Navman GPS 3450 for iPAQ H5400, H3600, H3700 & H3800 series pocket PCs
by Navman
Average Customer Review:
Electronics (05 May, 2003)
list price: $249.99 -- our price: $179.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Complete Navigational Mapping Solution for your iPAQ H5400, H3600, H3700 & H3800 series pocket PC
• Type II Compact Flash expansion slot use formaps or any other data or applications
• Navtech US maps for contiguous 48 states and Hawaii
• Ready for use with optional external antenna

Reviews (32)

Navman GPS 3450 Comments
I have wanted a color GPS handheld for a while. I saw a special on the Navman GPS 3450 and bought. I updated the sleeve's firmware and installed the provided software. I was unable to copy the maps to my 3670 Ipaq directly (the provided software would not see it), so I copied them directly to a flash card. I am impressed with the location finding (usually at least five satellites in about 45 seconds). The direction finding has been good and the voice directions are great, but finding a location entering the address has failed several times leading me to manually find it on the map. The GPS sleeve also works with Microsoft Streets and Trip for PocketPC, but with a slower update speed. Both map programs don't work at the same time, but it is nice to have a confirming map. I use the suction cup to hold a 3670 Ipaq and GPS sleeve on the car window with no problem. I was first afraid that the suction cup and with the weight of the Ipaq would fall off over hard bumps such as railroad tracks, but no problems so far. The power drain form the GPS sleeve is enough that I leave mine plugged into the cigarette lighter when driving.

It's OK given the relatively low price
Just got back from my vacation using the GPS. The software required reboot frequently. The map in some area are not accurate. The routing didn't give the fastest route sometimes. You need a real map as a backup in case the software fails on you - it happened to me on my return trip.

Confusing docs, software oddities, missing parts
The docs for the 3450 are confusing. The box says iPaq 36xx and PocketPC 2000 (aka Windows CE 3.0). The internal paperwork says iPaq 37xx and above, PocketPC 2002 minimum.

Application itself is odd. Click on "Exit Application" does not shut the app down, I have to kill it via Task Switcher. It attempts to be smart about taking the street/area you're typing in and auto-completing...which usually results in the cursor moving and you have to retype or delete letters.

The 3450 does not support WAAS, so accuracy suffers. I find that on freeways which have frontage roads or long parallel interchange ramps the location jumps back and forth; I'm on the freeway, I'm not on the freeway...

For some unknown reason when I put the iPaq 3630 into the GPS sled it drops the volume way down. This was not the way it operated when I first setup and tried the unit, it just started today. I do a soft reset on the iPaq, sound is maxed and *loud*. iPaq into sled, sound goes way down. Sound *stays* down if I remove the sled, and until I soft reset.

Finally, injury to insult: the box claims that the kit comes with a 12v lighter adaptor for power. Not. Navman customer service is apparently split across two different divisions. The one that handles the 3450 has a phone number that's always busy. ... Read more

Asin: B00009KP31
Sales Rank: 2532
Subjects:  1. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Electronic Organizer)    2. Pocket PC (PCs)    3. Hewlett-Packard (Hewlett, Packard, HP)    4. Handheld (Hand Held)    5. Compaq   

Compaq iPAQ 176482-B22APkt Pc Serial Cradle H3650 H3150 H3635 H3135 H3670 H3700
by Hewlett Packard
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $29.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The iPAQ serial cradle is a smart investment as a second cradle for youriPAQ Pocket PC. With it, you won't need to lug a cradle between your home andoffice. This cradle is designed for serial connectivity.

Note to customers: This cradle does not charge the iPAQ H3650 battery; to do so,you must purchase the Compaq AC adapter separately. ... Read more

Features

• For the Compaq iPAQ H3650 Pocket PC
• Synchronize your iPAQ at home or the office
• Serial connectivity
• Stylish compact design
• Quality Compaq accessory

Reviews (12)

Serial Cradle
I used this product for 13 days and returned it to Staples before their usual 14 day return policy expired. This is a great product, however, since I have a Windows NT machine, it is useless. (Windows NT can't use USB and I could not find a serial cradle anywhere.) I also wasn't thrilled with the size of the IPAQ. It is twice as thick as the Palm V. Way too big to put comfortably in my jeans pocket. Furthermore, it needs a cover to protect the screen. The Palm V leather case is the best example of how Compaq should design their unit/case.

Not available, but not a necessity
A lot of the posts about the IPaq lament the inoperability of the standard USB connector with NT. Rather than let what's an otherwise outstanding product get undeserved trashing I thought I'd explain a few things.

