SUMMARY

I am a handheld computer fan and have owned two Apple Newtons, a Psion, Rex, and 2 Palm Pilots. I do a thorough analysis before every purchase, often spending an hour or so in the store trying out the devices. If Outlook compatibility, powerful/flexible organization software, and speedy handwriting recognition is important to you, Pocket PC is the way to go, and the Compaq Ipaq is the best of them. The biggest complaint I have is the very poor battery life and the fact that I don’t always want to carry it along with my cell phone and wallet. These hassles alone cause me to use the device less often than I expected.

Just because I chose the iPaq doesn’t mean it is the right device for you. To decide whether to buy an Ipaq, you need to answer two questions (in order):

1. Should I buy a Pocket PC instead of a Palm or the other available options? (for those that don’t know, Pocket PC is the Microsoft software that powers the iPaq)
2. Which Pocket PC should I buy?

POCKET PC VS. PALM AND OTHERS

The most viable options today are Palm, Pocket PC, Psion, and Rex. Below I will help you make a decision between these platforms, but will primarily focus on Palm vs. Pocket PC. Here’s the summary. You can read more below:

SIZE/WEIGHT: Rex (incredible), Pocket PC, Psion, and Palm (all a hassle)
CHOICE OF SOFTWARE: Palm is best by far, but do you need it?
BATTERY LIFE: Rex (lasts forever), Palm and Psion are (ok), Pocket PC (terrible)
OUTLOOK COMPATIBILITY: Pocket PC (perfect), Palm (ok for basics), Psion (poor), Rex (ok)
ORGANIZER SOFTWARE: Pocket PC (great), Palm (ok for basics), Psion (powerful and easy to use), Rex (very poor data input, but do you care?)
HANDWRITING INPUT: Pocket PC (best by far), Rex (no), Psion (no), Palm (ok but cumbersome)

Pocket PC is the best option for foolproof Microsoft Outlook synchronization. This is no surprise, given that Pocket PC is produced by Microsoft. What do I mean by good synchronization? I mean that you do things like snooze a reminder for 8 hours, while with the Palm you must simply “dismiss” it. You can open your e-mail and if you’ve received meeting requests, respond to them. Outlook categories are synchronized perfectly, while other platforms can’t handle multiple categories per item. Pocket PC can handle multi-day events, like vacations, and accurately mark appointment time as free, busy, or tentative. All fields in Outlook, like separate business and personal addresses, are synchronized. Palm can’t do any of these things. If you use the really basic features in Outlook and don’t do things like track multiple addresses per person, you probably won’t notice that much of a difference between Pocket PC and Palm. Rex synchronization is very good as well (but not as complete as Pocket PC). Psion synchronization is buggy.

Pocket PC offers the best pen-based handwriting recognition. You can write in script or block letters anywhere on the screen using a free download from Microsoft, and get amazingly accurate recognition. With the Palm, you need to use graffiti, which is significantly slower. Personally I prefer keyboard based input, like the Psion, to pen-based input, because it is faster and more accurate once you get the hang of typing with your two thumbs. Rex is great if you hardly ever need to enter data on the road because it is so small;, just write notes on paper and enter them on your computer later.

Palm is best for choice of software. There is far more add-on software available for Palm than any other platform. Personally I don’t need much but the basics – calendar, notes, to do, internet – so I don’t miss it.

Pocket PC is great for Microsoft Word compatibility. I use this to keep a journal and more structured notes on the Pocket PC, or occasionally read a Word document. This isn’t a critical feature for me, though. I can enter most notes in the Notes feature of the organizer and don’t need the extra formatting Word provides.

Psion has great organizer software. It is very powerful and intuitive. For example, when you enter an anniversary you can specify the year the event started. That way, it will tell you “10th anniversary” or “30th birthday”. Pocket PC won’t do this nor will Palm. But Pocket PC does have excellent organizer software, borrowing the best from Outlook. The biggest problem with Psion is the Outlook synchronization; it doesn’t use USB yet and it is buggy. Palm has very good organizer software, but it only does the basics. For example, you can’t snooze a reminder.

Rex is awesome if you don’t need to enter data on the road, because it is very small and light. My biggest gripe about the Pocket PC (and Palm) is size – with my cell phone and wallet, I just don’t always want to carry it with me.

Battery life. Rex is the best, by far. The battery lasts forever. Palm and Psion are second. And Pocket PC is the worst. You’ll need to recharge the unit every few days at least.

WHICH POCKET PC TO BUY?

From my own evaluation, the Compaq Ipaq is the smallest, fastest, and has the best screen of any Pocket PC. I like the fact that the rechargeable batteries are inside the device, so recharging is just a matter of putting the unit in the docking station.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 400