Compaq iPAQ 3630 Color Pocket PC

by HP

Product Details

Product Manual [3.49mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 3.3 x 0.6 inches ; 14.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B000051JUJ
• Item model number: 170294-002
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,048 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1973

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Compaq's iPAQ Pocket PC combines a 206 MHz Intel StrongARM processor, new hardware, and a sleek industrial design that fits in your hand to create a powerful and stylish PDA you can take anywhere. It offers 32 MB RAM and 16 MB ROM--enough memory to hold a robust package of applications while leaving you a lot of room for your own applications. The color TFT screen produces 4,086 colors, and you can view the screen from many angles and in a variety of lighting situations. The Compaq iPAQ wraps the power of a Microsoft Windows operating system in a new interface designed for ease of use in a portable format. Even if you've never used a computer or digital organizer, learning to use the Compaq iPAQ is easy.

Other highlights of the Compaq iPAQ include a microphone and a speaker as well as an audio-in jack. It features an infrared port for wireless data transfer. The Compaq iPAQ uses five buttons plus a five-way joystick. The iPAQ connects to either USB or serial ports. The iPAQ allows you to input data in your own handwriting, by soft keyboard, by voice recorder, or through inking. Both audible and visual alarms alert you when you have a scheduled event.

What sets this Pocket PC apart from similar devices on the market is its sleevelike expansion-pack system. The expansion-pack system allows you add functionality to suit your particular needs. Expansion-pack options currently include a CompactFlash pack, the ability to attach a CompactFlash card slot to your iPAQ, an executive leather and PC Card expansion pack, and a water-resistant sports pack. In the future, Compaq plans to release a global positioning system pack, so you can turn your iPAQ pocket PC into a GPS unit.

The Compaq iPAQ is sporty and small. At 5.11 by 3.28 by 0.62 inches and 6 ounces, it fits in your hand or slides into your pocket with ease. Don't let the size fool you into thinking you don't get many applications with your iPAQ. You receive a great deal of Microsoft software, such as Pocket versions of Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, and Outlook as well as the full desktop version of Outlook 2000. Compaq also has built-in utilities so that frequent actions--such as switching between tasks, adjusting volume, or changing backlighting--are only a click away.

Compaq offers a one-year warranty on parts and labor for the iPAQ.

What's in the box

• iPaQ 3630
• Two Styli
• Vinyl slipcase
• AC adapter
• Docking cradle
• Rechargeable Lithium Polymer battery
• iPaQ Expansion Pack system
• User Manual

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winner!, November 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Compaq iPAQ 3630 Color Pocket PC (Office Product)

This is one of the most innovative products on the market today. Why? Because it works exactly as advertised! I have owned one since September and have had absolutely zero problems. My IPAC worked well directly out of the box and gets daily use. I am and remain deeply impressed. I can say that I was extremely critical about this device when it first hit the streets but it is simply the best device as of date. I played with it for a day or two to become familiar with its basic operation. Although it did not come with an owner's manual, one is posted on the web page. However, it's not needed. I've heard some minor gripes such as: there is no adjustable alarms (there really is...honest!) , the recorder sound quality is poor (plug in the ear phones, there is a big difference) , the stylus jams (put it in the right way). By far, the only major drawback is the battery. I get approximately 14 hours of use, which is about a normal day for me. Then it's recharge time. I would prefer to have a local battery standby option for the times that you are not near a recharger / power supply. One expansion pack has an extra battery for card use but it transforms the device into "IPAC On Steroids" (it doubles the width). Some feel that the cost is too high. I agree to a certain extent. However, when compared to the others such as the Palm Vx, IIIc, Casio's and others, it is very competitive and beats the competition hands down. The bottom line is that this product is by far the best-engineered product for the PDA environment to date and it looks good too!

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A great product with too many problems, December 23, 2000

By 

O. Scholz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Compaq iPAQ 3630 Color Pocket PC (Office Product)

I bought the iPAQ because I wanted to upgrade from my Palm to a color screen, and the Palm color display was just terrible. Enter the iPAQ, a stylish executive gadget with a great color display, and a built-in MP3 player. Add the built-in speaker with a joypad, and this unit would be great for games too! So I ordered one, and after months of waiting, it arrived.

The first thing that struck me was that the reset door was not closing, but rattled like a rattlesnake if you moved the unit. Research on the internet showed that this was a common flaw, but it could be fixed by bending the door with a small screwdriver.