Windows 2000 DOES support USB, I use it with my laptop and Ipaq every day. Works great.

If you have to use NT4 on a laptop, you don't get USB, but you DO have support for infrared data transfer. You don't need to buy anything additional, and most laptops have it built in. I sync this way while traveling, works great and nothing else to carry.

For desktops and NT, you COULD buy a serial port connected infrared transmitter/reciever and accomplish the same thing, but most wouldn't want to. Preferring to wait for the serial cradle.

So it's not a total loss, but it is regretable that Compaq can't keep up with demand.

Serial Cradle Woes
While it is a bummer that Compaq does not have any serial cradles available yet for NT4.0 users who don't have USB support, I bought a serial cable and it works just fine. I had no trouble getting it to synchronize with my workstation running Windows NT, although it's slower than USB, I guess. You can get the cable right here from Amazon. ... Read more

Asin: B00004TB3K
Subjects:  1. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Electronic Organizer)    2. Pocket PC (PCs)    3. Hewlett-Packard (Hewlett, Packard, HP)    4. Handheld (Hand Held)    5. Compaq    6. Hewlett-Packard    7. (HP)    8. (Hewlet Packart)   

56K CompactModem
by Pretec
Average Customer Review:


US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Pretec's CompactModem is among the first and smallest 56 Kbps fax/data modem cards for Pocket PCs and Windows CE-based PDAs and handheld PCs. It allows you to browse the Internet and send or receive both faxes and e-mails from your Pocket PC device. All you need is an ordinary household analog phone line to connect to and you are ready to go. The Pretec CompactModem is compatible with both CompactFlash I and II card slots. It supports data transfer at speeds up to 56 Kbps and fax transmission at 14.4 Kbps. This card features low 3.3-volt power consumption and innovative power management, including programmable sleep modes, so it won't drain precious battery resources from your Pocket PC.

Pretec's fax/modem also supports the V.80 application interface, so it is capable of operating with any H.324 video phone system. This functionality provides you with affordable video conferencing over ordinary telephone lines. By adding an optional CompactFlash adapter, the card becomes a PC card for use with most notebook computers and instruments with PCMCIA slots. Pretec's CompactModem works with Windows 95, 98, NT, and, most importantly, Pocket PC and Windows CE environments. For a complete list of compatible devices, click Technical Data in the left navigation bar. ... Read more

Features

• Fax/modem card for Pocket PCs and Windows CE devices with a CompactFlash slot
• Supports both CompactFlash I and II card slots
• Up to 56 Kbps download data transmission, 14 Kbps fax
• Plug and play with hot insertion and removal
• Connect to a standard (analog) phone line and you're ready to go

Reviews (49)

A must have for the road warrior, even one with a laptop.
Without a modem or ethernet card, your Pocket PC is just a PC companion product -- it must have a PC to get mail, surf, or message.

With a modem, your Pocket PC becomes a truly stand alone device.

This modem is the sturdiest design I've seen for dialing through a regular analog phone line. No frail parts to snap off, no weird connections that require you to purchase a different cable to connect. You'll be able to take this right out of the box, plug it in and get connected.

With this small, rugged modem I'm able to check my e-mail at times when hauling out my laptop would do -- waiting near the gate at an airport, at breaks in meetings, while visiting a client, etc. The ability to sync up my avantgo pages or get my most recent e-mail has been a great benefit to me, especially since I travel.

Your Pocket PC is just a toy until you have this modem.

Superb no-frills modem
If you already know how to set up a dial-up connection on your Windows 9x machine, then connecting to the Internet with your PocketPC using this modem is a no-brainer; you'll be up and running within 5-10 minutes of taking it out of the box.

I orginally bought this modem to use with my Cassiopeia E-105, I have used it many times on my freind's Cassiopeia E-115, and now I use it regularly on my Cassiopeia E-125. Despite some of the other customer reviews for this product, please note:

THIS MODEM WORKS PERFECTLY ON THE CASSIOPEIA E-105, E-115 AND E-125.

If you have one of the units mentioned above and you can't get this modem to work, something is wrong: either you received a defective modem, a defective PDA, or you have some program installed on your PocketPC that is preventing the modem from working correctly.

I agree that the manual that comes with the modem is pretty spare, but I didn't need it to use this modem. The modem itself is a no-brainer, just plug it in. It's PocketPC Dial-up Networking that's the hard part, and if you already know how to do it on your Windows 9x system, then it's a piece of cake.

