One Lean Mean PIM Machine
Written: Jun 22 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small, lots of memory, fast performance, good screen
Cons: A little complex, no onboard expandability
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| Girlina's Full Review: Compaq iPAQ H3650 Pocket PC |
After much wrangling I finally got my hands on the iPaq, and having looked at all 3 of the consumer PocketPCs on the market, I definitely agree with everyone here that it's the best of the three, namely because it makes a serious improvement in the platform's biggest flaw: Large size. While it still isn't a device for everyone, gadgetheads with time to kill and money to burn should definitely take a serious look at the iPaq.
The Jornada 545 definitely has a sleek design, but let's face it: A nine-ounce device doesn't really fit in anyone's pocket. The iPaq comes a lot closer at just over 6 ounces. While that's still a good third larger than the Palm V, the device is the first CE unit that I would ever actually consider carrying around all day. Of course, its easy-to-hold, stylish silver shell also helps; it would definitely win points when slapped down on any conference table.
Two things helped the iPaq slim down: A flexible lithium-polymer battery, and a modular system of "jackets" for expandability that eliminates an internal CompactFlash slot. I haven't seen the jackets and thus can't comment on them, but there are certainly pros and cons to this approach. If you primarily use the unit for contacts and so forth, the generous 32MB of memory should be just fine. However, if you wanted to use the iPaq as an MP3 player (and I certainly would) the need to strap on a jacket is going to add bulk, making the Jornada start to seem more appealing.
The iPaq's other standouts include its reflective display and ultrafast 206Mhz processor (as compared to 131 and 133MHz on the other PocketPC units.) These also make a big difference. In particular, I was very impressed by the screen. While it still has some glare in direct sunlight, it was surprisingly readable as compared to other direct-view LCDs I've seen, and with the backlight it's fine under most conditions. Although it's 12-bit color (as compared to the 16-bit color available on most notebooks) you won't notice much of a difference.
Then there's the CPU, which is also quite remarkable. Since PocketPCs actually supports multitasking (meaning you can listen to those precious MP3s while doing more mundane tasks like looking up phone numbers), a high-speed processor is actually pretty useful, and you'll notice the difference here. I tried lots of different tasks hoping to catch the CPU short, and never noticed any delays, even when opening up AvantGo Web channel content.
So what are the downsides? Well, the unit does seem a bit overly complex in places. For example, you have to hit a separate button to eject the stylus, which seems like overkill. I also had to do quite a bit of shoving to get the unit to sit in the docking cradle, which had a couple of protruding parts that fit into ports on the bottom of the unit and seemed less than sturdy.
When I first got the unit, I couldn't even figure out how to turn it on without the manual, because it has a teensy lock switch hidden under a tiny sliding door at the bottom of the unit - go figure. And as for the hardware controls (including the voicerecord control on the side, the center scrolling button and hotkeys for contacts, calendar, the utility Q menu and an exit function), you'll never use them; they're the equivalent of using alt-Tab commands on Windows as compared to the mouse (here the touchscreen).
But overall, the iPaq is a well-designed unit that's an excellent value. The big factor in deciding whether or not to buy it is whether you like the PocketPC platform more than Palm - and there are no easy answers there. PocketPCs are definitely a lot more compelling than the color Palm, which is clearly a half-hearted effort. And they're a lot more powerful, making multimedia apps like viewing images and playing MP3s really viable.
However, they are definitely harder to use. I've never so much as glanced at a Palm menu, but have found that you only get to use a quarter of the functionality of a PocketPC without some serious study. Although the color displays are nice, smaller fonts and a more complex interface still make it more timeconsuming to access and read info.
So in the end, you as always will be the judge. If you don't mind a steeper learning curve and think you'll really use the added power of a PocketPC, then by all means get the iPaq. As long as you don't routinely need tons of memory, it's the best bet for the platform.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 499
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Epinions.com ID:
Girlina
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Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 247 members
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