Customer Reviews

Compaq iPAQ 3635 Pocket PC Bundle (with Compact Flash Jacket)

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

The Compaq iPAQ 3600 series (specially 3630, 3650 and 3635) are really great units. I use my iPAQ as a replacement for several devices. As I usually have a 1GB IBM Microdrive in the iPAQ it works as the best MP3 Player yet (I have some 700MB of MP3 files continuously available) and still plenty of room in the MD and RAM. I also use a Lucent Orinoco for wireless connection, which allows me to chek my emails wherever I am at my place. The comprehensive software package (Inbox/PocketIE, PocketWord, PocketExcel, etc.) allows gerat functionality out of the box (you can add many shareware/freeware to increase that further (I recommend Resco's Utility PAckage for Zip compression/Decompression, etc.).

For travelling I am about to get a stowaway keyboard which will allow me to conveniently leave my notebook at home and conveniently check emails and eventual webpages.

My iPAQ was one of the very best purchases I made last year. As one of the very few PocketPCs to allow the use of cheap & standard PCMCIA cards such as:
- Any NE2000 compliant Networking Card, which usually costs as little as $20
- Some PCMCIA Modems (including the 3Com Cell Modem, which may be used along with your cell phone or landline)
- Wireless NIC, such as the pretty standard Lucent/Agere Wavelan/Orinoco
- IBM Microdrive up to 1GB (using this CF card with the PCMCIA adapter allows for better battery usage)
- Kingston 2GB PCMCIA drive.
- Much more...

I am anxiously awaiting the time I manage to get a CyNET Inc. CyPAQ (which is a dual PCMCIA slot for the iPAQ, along with their Wireless Cell/Modem, which allows one to use the iPAQ as a cell phone!).

I already got rid of my former MP3 Player and in the future I'll get rid of my Cell Phone too. All will converge into a single unit - my iPAQ!

We recently installed Linux in one iPAQ and using teh very same PCMCIA cards we could run applications such as vic for video streaming, etc. It was quite impressive!

Last but not least I installed a PersonalJava JVM in my iPAQ and I can run any PersonalJava compliant code, such as my own H263 Video Decoder called jStreaming (http://jStreaming.com). That runs smoothly in my iPAQ. I am conficent that if you are thinking about getting this unit you'll not be disapointed. Do think about getting a Microdrive to go along with it tough.

***THIS REVIEW CONTAIN QUALITY INFORMATION***

Some complaints:

(1) Battery life is POOR (only last in terms of hours instead of days for other PDAs), especially if one uses a CF device with the included sleeve. Problem is CF memory is a MUST if you want to listen to MP3s. (2) Apparently Compaq still has not corrected the problem with dust getting into the screen. The dust reflect light from the backlit apparatus and is quite visible. A minor annoyance but one nevertheless. I recommend keeping the stylus silo occupied so there is less of a chance that dust will creep in. (You get 2 styli with the package so you can keep one in the silo at all time.) (3) The high-gloss silver finish of the iPaq is very bad with fingerprints, but if you keep the CF sleeve on all the time this problem would be minimized.

Productive recommendations:

(1) Don't get coerced into shelling out [the $] getting a CF modem; they are completely unnecessary. The only thing that modems are good for is emailing in real-time. Browsing regular html paged with the iPaq is neither practical or productive. (2) Make sure you get an AvantGo account. This makes an iPaq really worthwhile. (3) Make sure you install ActiveSync 3.3 and set up a relationship between your PC and your iPaq so that you can do email and access the internet (in conjunction with AvantGo). (4) Make sure you find MS Transcriber on the ActiveSync CD and install that puppy. This writing recognition program is AMAZING! (Transcriber is an different program from the writing recognition program in th iPaq, so you need to install it separately.) (5) Finally DO look through the iPaq Tour CD, there are some VALUABLE applications hidden in there that you can install.

Enjoy this wonderful lil machine!