The modem is hot swappable, meaning that you don't need to do anything special before using it each time. Just open up the compact flash port on your device, remove any other devices or cards you have plugged into the port (if any), plug this modem into the port, open up your ISP connection and hit connect. You don't even need to turn the device off and on or anything like that.

Works great for me
I use it on the road with my Cassiopeia and it has worked in every hotel room, giving me internet access on my PDA. I do wish it would make some noise while trying to connect however since I can never tell if it dialed out of the hotel correctly. ... Read more

Asin: B00004T2LJ

iConcepts Portable Keyboard for Compaq iPAQ (3600 and 3700 series)
by iConcepts
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $49.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

When you type on the new, revolutionary iConcepts portable keyboard for Compaq iPAQ 3600/3700 series Pocket PCs, you will never want to use a stylus again. The iConcepts portable keyboard keys are laid out in the same order as a standard computer keyboard. It has nine quick-navigation keys that allow you to access your most-used applications, such as your address book, calendar, and other applications, at the touch of a button.

It also features a convenient cradle to hold your organizer while you type, turning your PDA into a mini-computing device.

This iConcepts portable keyboard is compatible with all 3600 and 3700 series Compaq iPAQ Pocket PCs; it is not compatible with 3800 series iPAQ models. ... Read more

Features

• Full-size keyboard
• QWERTY layout
• Nine quick navigation keys provide access to most used applications
• No batteries required
• Compatible with Compaq iPAQ 3600/3700 series Pocket PCs

Reviews (6)

Lost....
Shortly after I purchased this keyboard I installed it and used it briefly. The next time I tried to use it it failed to work, and when I try to use the "keyboard.exe" to initialize it fails to recognize it and it generates an error. When it worked it was too small for normal typing but a lot better than the on-screen keyboard. I can't even remove the drivers for it.

oh dear
not bad, although not for touch typists. Biggest failing is inability to connect ipaq with expansion sleeve connected, as per other reviewer. Just has to go back to the store for that reason. I thought I might be able to 'adjust' it, but nothing doing.... Shame really 'cause for the price against the Targus, it could be a great alternative

dissapointed
The keyboard was a dissapointment. The iPAQ PDA fits the keyboard but not with an expansion pack installed so it can't be used with accessories like a modem or network adapter. It can't be used for email in a hotel room. I had to take it back. ... Read more

Asin: B00005V9B1
Subjects:  1. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Electronic Organizer)    2. Pocket PC (PCs)    3. Compaq    4. Handheld (Hand Held)   

iConcepts Universal PDA Starter Kit
by iConcepts
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $29.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Everything you need to get you stared with your new PDA
• Pack of 6 screen protectors, 1 for 6 different PDAs
• Wet/dry wipes
• Leather carrying case
• Compatible with most PDA's

Reviews (17)

Great case, stylus and more for good price
Finally something of "all in one" types of products for maintaining your Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) for small price comparing to the price of items of same quality sold separately. I have Handspring and I found this product very useful because of great case of real hi-quality leather and multi functional stylus I felt in love with. I think that this product will satisfy needs of every owner of any type of PDA, never mind if it is Handspring, Palm, Sony, IBM or even Pocket PC. And I think that this is specially useful for those who recently bought new PDA and do not have time or will to experiment for choosing right case or spare styli, or as a gift for someone who spends time with PDA. I give it 5 stars.

A little oversold
I read all the reviews on here and purchased the starter kit with my new clie based on the enthusiasm displayed. However, I am a bit disappointed. The 6 screen protectors were not universal, they were for specific handhelds and none for my clie. I tried cutting one to fit but ended up with alot of bubbles and just got rid of it. The case is a little bulky and prevents you from putting the PDA in your pocket. The wet dry wipes are okay but other stuff on the market, like glass wipes and alcohol wipes, will do the same thing. The only really useful item is the 4in1 stylus but the black ink quit working after 3 days. My advice is not to order this until you use the PDA for awhile and then decide that there are some additional items needed to make it more useful.

