Small, Sleek & Powerful
Written: Sep 23 '02 (Updated Sep 23 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Sleek design, bright display, excellent options, durable.
Cons: Somewhat awkward cradle, stylus latch can fail after heavy use.
The Bottom Line: Exceptional Pocket PC for the price, excellent options and few problems. Great for experienced windows users. Definite crowd pleaser.
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| crowtc's Full Review: Compaq iPAQ H3765 Pocket PC |
I spent more than a month looking through PDA-related sites, reading opinions and reviews, weighing price vs functionality. I needed to find a PDA which suited my needs and finally decided on the Compaq iPaq 3765.
If you wish to skip my detailed analysis, please scroll down to the topic "The Compaq iPaq 3765"
Pocket PC vs Palm OS
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I found a very good source on this, although I cannot remember the exact site, but it can be summed up like this:
If all you only really need basic PDA functionality (Calendar, Contacts, Task List, Notes, Limited E-Mail etc.) and don't have a pressing need for much else get a PalmOS based device.
If you need more, such as the ability to use Word & Excel right out of the box, full e-mail and multimedia capabilities, choose the Pocket PC device.
Comparing Pocket PC to Palm OS is a very "Apples to Oranges" situation. There are a number of things brought up in the "war" between the two camps, and I would like to touch on these briefly.
"Palms can do more" / "There are more programs for Palm"
Palms have been around longer, so there are likely to be more programs available. The Pocket PC market has undergone very rapid growth over the past two years, netting hundreds if not thousands of very high quality applications. Keep in mind that Pocket PCs do more than Palms "Out of the Box", you have to add numerous programs to a Palm to come even close to the functionality of a Pocket PC. Palm is including more software these days though, so that may change.
"Palm OS is more intuitive!"
This is just silly, the only intuitive interface is the nipple! For Windows users, Pocket PC is much easier to learn than Palm OS. For others, Palm may actually be easier to learn. To me, the Palm OS interface seems kludgy and slow, and Graffiti is just annoying.
"Palm batteries last longer"
A big "Apples to Oranges" point, for this you need to weigh functionality with battery life. Palms are typically monochrome devices (there are some color devices though), with slow processors (~33MHz) and generally much simpler electronics - it's no wonder they last two months on a pair of AAA batteries. The Pocket PC is typically a color device, with faster processors (200+MHz) and electronics on par with notebook computers.
"Pocket PCs are slower than a Palm"
Under normal use, I have experienced no delays in switching between applications nor any noticeable delays in any applications. Unlike Palms, Pocket PCs can run dozens of programs simultaneously, so if you don't make sure you close your programs, you can eventually bog down your Pocket PC.
"Palms are more stable" / "Pocket PCs crash a lot"
In my office, I have been forced to perform a hard reset on every Palm at least once, many have been hard reset several times. I have seen palms refuse to work correctly for no apparent reason, and with no useful error message - hard reset them and they start working. Hmmm. Of course, after the first sync, they come back up exactly as they were before the hard reset, which can be good or bad.
My iPaq has been hard reset 5 times since November, all by choice. The first 3 times were because I was playing with it, and decided to start over by reloading it. The 4th was because of a program I installed without reading the instructions, and ignored warnings. The 5th time was another reload, because I wanted to. Another person, who has the exact same model, reset his once, but that was also because he wanted to start over.
I have no doubt in my mind that the Pocket PC system architecture is superior to the Palm. The Palm was designed to be a super personal organizer, and it does it's job exceptionally. The Pocket PC was intended to be a handheld computer, and it's doing it's job the best it can considering the current limits of technology. We can't have extreme battery life, a hi-res color screen, amazing functionality and high performance all in one tiny handheld unit - At least not yet!
Which Pocket PC is right for me?
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Being the only IT person in my company, I wear several hats, including network engineer, system administrator and help desk. I need to have a library of about 8-10 Mb of just Word and Excel documents on me at all times, as well as hundreds of contacts, emails, notes, PDF files and even street maps. The choice was pretty clear for me: Pocket PC.
