Compaq Ipaq is the best

Author's Rating:

Pros: Biggest Screen over any other PPC2002 device. Biggest software bundle with over 20 decent applications.

Cons: No built-in CF slot. Cannot replace battery (without voiding warranty).

The Bottom Line: 
It's recommended, Compaq rules the PDA scene and there are so many 3rd party additions that you can buy for it.

Author's Review
If you are reading this, then you are probably trying to decide between these comparable models that use the "new" Pocket PC 2002 operating system (aka WinCE 3.0 SE)

Compaq Ipaq 3800 series.
Casio Cassiopeia E-200 series
Hewlett-Packard 560 series
Toshiba e500 series

In concert with its Taiwanese manufacturing partner, HTC, Compaq set about resolving the quality issues by sealing the screen to prevent dust particles from entering, redesigning the stylus silo so that the stylus no longer jams and removing altogether the troublesome sliding door that covered the main battery switch at the base of the unit. It's now nearly impossible to find flaws in the iPAQ's construction.

In regards to the lack of a built-in expansion slot, Compaq decided to gamble on the future. While CompactFlash still dominates the "small storage" arena, Compaq chose instead to add a Secure Digital (SD) slot to the so-called "naked iPAQ," an excellent strategy given that iPAQ owners can still use a CompactFlash Expansion Pack to enable their CF cards and accessories until the proliferation of Secure Digital.

Compaq's decision to add an SD rather than a CF slot is something that the other Pocket PC licensees struggled with as well, since we're nearing a transition period--from CF to SD--for small storage formats. Hewlett Packard considered SD but chose CompactFlash for its new Jornada, and instead will release an SD add-on "sled." Newcomer Toshiba, meanwhile, decided to hedge all bets and incorporated both an SD and a CF slot into its new Pocket PC.

And finally, Compaq addressed the battery life concerns by replacing last year's 950 mAh Lithium polymer battery with a 1400 mAh battery, which theoretically should add a couple of hours of additional power.

And there's more.

The iPAQ 3800 series' cradle comes with a unique Y-connector that terminates in both a serial and a USB connector, making it easy to connect to either a USB port on a Windows 2000 desktop computer or a serial port on a Windows NT 4.0 desktop computer without having to have two cradles.

And gamers can now rejoice. Compaq made the new iPAQ recognize multiple simultaneous button presses, something that's needed in first-person shooter (FPS) action games where you must press two buttons at once--for example, to move and fire at the same time. Unfortunately the iPAQ 3600 series would only recognize the first button pressed. The iPAQ 3800 series is now in a strong position to become a serious handheld gaming platform.

So, let's take a complete look at this "beautiful baby," starting with what comes in the box.



What's in the box

Let's look inside the box and see what you get with the iPAQ 3800:

Compaq iPAQ 3800 Pocket PC with stylus
Extra stylus
Protective cover pack
Universal cradle for both USB and serial connections
AC adapter
DC adapter plug
Getting Started Guide
Compq iPAQ Pocket PC Companion CD-ROM, which includes Microsoft ActiveSync 3.5, additional software and applications, detailed eBook guide, and a comprehensive iPAQ Reference Manual
iPAQ accessories information
iPAQ Special Features booklet
Service, support, warranty and registration information

Basically, Compaq took last year's model and introduced several relatively minor asthetic and functional changes, while still retaining the classic iPAQ look-and-feel. It began by relocating several items, including the speaker and the stereo headphone jack, which moved from the bottom of the device to the top, and it did away with the troublesome sliding door at the base that covered the main battery switch. Now to hard reset your iPAQ you must perform a "Control-Alt-Delete"-like manuever, holding down two of the application buttons and simultaneously pressing the reset button, not something you could ever do accidentally.




Compaq also redesigned a few things, including the navigation button, which has been widened, and the stylus, which is rounder. It also modified the four application launch buttons, making them smaller but more protruded, so they are now much easier to activate than before.




Of course the top is where you'll find the new Secure Digital slot, occupied by a dummy slug when you purchase the device, which is meant to keep out dirt and dust.




On the bottom of the iPAQ, Compaq made a significant change to the serial connector, widening it slightly to accomodate another pin, which was need to give the iPAQ full RS-232 compatibility. But Compaq retained the 100-pin connector that's at the heart of its Expansion Pack technology. So while current sleeves (which use the 100-pin connector) will work with the new 3800 series, accessories that use the serial port (for example, the Stowaway keyboard) will not.




Compaq also eliminated the AC port at the bottom of the iPAQ, so if you want to charge your iPAQ directly without using the cradle you must use the special DC converter (see picture below) that's included in the box.




Still, with all of the subtle improvements, Compaq did not see fit to make the iPAQ's Lithium polymer battery user replaceable, which apparently gives the Hewlett Packard Jornada 560 series a leg up in this area. And rather than go the Jornada route and include a backup battery, Compaq decided to use a portion of the main battery to supply backup power. Compaq claims that its RAM can retain its contents longer after the battery has drained than the Jornada's can, still there's no question that the Jornada leads the pack in the power category.

