Kbps unit (with a nifty built-in, low-profile RJ-11 connec tor), saving both power and space. (See the Tech Focus below for more information.)

Additional benefits accrue from this extra power. The Velo 1 offers a built-in voice recorder that can store about 16 minutes of sound per megabyte of available memory, and you can transfer the resulting WAV file to another computer. You start recording quite unobtrusively, by pressing one external button. Sound quality is good for such a small machine, provided you aim the mike (hidden behind a pinhole) in the right direction.

Unlike other HPCs on the market, the Velo 1 doesn't have a built-in PC Card slot. It does have two Miniature Card slots (which are like PC Card slots, but smaller and faster) for future expansion. To use a PC Card device, such as a digital camera, you have to attach the optional V-Module with one slot; it adds about a half-inch to the Velo's thickness.

The space not needed for a PC Card is given over to two bays for RAM chips. The current model co mes with up to 4 MB of RAM, expandable in the future to a total of 104 MB...in a palmtop! Of course, power consumption will rise.

We tested a prototype that exhibited a faster-than-expected power drain, but this is being fixed, and production models should run for 12 to 15 hours on two alkaline AA cells, which is comparable to other CE machines.

Philips worked hard on the aesthetics of the Velo 1, and it shows. The hard, oval keys have a good tactile response and plenty of space between them. But the machine's overall small size is still limiting; the keyboard wasn't comfortable enough for me to write this review on the Velo.

But for many purposes, the Velo 1 is a nice system. We expect that users will be drawn to the attractive packaging and the built-in modem and sound recorder, which set it apart from the rest.

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Where to Find

Velo 1........................$599 with 2 MB of RAM


.............
.................$699 with 4 MB


..............................$739 with 4 MB and rechargeable battery

Philips Mobile Computing Group
Sunnyvale, CA
Phone:    (408) 523-2800
Fax:      (408) 523-7800
Internet: 
http://www.velo1.com

Circle 977 on Inquiry Card.

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Ratings

Technology          *****
Implementation      *****
Performance         ****


Key

***** Outstanding
**** Very Good
*** Good
** Fair
* Poor

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Philips' Velo

photo_link (32 Kby tes)

The Velo 1 packs together the usual Windows CE goodies with up to 104 MB of RAM and a built-in modem and sound recorder.

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Peter Wayner is a BYTE consulting editor based in Baltimore. You can contact him at pcw@access.digex.net .