Pocket PCs use their RAM as both storage and program memory, and you can allocate it as you see fit. I needed a lot of space, so I had to have a model with a lot of memory. 64 megabytes was the limit at the time I chose this unit. NOTE:You can now get your Pocket PCs expanded to as much as 256MB if you don't mind the price tag. (see http://www.pocketpctechs.com for details)
I needed to be able to see the screen in almost any light, and according to the reviews, the Compaq iPaq line was as bright and clear as they come. Most of the others were poorly backlit, had smaller screens or lower screen contrast.
I wasn't about to get stuck with an old operating system, so I chose the models with the "Pocket PC 2002" operating system, which looked cooler anyway.
I was looking to keep price to a minimum, so that narrowed it down to the iPaq 3765. After I made this selection, I was ready to order. I dropped a line to my salesperson at CDW and she had one shipped that day.
The next day, I would enter the ranks of the Pocket PC users.
The Compaq iPaq 3765
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The first thing you will notice is the well designed packaging. While the artwork is a little cheezy (IMHO), the packaging is easy to figure out. I had the iPaq out and in my hand within 15 seconds.
Looking it over for the first time, I noted how sleek and clean the design is. It is very well designed, although meant to be held in the left hand, I believe it works well in either hand. The smooth curves and silver finish is more impressive than pictures online led me to believe. The buttons are well placed and large enough even for my oversized fingertips. The large center "button" serves as a kind of cursor control, or a joystick in games (it also houses the built in speaker). The whole thing fit very nicely in my hand and just felt good to the touch.
The only thing throwing it off was the static cling sticker on the screen. After reading the instructions on how to turn on the battery, it was quickly removed to reveal the large, smooth touch-screen. The stylus is stored inside the iPaq, not on the side or back like many Palms. It only goes in one way (easily - I've seen one *forced* in the wrong way) and pops up when you press a button. As I would find out six months later, this little latch is only made of plastic and does wear down, making it difficult to get the stylus to stay in. This can be fixed by sending it back to Compaq or Pocket PC Techs (See Link Above).
Turning on the unit for the first time, you are greeted with a red and white Compaq iPaq screen and a chirp. This chirp is unfortunately quite loud and I almost dropped the thing! After the chirp, you are presented with a brief tutorial on how to use the stylus. While not much of a tutorial, it is something, and it calibrates the touch screen at the same time.
As with much of the hardware and software I buy, I prefer to see how far I can get without reading a manual. To date, the manual is still in the box, having never been opened. I may decide to actually look in it someday, but for now I don't need it.
After spending some time playing with the iPaq, I decided to get it hooked up to my PC. I dug the odd looking cradle out and connected it to the computer. I figured out that the AC adapter plugs into the back of the cradle, or directly into the iPaq if you aren't using the cradle. A sticker on the included CD, mentioned that the software must be installed before connecting the iPaq to the PC, so I figured it was a good idea to give it a try.
The CD's AutoRun presented a reasonable clear setup path, even offering to install Outlook 2002, which comes free with the iPaq. ActiveSync is the software used to sync the iPaq with Outlook, install programs, and give you access to files stored on the iPaq. It is fairly easy to use, and is generally pretty straightforward. I had it synchronizing with Outlook 2000, copying files and even downloading web pages with AvantGo by the end of the day. ActiveSync also allows you to copy files back and forth directly from your iPaq through a well thought out Windows Explorer extension.
There was a great deal of software on the CD, although some of it was a little dated already. I tried most of it and ended up only using a small portion of it. Most of what I use today, I purchased later on Handango. There are a number of resources on the web for free Pocket PC software now, and much of it is actually of excellent quality.
Using the iPaq cradle was a little odd, and I felt like I was going to break it at first, but since then I have come to realize that it is actually a pretty sturdy unit. I have accidentally jammed the iPaq into the cradle with bad alignment, and didn't snap anything off. I now have a separate cradle for work and home, and it makes my life much easier. Synchronizing between the two computers took a little trial and error to get it exactly how I want it, but works quite well.