I waited a long time to buy a handheld and spent weeks researching the pros and cons of the two I was most seriously considering, the iPAQ and the new Palm m505. When I finally bit the bullet and bought the iPAQ, I initially was apprehensive regarding its price and some of the "glitches" I read about on the Compaq website message boards. Let me tell you, I have had this thing for 6 weeks now and I absolutely love it. Once you have decided between the advantages and disadvantages of Windows Pocket PC OS v. Palm OS, I don't think there is a better Pocket PC out there. Putting aside the superficial factors about how sleek and cool the iPAQ looks, it does so many things and synchronizes so well with Microsoft Outlook, that I think it's the best handheld out there (notwithstanding the price). The calendar, contacts and other organizer features are excellent. The games I have downloaded are pretty good (I am looking for better ones -- clearly Palm has an advantage here). I live in the city and play chess every morning on the subway -- which is a fine distraction when coupled with a CD player on my ears. I am still working on how to get MP3s downloaded to the iPAQ.

What really sold me on this product, though, was the excellent quality of the screen -- there are 5 levels of brightness to choose from; and the fact that I wanted color to go with it. I compared this to the Palm m505, and it was no contest. You could barely see the Palm screen in the store. Who cares about 65,000 colors v. 4900 when you can barely see the screen? This is one of the most important features of any handheld, in my opinion. The iPAQ memory is expandable, which will allow me to use it for a long time (barring any accidents). The handwriting recognition is excellent, and is much better than Palm's "graffiti."

The negatives I have read about and experienced re: the iPAQ are: (1) the slide-on expansion sleeves. People are complaining because there is no internal expansion slot in the iPAQ. Who cares? The sleeve does not add that much bulk and it's a fair trade-off for the other things you get. That said, the iPAQ is not necessarily something you can carry in a shirt pocket. I have carried it in a jacket pocket however, and it felt comfortable. (2) There isn't as much software out there for PocketPCs as there is for Palm products. I think, though, that due to the popularity of the iPAQ that is changing rapidly. Many of these games are free on Handago.com and Microsoft's PocketPC website. I downloaded a great chess game and a tankzone game that is just like "Battlezone" from the early 80s. I also downloaded "PocketQuake" for free, but need more memory to use it. (3) BATTERY LIFE. This is definitely a negative. I have constantly needed to charge this thing, so I bought a charging adapter for work and home. I take it with me whenever I travel. You can use this for about a day of regular use, then you will need to charge it. I have read that you can keep a Palm on for weeks without charging. Palm has the iPAQ beat hands down in this department, but then again, in my view, the battery drainage is due solely to the advantages I feel the iPAQ has over the Palm. It's a tradeoff. (4) Accessories will cost you. This is a product for people with money to spend on it. While you can get basic everyday usage out of the 32MB that comes with the iPAQ, you will need to buy at least another 64 MB of memory to really get the most out of it. (I haven't yet). Internet connectivity, which I would love to have, is still ridiculously expensive ($59.95/mo. with Omnisky). When this comes down and the connection rate improves (or I win the lottery), this will be a great thing to have.

The last thing I want to say is that it is a lot of fun exploring new things to do with the iPAQ. As with all handhelds, this is not a product like a washing machine that comes with clear directions on how to use its every aspect, particularly, downloadable software. The technology is still evolving, and it requires some work to find new things to download and use. I am still working on the MP3 issue, for example. But there is a growing community of users that provides advice on all aspects of the iPAQ on the Compaq website. It is a great feeling when you find something new to do on this product. If you are someone who likes things spelled out 100% and don't want to search for anyting -- do yourself a favor and buy a Palm. Better yet, stick to a notebook. On the other hand, if you like a little adventure and have some money to spend on this fantastic organizer/MP3 player/toy/computer, I don't think you will be disappointed.

I have received mine 3 days ago, after about 6 months of using a Palm m100. PC synchronization, which IMHO is must feature in a PDA, works beautifully, I did not have to spend more than 10 minutes installing the new synchronization software over the old Palm HotSync, and I had all my agenda items, contacts, and notes, moved to the iPAQ.

All that and I have not actually had to install the included USB cradle yet - this was all done via my notebook's IrDA port!

Setting up IrDA equipped GSM phone connection to an ISP also went pretty smoothly, and I was able to download emails using a motorola Timeport (TriBand) one day after I got the iPAQ.

Now to the machine itself - certainly a LOT sexier than a m100 ... The screen really shines and the wealth of built in applications and add-ons is nice. email is usefull to an extent (vs. useless to my mind, in the m100). I also got myself a 'vaja' case, a class leader, it fits great, and is very convenient to use - single handed opening and closure are almost as easy as with the m100.