Next I found out that dust had entered the display, and due to the construction of the backlighting, dust particles shine brightly and can only be removed by fishing them out with a long hair. Apparently this too is a common problem, since Compaq forgot to seal the display of the unit, so dust can enter between the display and the touchscreen foil. Compaq does exchange the iPAQ if there is dust in the display, but the replacement unit will have the exact same problems since this is caused by an engineering flaw. So don't bother sending it in until Compaq has a real fix.

The MP3 player proved to be pretty much unusable, because the amplifier is switched off and back on between tracks, causing a deafening popping noise on the headphones. Compaq has promised a firmware update to remedy this problem, but that keeps getting postponed every two weeks, the latest announcement is sometime next year. I won't hold my breath.

Using the unit for games is also all but impossible, because the joypad/buttons are somewhat limited by the hardware design.

Don't be fooled by the metal looking case; it's really just painted plastic, and the paint comes off easily. Just slide on one of the Expansion Packs regularly and see for yourself where the scratches develop.

By now I was subscribed to a forum and found out about a myriad of other problems, including that the symbols on the buttons rub off after a few weeks of using them. Compaq thinks this is normal, so my conclusion would be: don't use them. Great. My advice to Compaq: don't print on metal unless you're certain the paint will stick! The paint on my (plastic) Palm buttons stayed on for two years, and probably will stay on for another twenty.

Would I buy it again? Yes and no. The iPAQ was a great idea, it's currently the fastest Pocket PC around, and if it didn't have the quality problems it has, I'd buy it again. But for this price I expect a unit that works as reliably as my Palm did, that I can actually use daily and not just carry around and not use it to prevent it from becoming unusable.

Unfortunately the demand is currently so great that Compaq seems to be getting away with anything, as people don't care about the problems as long as they can get their hands on an iPAQ. Personally, if I were you, I'd wait a while until either Compaq gets things done right, or the competition comes up with a similar product which doesn't have the problems the iPAQ has.

If you're waiting for the iPAQ to become available again, stop waiting and be glad you didn't spend your money on this prototype that accidentally went into production, and spend your money on something else instead.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely the Best Ever, December 27, 2000

By 

K. Chan - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Compaq iPAQ 3630 Color Pocket PC (Office Product)

I purchased the Compaq Ipaq not out of dire necessity, but mostly because of the many features it has:

One, it looks the best out of all of the PDA's. It has a sleek, futuristic, design, unlike the Jornada, for example, which is just plain black.

Two, the stylus can store inside of the body, so there is less of a chance of losing it and you don't have to carry it around separately.

Three, It has an Mp3 player, which is one of the main reasons I picked it over the Palm and Visor, in which an Mp3 expansion costs as much as the PDA itself.

Four, the writing area is retractable and there is an on-screen keyboard; the Palm and Visor don't have the keyboard, and the writing area takes up precious screen space.

Five, the processor is an Intel Strong ARM 206MHz; the other pocket PC's only have 133MHz or lower, and they're not Intel, which is the best and most reliable processor.

Six, it doubles as an E-book, you can read books on your iPaq with Microsoft Reader and download them from numerous websites, even a thesaurus and dictionary; the Palm doesn't have this feature and the Visor expansion is expensive and you can only choose from a selection of four books.

Seven, one of the most important factors in my buying the iPaq is the color screen; the resolution is the best out there, especially compared to the color Palm and Visor PDA's, which are expensive and have very low resolution. Not much of an improvement from a Game Boy.

I went through excruciating research on the other PDA's before I decided on the iPaq, visiting Casio, HP, Visor, Palm, and Compaq. The Palm and Visor I ruled out immediately after seeing the capability of the Pocket PC's. I looked at CNET, Epinions, and PDA Buzz, and went to my local Best Buy, CompUSA, and Circuit City. I saw that it got high praise from many electronics and technology magazines, such as Best of the Year from Popular Science.

It took me 2 weeks before my final decision. That was two weeks too late, into the middle of the Christmas shopping frenzy. Almost every retailer was out because of the popularity of the iPaq and on eBay, it cost around $600-$700. I finally snagged it at a Brandsmart USA, it was the last one.

A very useful feature is AvantGo, which is included. You can load your favorite web site onto your iPaq for viewing anywhere. Also, you can read the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USAToday, you can play Jeopardy from SonyStation, you can access Yahoo(with movies, news, sports, stocks, etc.), and thousands of other sites.

There are many games and lots of software that you can download for it, like Flight Simulator.

I am very happy with my iPaq, and I would suggest it to anyone. It's good for the music lover, disorganized person, businessman, etc.