Expansion Options
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There are a large number of options available for this machine. Unfortunately, they are spread out across the Internet and only a handful are mentioned on the Compaq web site. No fewer than a dozen manufacturers are producing compatible cables, expansion packs and other hardware devices which can be attached or otherwise used with the iPaq 3700 series. Since I received my iPaq, the available iPaq accessories has grown substantially, and as newer devices come out, the older accessories get really cheap! For example: I watched the price of the 3700 series cradle drop from $50 down to $25 when the 3900 series was released!
Many of the accessories can be quite expensive, but quite a few are real bargains. While you can buy a discounted iPaq USB cradle for $25-35, you can buy a Belkin AutoSync cable which doubles as a sync cable and a charger (from your USB port), plus an automotive charger all for $10-15. It's all a matter of how hard you look. A lot of your best deals will be had in "after-market" products, providing you exercise a little care in your selection.
For serious expansion, you should invest in one of the many "expansion packs" which range from about $40 to well into the hundreds. They range in function from simple CompactFlash ports to self contained GPS units and BlueTooth enabled Barcode Scanners with a CF slot built in! There are even camera adapters, multimedia devices to hook your iPaq to VGA projectors, and much, much more!
The iPaq expansion pack is basically a sleeve into which you insert your iPaq. Some of the packs are pretty bulky but that is dependant on what they do. If you get a CompactFlash expansion, you can do quite a bit, without a huge amount of bulk, if you get a dual PC-MCIA pack, you can do even more, but it will more than double the size and weight of the iPaq. Some of the sleeves include extended batteries, and can serve as a backup in case your main battery dies, but that of course adds weight.
Once you have a CompactFlash expansion or PC-MCIA expansion, your selection of options is only limited by drivers. Many manufacturers of the CF devices already provide drivers for the Pocket PC family (If they aren't already built in) whereas drivers for PC-MCIA devices are more elusive, especially older cards.
Shop carefully.
Pocket PC 2002
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The iPaq 3765 runs on the (for now) latest Pocket PC operating system, dubbed "Pocket PC 2002" (PPC2K2). There are numerous features of added to PPC2K2 over it's predecessor. (canned text)
- Enhanced pocket versions of Microsoft® Outlook®, Word, Excel and Internet Explorer
- Similar look to Windows XP
- Easier navigation throughout applications
- Personalization, customizable Today Screen themes
- Microsoft Reader, Windows Media Player, Transcriber, MSN® Messenger and Terminal Services Client
To me at least, the Today Screen themes alone are worth the upgrade, everything else is just an extra bonus. There are numerous little quirks from the original Pocket PC operating system which have been fixed or improved upon in PPC2K2.
Of course there are some compatibility problems with this newer version, but they are fading fast as the software developers are adjusting their software to accommodate the changes in the operating system.
Cool Features
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The iPaq has a number of cool features that I feel the need to point out.
IPAQ File Store (Flash Storage)
Since the operating system doesn't use all 32Mb of Flash ROM the iPaq includes, Compaq chose to let the user decide what to do with it. The roughly 6Mb leftover space is available for storing files that need to be safe in the event of a battery failure. Compaq even includes a utility to automatically backup your contacts to this area.
Stereo Sound
While the built in speaker provides (IMHO) poor monaural sound, the headphone jack gives you access to excellent quality full stereo sound.
Voice Recorder
The built in voice recorder comes in handy, you press the side button, wait for a beep and talk into the top. The quality of the recording is quite good. It stores the recorded messages as any other note and even synchronizes them in your Outlook, you can still listen to them on your PC!
iTask (Task Manager)
All iPaqs have this useful piece of software, which allows you to switch between all the currently running programs by hitting the "iTask" button (curved arrow button, farthest to the right).
The Look
Last, but far from least, this is one of the coolest looking PDAs on the market. Everytime I take it out somewhere the iPaq gets oohs & ahhs.
In Conclusion
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So far, I am very pleased with my choice of PDA. Pocket PC is definitely the platform of choice for me. It may not be for you, but hopefully this article provides you with enough information to make an informed choice.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 479
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Epinions.com ID:
crowtc
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Member: Ted Crow
Location: Ohio
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
IT Director for an Industrial Contractor, Networking Consultant and Programmer.
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