Some critique -

- The iPAQ, even though probably the most compact PocketPC PDA today, is still noticably larger and heavier than Palm Vx or m100, this could make a real difference to people who pocket carry their PDA all day long. I wouldn't even dare thinking about carriend one of these WITH an expansion sleeve in my pant's pocket.

- The included soft case is inconvenient, purchasing a better replacement is almost inevitable. Also, the device metal case is very slippery, holding a bare device in your palm is uncomfortable because of this.

- As bare bones, agenda /contacts manager, Palm would probably be the practical choice, if this is what you're after, then save your bucks and get one.

The pocket versions of window applications (word and excel), including email, MS money, can be usefull for many people though. Mainly because of the better screen (higher resolution, color, and clearness), and friendlier handwriting recognition (compared to palm). This, (and higher fun factor ...) make the iPAQ the more appealing PDA.

While color is nice, the price of a color iPAQ is not worth it when compared to this unsung model. Often overlooked the 3135 has all of the same features as it color siblings, Excel, Word, IE, Outlook, Calendar, Contacts, MS Money, but albeit with less RAM 16 compared to 32mb or 64mb for the color versions. However with the inclusion of the CF sleeve, which allows you to plug in CF cards from 8 to 256mb, the 3135 is the best PDA bang for the buck. And let's not forget the iPAQ comes with Windows Media Player, making it also an mp3, wma player, and it has the ability to record voice messages. With the CF sleeve and a few flash cards one can literally carry ones music libary with you where ever you go. Compared with the Palm Pilot, and Handspring Visor, this inexpensive jewel is perfect for the enthusiast, student or professional. After spending almost 6 months researching, playing with and talking with friends, neighbors and co-workers about which PDA to get I have yet to regret my decision.

Someone at work almost sold me on a Palm device when I decided to do some research. Immediately after trying a Ipaq H3635, I knew the palm devices (were awful). The salesman told me there was an affordable b/w version available for around $250. Unfortunately they didn't have one on hand. Out I went in search of a H3135.

It turned out to be one of the best purchases I ever made since my Celeron 300A (which I am still using today...). As an IT person, I need to take notes and keep my schedule handy often. Enter the Ipaq. WOW! It turned on immediately so I could play with it after opening it in the car. Li-ion batteries too boot. After 20 or so minutes I was able to figure out what it had to offer and headed home.

Can you believe that people pay $200 for an MP3 player? This thing does all that and so much more. I can even record meetings to I can review what happend durning a meeting and catch those nuances that you usually overlook.

The PC installed effortlessly and synched without a hitch. I use Office 2000 at home and have USB available. The wireless web has nothing more to offer than I can get downloading the AvantGo sites over a cable modem. Simply connect it, download the pages and head to work. Additionally it grabbed my email and contacts without even my knowing. What a great device!

There are so many things I can say about this thing. The only remotely bad thing is the reflections on the screen. It is glossy and is difficult to read at times. The backlight is an indiglo type display and works really well at night. Twighlight is a different story.

The battery life of this thing is absolutely astounding. I have used the thing for an entire week without recharging under normal use. Playing MP3s took only slightly more energy.

Suggestions: Buy the Serial adapter if you plan on using it with NT so you can synch at work. A car adapter would be helpful if you travel but because of the life of the battery, not a big deal here.

If you can find a b/w version, BUY IT. I haven't really needed the color "features" yet. Best bang for the buck in a palm device by far!

I don't own the bundle, just the IPAQ itself, and the 3150 is an unbelievable value. The colour screen would have been a nice to have, but the functionality is unrivaled in any PDA that I have used, and I have not regretted getting the lower version to save myself both the wait and the money. It performs at a high level, very fast and capable of running much of the software out there. If there is any weakness it is the fact that the Intel StrongArm 206MHz processor is never fully utilized and is a little limited by the lower memory. Getting the Memory expansion would boost this up to it's full potential.

By being pocket PC, this PDA obviously handles windows wonderfully and other than the occasional reset, I have not had a single issue with syncing to any computer or transfering files.

I was happy with my purchase and I would recommend this PDA to anyone looking for functionality over a colour screen.