Worst product I ever bought
This is one of the cheesiest companies out there. Stay away from them and their products. ... Read more

Asin: B00005V9B8
Sales Rank: 14723
Subjects:  1. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Electronic Organizer)    2. Palm IIIc (3c)    3. Stylus Pen (Styli)    4. Keyboards (Input Devices)    5. Handheld (Hand Held)    6. Cases Covers    7. Cleaners Kits Maintenance    8. Palm IIIe (3e)    9. Palm v (5)    10. (Input Devices)    11. Palm vii (7)    12. Handspring Visor (Hand spring handspringvisor)    13. Storage Cases    14. Styli, Stylus, pens    15. Palm m100    16. Keyboards (Keyboard)    17. Stylus (Styli)    18. Cleaners (Cleaner)    19. Kits (Kit)    20. Pocket PC (PCs)    21. Hewlett-Packard (Hewlett, Packard, HP)    22. Compaq    23. Palm m500 m505   

Compaq iPAQ USB Cradle
by Hewlett Packard
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $45.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The iPAQ USB cradle is a smart investment as a second cradle for youriPAQ Pocket PC. With it, you won't need to lug a cradle between your home andoffice. This cradle is designed for USB connectivity.

Note to customers: This cradle does not charge the iPAQ H3650 battery; to do so,you must purchase the Compaq AC adapter separately. ... Read more

Features

• For the Compaq iPAQ H3650 Pocket PC
• Synchronize your iPAQ at home or the office
• Includes cradle for USB connectivity
• Stylish compact design
• Quality Compaq accessory

Reviews (3)

Where's the power cord?
Being able to synchronize the iPAQ at the office is incredibly convenient. The device installs easily into Windows 2000. However, where's the power cord? It would really be nice if the device could get recharged at the office, too. If you use just the iPAQ, it's probably not that big of a deal, but with additional accessories installed [modem, wireless LAN connection, etc.] the power starts to drain. Just a thought.

Useful
A second iPAQ cradle is great for syncing up at work--that is--if you have a Windows 98 system. Unfortunately, many people have Windows NT at work, which only supports serial, not USB. There is hope however, as Windows2000 provides native support for USB ports.

The iPAQ hot sync cradle one-ups the Palm world by not even needing to press the button on the cradle to start the process. You just plop it in the cradle and off it goes.

One advantage to USB is that it is about 6 times faster than serial. The fastest serial is 115,000 kpbs, but USB is 690,000 bps.

The more, the merrier!
Having an extra cradle/charger is very useful if your like me and would like to sync up at both home and work. The cradle itself is excellent. Although the Jornada 545 also has a USB connection, it is not nearly as fast as the iPaq's (makes me question whether the HP's connection is -really- USB). ... Read more

Asin: B00004TB3J
Subjects:  1. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Electronic Organizer)    2. Pocket PC (PCs)    3. Compaq    4. Handheld (Hand Held)    5. Hewlett-Packard    6. (HP)    7. (Hewlet Packart)   

iConcepts Car Charger for Compaq iPAQ (3600 & 3700 series)
by iConcepts
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $19.99 -- our price: $10.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Recharge your Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC in your car
• Charge your batteries while powering your handheld
• Uses standard cigarette lighter outlet
• Compatible with iPAQ 3600 and 3700 series Pocket PCs
• Great for when you're on the go

Reviews (1)

Can't beat it
Can't beat the price! I've been pretty impressed with the aftermarket accessories I've purchased from iConcepts. They are good quality and work every time. Keeps my little guy going (he's getting kinda old so his battery doesn't hold a charge for long). ... Read more

Asin: B00005V9B7
Sales Rank: 9077
Subjects:  1. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Electronic Organizer)    2. Pocket PC (PCs)    3. Compaq    4. Handheld (Hand Held)   

iConcepts USB Charger for Compaq iPAQ (3600 and 3700 series)
by iConcepts
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $19.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• Recharge your Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC using power from USB port
• Compatible with iPAQ 3600 and 3700 series Pocket PCs
• Charger draws minimal power from your notebook¿s battery while recharging your organizer¿s battery
• Requires Windows 98, 2000, Me, or XP and available USB port

Reviews (4)

Not enough attention to detail
The concept is attractive: charge your iPaq using the USB port on your notebook computer.

On my Toshiba Tecra 9000, there's not enough power output from the USB port to charge the iPaq 3650. Worse, Windows 2000 keeps thinking the cable is a Toshiba Wireless LAN adapter and tries to install drivers for it.

The plug for the iPaq isn't well designed: it's too large, tempting the user to use excessive force attaching the cable.