The iPAQ 3800 series Pocket PC also comes with a protective cover (see picture below) that slips on like an Expansion Pack. It's extremely lightweight (so don't expect it to protect your iPAQ during a fall) and can be adjusted for use by right or left-handed users. The portion that covers the screen is made of hard transparent black plastic. It's a wonderful extra whose only downside is that it easily picks up fingerprints and scratches.

The iPAQ 3800 has arguably the best screen of any current PDA, despite the fact that all of the new Pocket PCs have gone to similar reflective TFTs. Not only does it provide a larger viewable area (2.26" x 3.02"), it also produces noticeably richer, deeper colors than competing units. The iPAQ's switch from 12-bit to 16-bit color is most noticeable when viewing pictures, which now have less color banding and appear more natural than on last year's 3600 series.

Also, the iPAQ's sidelight provides even light distribution across the LCD panel, unlike the unevenness of other Pocket PCs.

The intensity of the sidelight can be adjusted in two ways. One way is to let the iPAQ's ambient light sensor handle it for you. The other way is to use the Backlight Brightness setting panel to adjust it yourself.

And best of all, Compaq seems to have resolved the annoying dust problem that plauged earlier models, while some Jornada owners are beginning to report the problem with their new 560s.




Now hear this

Likewise, the iPAQ produces the highest quality sound of all the Pocket PCs, both from its monophonic external speaker and its stereo headphone jack. It's easily the loudest of the bunch and thanks to a built-in equalizer, which allows bass and treble to be controlled through the Compaq Audio settings panel, the iPAQ produces excellent stereo sound through a set of headphones with minimal distortion, popping or hissing.

The iPAQ 3800 series, which is powered by Intel's StrongARM SA-1110 processor running at 206 MHz, contains 64MB of random access memory (RAM) and 32MB of read-only memory (ROM), of which 6MB is reserved for storing your important applications and data in an area called the iPAQ File Store (and there's an app that allows you to select what you'd like to store there). Since the File Store is part of ROM, it's retained even in the case of a loss of power to the unit. So now you have multiple places to store your programs and files: Main Memory (RAM), File Store (a section of ROM), and Expansion Cards.

Compaq has included an incredible suite of software and applications with the iPAQ 3800 series Pocket PC. This includes pre-installed software and additional software found on the Compaq iPAQ CD-ROM.

Software pre-installed on the iPAQ 3800 includes:

Windows CE version 3.0
Microsoft Pocket PC 2002
Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Voice Recorder, Notes, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Pocket Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, Calculator, Solitaire, Inbox, Microsoft Reader
Asset Viewer
Picture Viewer
iPAQ Task Manager
Additional software contained on the Compaq iPAQ CD-ROM (some software requires Internet download) includes:

Microsoft Outlook 2002
Microsoft ActiveSync 3.5
Connection Wizard (download)
Microsoft Money for Pocket PC (download)
Microsoft Reader with ClearType for Pocket PC (download)
Microsoft Reader Activation Pack (download)
Microsoft Reader Books
Microsoft Reader with ClearType for the PC (download)
IBM Embedded ViaVoice Mobility Suite
iPresentation Mobile Converter LE
WordLogic Keyboard
Quick View Plus for Windows CE
Compaq Dashboard
Conduit Peacemaker Professional
Microsoft Pocket Streets (download)
Compaq WL110 Wireless LAN PC Card drivers
Callex PocketPC with ETPlayer - Voicemail
Microsoft Pocket PC Games (download)
Microsoft Windows Media Player 8 for Pocket PC
Microsoft Windows Media Player 7.1 for Windows (download)
Synovial's Virtual Game Gear Sega emulator
Audible Player by Audible, Inc. (download)
Microsoft Transcriber
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 (download)
JeodeRuntime Java environment
Ilium Software eWallet (Professional Edition)
Ilium Software ListPro (Professional Edition)
Enhance iTask: Download StarTap! (Trial Version)
Afaria
F-Secure FileCrypto for Pocket PC Personal Edition (download)

Yes, it's an extensive collection, arguably better than the Jornada's bundled applications.


Performance

Although there may be miniscule differences between the new Pocket PCs when it comes to benchmark results, in real world usage there's little difference--all of the new Pocket PCs are fast. But one thing that is definitely noticeable is the quality of the iPAQ 3800's audio and display, which surpasses all of the new Pocket PCs we've tested to date.


Bottom Line

Compaq is sure to remain at the top of the Pocket PC heap with its new iPAQ 3800 series Pocket PC, which combines looks, performance and expandability. By retaining the finer points of previous iPAQ models while addressing the nagging problems that plagued them, Compaq has evolutionized rather than revolutionized its iPAQ line, and that's all that was needed to be done until ubiquitous high-speed wireless networks become a reality.

Bottom line, the Compaq iPAQ 3800 series Pocket PC is "one beautiful baby" that I highly recommend.