Compaq iPaq H3650 Pocket PC:
I enjoy the discussion regarding how long before us Palm longs become millionaires. A little review, however, of the competitor's products is always worth a quick glance.
I have mine on back order and can't wait! I had to based upon the Technology Investing review: "Editors Choice -- Best Features PDA: Compaq iPaq H3600 (206 mhz, 55% faster than its nearest competitor; 4096 color screen)".
I saw the showroom iPaq model, and the color is fully visible outside. Excellent color, sleek design. 6.3 oz vs. the 4.0 for the Palm Vx. The features aren't comparable between the two however. The only iPaq drawback is that the iPaq doesn't have a flash memory slot. It has 32 mb already, and a sleeve is available ($50) for additional flash memory.
I went to Best Buy, the internet, Circuit City, Office Max and nobody has it in stock. I spoke to 3 sales reps (not fully familiar with PDA's in some cases), and they all indicated that this was the model people were asking about regarding PDA's. I don't even know if Office Max carries the model. Circuit City & Best Buy were all sold out of HWP 540/545's, and the Palm M100. The Palm M100 model does look nice for a basic, affordable device. (I plan on buying the M100 to see how it works. I have personal reasons why I buy different PDA's: the main thrust is to recognize product differentiations, and hopefully identify trends in product lines. The M100 was a lot more impressive than the reviews that I read about in periodicals.)
Disclosure: long sndk, palm, kopn, tfs, msft.
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CNET Review: Compaq iPaq H3650 Pocket PC
By Colin Duwe
(06/30/00)
URL: computers.cnet.com
Rating: 8
The good: Speedy; bright screen.
The bad: Expensive; no expansion slot.
The bottom line: The fastest Pocket PC we've seen also happens to be the easiest to use.
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.
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Quick Facts
Form factor: pad
Installed operating system: Pocket PC
Built-in OS compatibility: Windows (all)
Amt. of RAM: 32MB
Diagonal screen size: 3.77 in.
Input method: pen
advalorem addition -- weight: 6.3 oz; Palm Vx: 4 oz. |