Works but....
I bought one of these because I have two cradles, one at work & one at home. Sounded like a nice idea. However, it only charges if the PC is on, even if the USB Hub is self-powered.
I use the power adapter that came with the my Compaq at work (where I need the juice) and use this gadget at home. So, it has worked out ok so far.
Buyer beware of this limitation.

seems to work fine for me
regardless of what was said in prior review ... Read more

Asin: B00005V9B6
Sales Rank: 26876
Subjects:  1. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Electronic Organizer)    2. Pocket PC (PCs)    3. Compaq    4. Handheld (Hand Held)   

Compaq iPAQ 253629-001AC Adapter for 1900, 3600, 3700,3800, 3900, 5400 series
by Compaq
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $27.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (2)

Its just the same carger as comes with the cradle.
As the titel says, this appears to be exactly the same charger that comes with the cradle. The reason for only one star is, like the cradle adapter, the end where it plugs into the iPAC is two pieces. The end of the cord is terminated with the round plug that will plug into the Cradle. That then plugs into an adapter which actually plugs into the bottom of the iPAC. What this does when all hooked up is produce this huge "thing" attached to the bottom of the iPAC.

I bought the AC Adaptor so I can read in bed at night, using Microsoft Reader, without running the battery down. Having this huge charger attachment sticking out the bottom of the iPAC is a real bother and agrivation, as it alters the "feel" of the iPAC and just generally makes me mad. I only use it when I have to, when the battery goes too far down from reading a particularly long time and I want to keep reading. Otherwise, it just collects dust. On top of it all, it isn't necessary and you can save yourself some money, as one can just use the AC adaptor for the Cradle as it is identical in every way to this item.

Very handy product, picture shown is old
There's nothing wrong with this adapter. Period. (Except the packaging is a little hard to open- well, maybe really hard).
The picture shown in the description is not what this looks like- the adapter to plug it in directly to the handheld can come off if you want to use a cradle or keyboard to charge your handheld. I bought an Ipaq 5455 and it's the same adapter that came with it. Very handy to have for any PocketPC owner. ... Read more

Asin: B00005YVLS
Sales Rank: 7368
Subjects:  1. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Electronic Organizer)    2. Pocket PC (PCs)    3. Hewlett-Packard (Hewlett, Packard, HP)    4. Handheld (Hand Held)    5. Compaq   

Compaq iPAQ 3635 Pocket PC Bundle (with Compact Flash Jacket)
by Hewlett Packard
Average Customer Review:
Electronics
list price: $549.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

There's no doubt that the Compaq iPAQ 3600 series occupy that rare class of gadgets that's noticeable for being eye-catching and fashionable as well as functional. Even if you don't regularly shuttle between nations in a private company jet, using the sleek metal device may make you feel like a high-powered executive (or at the very least, make other people think you are).

The most striking feature of the iPAQ is its bright, crisp color screen. We were a little surprised to discover that it only displays 4,096 colors (compared to color offerings from Palm and Handspring, for example, which display up to 65,536 colors). While the color quality is fine for everyday use, photos can appear somewhat grainy or posterized.

Other hardware notables include a headphone jack for listening to digital music (or even just the built-in alert sounds, which are the best we've heard on any device), an infrared port for beaming data to other similarly equipped Pocket PCs, and a voice recorder for capturing your ideas while in traffic. The unit is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that performed acceptably for a color display. A connection port at the bottom accommodates extension packs that can read CompactFlash media, PC Cards, and other peripherals (or just brightly colored jackets for expressing your fashion sense).

In terms of storage and software, the iPAQ is a modern workhorse. It has 32 MB of RAM for storing large media files like MP3s and movie or animation clips, plus 16 MB of ROM that houses the included applications. These include the Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 operating system, Pocket PC versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, Money, Windows Media Player, and Reader as well as applicationslike a calendar, contact list, task list, and notes.

The iPAQ accepts data using a handwriting recognition system that was surprisingly tolerant of our scribbled notes--we encountered problems mainly with two-stroke letters like t, i, and k. An onscreen keyboard comes in handy in these situations, or you can use the "inking" feature to write directly on the screen, followed by a Recognize command that translates the writing into letters. Although inking seemed to lag slightly behind the stylus as we wrote, it picked up 80 to 95 percent of the letters.

This isn't to say that the iPAQ is perfect, however. Many aspects of Windows CE 3.0 drove us crazy, like the irrational choice to put the program menus at the bottom of the screen and present them so they don't appear to be menus at all. Another quirk is the iPAQ's Navigator, a large four-direction button below the screen that can be used to scroll through selections. Looking at the QStart screen (an icon view of most of the programs), you can highlight different icons using the Navigator. However, counterintuitively, you have to push up and down on the Navigator to highlight objects to the left and right, respectively. Pushing the center of the Navigator acts like the Enter key on a computer keyboard, taking you to the selected program or file.

