iPaq Review (CNET):
Article Summary: CNET gave it an 8 out of 10. The highest I have seen for a PDA. I believe the Palm Vx received an 8 also.
My take:
I have strong views on the PDA industry. I am basing it in part on the following review: this info is what the Palm is up against. I believe that this info is impartial, as cnet.com still feels that the Palm PDA product line is the way to go. But if you read closely, you will find that they are feeling a lot more optimistic about the unit.
I apologize if my views aren't consistent with the Palm owner's view. Just trying to keep the focus upon the competition. I sincerely hope that Palm establishes strong alliances with the Eurpoean PDA distributors.
cnet.comipaq Review:
www.cnet.com
Compaq iPaq H3650 Pocket PC
Price Range: $459-549
Our first few encounters with Pocket PC devices left us uninspired--mainly because of their high price and less-than-stellar performance. However, after testing Compaq's first foray into the world of Pocket PCs, we're convinced that this OS has real potential. This shiny, silver speed demon has a great screen and some thoughtful extras that make it much easier to use than other Pocket PCs.
Turn That Thing Off
One of the major flaws in the Pocket PC OS is that applications can't easily be turned off. The operating system is supposed to shut down applications as needed in order to keep the device moving quickly. However, all of the Pocket PCs we've tried, including the iPaq, slow to a crawl after opening just a few apps. To combat this problem, Compaq includes a dedicated button, dubbed the QMenu, that allows you to turn off applications quickly and easily; this keeps the iPaq speeding right along.
And the iPaq is fast. Its processor runs at a brisk 206 MHz, about 70 MHz faster than the HP Jornada 545 or the Casio Cassiopeia E-115. The difference is remarkable, especially when you have several applications running. We found that switching between Pocket Excel and Notes was effortless, and menus popped up as fast as we could use them.
This brawny machine is a beauty, too. Rather than being backlit like other color LCDs, the iPaq instead has small lights around its edge, which reflect off the screen and make it brilliantly bright, even when outdoors in direct sunlight. However, the screen doesn't display as many colors as the Cassiopeia E-115, so the subtle shading in images is lost.
The iPaq comes sheathed in a sleek, silver case that is comparable in size to a Palm IIIe, although the iPaq is slightly heavier. The control pad located below the screen is good for scrolling and controlling video games, such as Pac-Man. A small speaker is hidden under the pad. However, its output is pretty shrill; if you want to listen to MP3s, you'd be better off plugging in a pair of headphones.
Extra Accessories
The one thing missing from the iPaq is a slot for a CompactFlash card, but since it already comes with 32MB of built-in RAM, most users should have enough memory as it is. If you want to add other features, Compaq is peddling a line of sleeves that slip over the iPaq, including one with a slot for a CompactFlash card and another for a PC Card. We're not fans of the accessory-sleeve idea because it adds to the cost and mars an otherwise sleek design. But big corporations may be attracted by the PC Card sleeve, since they'll be able to keep using the cards they purchased for their fleets of notebooks, and this is the only handheld that currently offers this feature.
We still think $499 is too much to spend on a handheld, but HP and Casio are charging $100 more than that for their Pocket PCs with 32MB of memory. So, with its sharp, silver looks and butt-kicking performance, the iPaq is the way to go.
Disclosure: Long Palm/MSFT stock(more Palm than Microsoft in dollars), owner of Palm IIIC, HWP 545, and a deluxe Handspring Visor. And I will be ordering this iPaq model as a gift, for the holidays, unless an improved PDA is on the market within the next month. The iPaq products are on backorder -- according to reports. |
