The Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC H3630(AU$1,245) is noteworthy for five reasons: flexible expansion options (at the expense of a standard expansion slot, though), style, a speedy (206 MHz) Intel processor, a great screen, and value. (The iPAQ comes equipped with 32MB of RAM and costs $250 less than the Casio-E115 with the same amount of RAM.) The iPAQ is the sharpest-looking PDA we've seen, which might explain its arrival some months after Microsoft's Pocket PC announcement. We tested a production version of the iPAQ, which lacked only the final packaging and documentation, and found a lot to like.
The iPAQ has a no CompactFlash expansion slot, unlike previous Compaq palm-size models and the currently shipping Casio and HP Pocket PCs. But the iPAQ is unique in that it can accept different option jackets called Expansion Packs. This technology is as significant as the Springboard module expansion slot on Handspring Visors.
The Expansion Packs are a design departure from the norm that broadens the iPAQ's expansion possibilities. The two Expansion Packs are a CF Expansion Pack and a PC Card Expansion Pack. Other Expansion Packs have not been announced, but it's likely the iPAQ's easy upgrade path will be a natural for Bluetooth and GPS add-ons.
The iPAQ's design statement starts with a shiny silver case that has rounded side and bottom edges. A combination speaker/navigation button on the bottom front of the PDA looks like the top of an old-fashioned radio microphone. Other buttons let you launch applications, record your voice, and release the stylus from its storage hole. The iPAQ comes standard with an AC adaptor/charger, a futuristic, sculpted USB docking cradle, a slipcase cover, software, and documentation.
The iPAQ's measurements, 130 by 83.5 by 15.9 mms (HWD), are misleading because they are taken at the widest and deepest points of its curved case. At 170 grams with its 950-mAH lithium polymer battery, the iPAQ weighs less than the Casio E-115 (260 grams) and the HP Jornada 545 (255 grams), but when you add the optional CF Expansion Pack, the iPAQ's weight increases to 260 grams. With the Expansion Pack, AC adaptor, and docking cradle, the whole outfit weighs 606 grams.
Display screens are important differentiators for PDAs, and Compaq's screen works well in both indoor and outdoor use. The 3.0- by 2.3-inch colour display, a reflective TFT with 320-by-240 resolution, has great visibility outdoors, where the Casio and HP are almost impossible to read. The screen's backlight has five settings, plus an automatic setting that uses an ambient light sensor to adjust brightness. Higher brightness settings will burn battery power, but the iPAQ's battery is rated at 12 hours of continuous use at normal settings, which is significantly longer than the Casio E-115's 6-hour rating and the HP Jornada 545's 8. As with the HP unit, the iPAQ displays only 4,096 colours, far fewer than the class-leading Casio, which displays 64K colours. For most applications this difference won't matter, but it will figure in streaming video applications once they finally hit the market.
We tested Internet access using the iPAQ with the CF Expansion Pack, a Pretec 56K CF modem (not included), and EarthLink as our ISP. Attaching the Expansion Pack is a snap, and the iPAQ automatically recognises the inserted modem without additional software. We went to the Web and visited a variety of sites including amazon.com and zdnet.com. Pocket Internet Explorer can't show the whole of most Web sites on a Pocket PC screen, but a fit-to-screen option and multiple text sizes help Web-site readability. As with the other Pocket PCs, you can see most graphics and colours, but Pocket IE doesn't handle frames well, requiring a lot of scrolling before you get to the meaty content of many sites.
The iPAQ includes the Pocket PC applications Asset Viewer, Packet Video, Picture Viewer, QLaunch, QMenu, and QStart. This impressive package of utilities and convenience features enhances your ability to control the PDA and applications used with it.
For those who insist a one-handed PDA must have a standard internal expansion slot, the Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC misses the boat. We think that the expansion option flexibility of the iPAQ more than makes up for not having an internal CF slot, although it would be better if the CF Expansion Pack were included with each unit. Considering its design, expansion flexibility, fast CPU, great screen, and extra memory for the same cost as units with half the RAM, the iPAQ is a terrific value.
iPAQ Pocket PC H3630
Company: Compaq
Ph: 13 23 93; Fax: 02 9911 1900
Price: AU$1,245.
Rating: 4 Star
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