The iPAQ interfaces with Windows-based PCs (sorry, Macintosh users) using Microsoft's ActiveSync 3.1 software (which also includes a full version of Outlook 2000). The synchronization process is pretty efficient, and lets you browse the contents of the iPAQ from your desktop. However, it took three PCs running three flavors of Windows and three ActiveSync installs before we were able to get the computer to recognize the iPAQ.

It's worth noting that the glitches we ran into were more interface annoyances that are probably easy to adapt to (though we'd rather have software engineers bend to users' needs). The iPAQ 3600 series is the closest device we've seen that (mostly) intelligently packs the capabilities of a full-size PC into a handheld. --Nelson Finn

Pros:

• Good color screen
• Easy transfer of Word and Excel files between PC and handheld
• Good handwriting recognition
• Expansion jackets provide for more memory and peripherals

Cons:

• Awkward Windows CE interface
• ActiveSync synchronization software can be flaky

... Read more

Features

• Pocket PC bundled with CompactFlash Expansion Jacket, enabling you to add memory and functionality such as a modem or wireless LAN Card
• Also comes with Conduit Peacemaker Professional Software for beaming information to and from a wide range of PDAs and ZioGolf2 3-D golf game
• 240 x 320 TFT LCD screen displays more than 4,000 colors
• 32 MB RAM and 16 MB ROM
• What's in the box: iPAQ 3635, CompactFlash expansion sleeve, 950 mAh Lithium Polymer battery, Two styli, Vinyl slipcase, AC adapter, User manual

Reviews (128)

Finally, a true 'PC Anywhere'--for your pocket!
I wanted a truly pocket-sized PC, not just a PDA. The pocket PC in general, and the Compaq Ipaq in particular, finally allows me to (almost) take my PC anywhere. The Pocket PC OS (a.k.a. Windows CE 3.0) is not as user-friendly to navigate as the Palm OS, but the exponential increase in computing power over anything running the Palm OS (to date) makes up for any of these shortcomings. Also, the Ipaq's handwriting recognition is far superior to Graffiti. Its 32MB of RAM is very nice, but 64MB (I have heard is in the works) would make this a 5-star device for my uses.

Yes, the Ipaq does consume a lot more power than the Palm-based devices, but the power consumption is not as bad as some reviews would indicate. I just took my new toy with me on a short road trip from San Diego to Los Angeles. I loaded a memory card with a full CD of music (MP3 compression at the lowest-possible rate and still retain stereo) and used a set of headphones to listen to some tunes for the drive. After about one-hour of use, the power indicator showed that about 20-25% of the charge was used up. This may be unacceptable for some, but I had plenty of charge left over to use the Ipaq for the remaining two days before returning home.

This Pocket PC has almost as much computing power that my state-of-the-art desktop had only four years ago. As it stands now, I still whole-heartedly recommend this little gizmo.

All that and a bag of chips...
I purchased the iPAQ to replace my old Casio Cassiopeia E-15. The difference between these two devices highlights how Microsoft has stolen the edge.... My E-15 refreshed screens in a painfully slow manner, burned through it's rechargeable battery pack while conducting routine tasks in the same amount of time as my iPAQ (while playing MP3s for hours on end and occasionally connecting to the internet via my CompactFlash modem)....

... ActiveSync 3.1 fixes the majority of interface problems; while my iPAQ is synched, data can be seamlessly transferred back and forth between PC and iPAQ...and they run compatible programs.... Battery life... is much improved...and is less affected by Compactflash accessories than earlier CE devices.... entering text is a breeze and can be done in any light condition since the data entry area is illuminated by the backlight....

And best of all, developers are beginning to see the advantages of the Pocket PC and program to its strengths....

Choosing between the iPAQ and other devices is obviously based on the user's intentions. If you want a machine that is capable of performing 50-80% of a laptop's functions, get a Pocket PC and spend the extra time to learn its ins and outs....

hard to read the screen
This is a good value, but the screen is very difficult to read in less than perfect lighting conditions. Under bright flourescent lights in the office, it is fine. The rest of the time, though, I have a heck of a time with it. The internal memory also isn't really big enough to store MP3s. I decided to go back to paper and pen. ... Read more

Asin: B000058E2B
Subjects:  1. Hewlett Packard (Hewlett-Packard)    2. Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Electronic Organizer)    3. Pocket PC (PCs)    4. Compaq    5. Handheld (Hand Held)    6. Portable Audio    7. MP3 MP 3 Player    8. Casio    9. Hewlett-Packard    10. (HP)    11. (Hewlet Packart)