Mark Ponting

The IPAQ plus the PC card expansion sleeve is a terrific way to access the Internet wirelessly using the OmniSky service. I had previously accessed OminiSky with a Palm Vx and the Ministrel modem, but this machine is much faster and much more reliable for accessing email and web sites and has a screen that looks about 800% better. Also excellent with E-books from PeanutPress.com, and Excel and Word work almost like desktop versions. If you enter much data: a) load the Transcriber application which recognizes handwriting pretty well; b) purchase the Targus keyboard for about $99 which attaches to the bottom and lets you type. While not a true "notebook PC," the combination of the IPAQ and the keyboard gives you the opportunity to do reasonably sized spreadsheets and create letters and short text files very easily with a total weight of less than a pound. By the way, the IPAQ plus the keyboard works very well on the tray of a standard (Coach) airline seat where a notebook computer cannot be easily used. Highly recommended as a stand alone PDA, a way to get wireless email (with OmniSky), and a very light weight and small (although limited) alternative to taking a notebook computer on a trip.

The 3135, monochrome, 16 MB version of the Compaq iPaq (all of the other reviews here seem to be for the 3600 color, 32 MB versions) is still, all in all, a pretty impressive machine.

The 3135 still has the iPaq 206 MHz StrongARM CPU, it comes with the CF flash memory sleeve, for memory/storage/communications upgrades, very fast USB connection for updates (my previous PDA was a Palm III, with serial cable link - daily sync would take 5 min on average; with USB/iPaq, daily sync rarely takes more than 20 seconds), and with Compaq support, can even upgrade its operating system to Linux (Compaq support...). The 16 MB is very limiting, though, so if you get this, plan to also buy CF memory...along with it. The advantages of the 3135 are speed, power, and price. You get a 206 MHz handheld system for [a higher price], compare that to the fastest Palm platform handheld, the Palm OS/Handspring Visor Platinum, [for less] for an 8 MB, 33 MHz unit.

The Microsoft Pocket PC OS (really CE v3) comes with MS Media Player (for MP3s - better get at least 64 MB of flash memory, though, to take advantage of that!), pocket versions of MS Word, MS Excel, MS Outlook - maps VERY well to existing Outlook calendar functions, MS Internet Explorer (with AvantGo for offline web browsing), MS Money, MS eBook Reader, and MS Access. The conduits to convert from 'pocket' versions of files to desktop are built in and pretty transparent to the user. All you have to do to take information with you is to drag your existing files to a Pocket PC 'My Documents' folder which the install program creates on your PC desktop, and ActiveSync does the rest (by the way, if you install Linux, all you have to do is to FTP files into your handheld - same thing).

The killer app for this (for me, anyway) is the MS Reader utility. eBooks are relatively small, and with my iPaq, I can carry a veritable library with me in a device the size of a pager. The monochrome screen of the 3135 is much more readable than its color (and ...more expensive) counterpart - or is this just cognative dissonance on my part? Many free books are available on the internet, from the public domain works available at...sites...I believe that even Amazon.com has an "eBooks & eDocuments" section.

If you are like me then you probably dig through other peoples' reviews so you can make a decision which PDA to buy. If you're interested in a non-techie discussion of the pros and cons of the iPaq 3670 vs the HP Journada 545 (I have both) then you should read on. Basically the only difference between the the 3670 and the 3635/3650 is the amount of RAM so I think my discussion is not misplaced here (I'd love to put it into the 3670 category but Amazon doesn't sell these yet). The biggest two advantages of the iPaq over the Journada 545/548 in my opinion are speed and display legibility in the open. The iPaq is noticably faster than the Journada; basically everything on the iPaq happens instantly, whereas you will often get to see the egg timer on the Journada. I'm only talking about a few milliseconds, but to impatient people who make heavy use of their PDA it's a crucial difference. However, if you can live with this and also don't plan on using your PDA in the open very often then you should save those *lots* of $ and instead get the Journada plus a nice 64 or 128 MB extension card (the Viking 128 works great for me). The Journada has even a few advantages over the iPaq: The little wheel on the left of the Journada makes one hand exploration of your mail a real pleasure and much easier than with the iPaq, and the built-in screen protection as well as the slot for memory cards are something every iPaq user will surely miss. To summarize, both are great products, and you don't go wrong with any of them. If you take my points above into consideration it shouldn't be too hard to pick the right one for you.