Customer Reviews

HP iPAQ 4355 Pocket PC

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have owned almost every iPaq made to date plus a few other brands and without a doubt, the 4355 is the best by far. Yes it is a bit bigger then most of the other iPaq's, but I do not have a problem with that as it fits so well into my hand and just "feels right" A 1560 mAh battery comes standard with the unit which is about 500 mAh more then most PDA's resulting in a good 3-4 days usage before recharging. I spent once over two hours on WiFi at a local Starbucks and the battery was still going stronge. The WiFi setup could not be simpler, just turn on the unit, select WiFi ON and it has a "snooper" built in and will find the Wifi, add all the correct addressing information and you just connect right away. Takes no more then 10 seconds to handle this. The BlueTooth works perfectly on my HP printer at up to about 30 ft and the other nice thing I found is that the Logitech Bluetooth Keyboard has a universal Bluetooth transmitter/receiver and and I could hook into this with ease for ActiveSync. Along with that, I purchased a 512 MB SD card, a beautiful leather case by the company Piel (www.ipaqcases.com) and with those options I am all set. I find I actually use the keyboard alot and its very neat as its got a "Timex Indaglo" color blue backlight for the keyboard which is very handy.
I use the unit for alot of large JPG pictures and they look stunning on the display and also maps created by MapPoint 2004 for Pocket Streets and its amazing ow fast this unit will open even a very large map (17 MB) The screen can be read outside in bright sunlite (well as bright as it gets here in Seattle) which I cannot say for many other PDA's. The programs just "snap open" (e no waiting and rare to see the hourglass symbol) This PDA does of course run the latest PPC software which is called Pocket PC 2003 Premium. Only bad thing, but this is the custom tese days with PDA's is no manual (partial one on the CD) So if you are new to Pocket PC's I would get something "Everything you have always wanted to go with your iPaq" by Frank McPherson. Also its neat as the battery charger unit with the built in USB 2.0 Interface (will run USB 1 also) has a second slot for an extra battery if you want. This kind of option it usually not available or if it is, sells for a rather high price. IF you do not think you will use the keyboard that is built in, there always is basically the same model without the keyboard and that is the iPaq 4155. But this unit does come with a smaller battery (1000 maH I beleive) and I really like the long life of the one that comes with the 4355. Usually I can also find a good number of things I don't like, but not in this model ! A clear winner in the PDA world !
Tedd Riggs
Redmond,WA
T_Riggs@msn.com

Short and Sweet:
Pros:
- WIFI (b)- probably the best feature of this PDA is its ability to connect to the internet wirelessly through WIFI. Some other PDA's offer the ability to connect solely through bluetooth, which is a VERY limiting option for connectivity. With WIFI you can connect to your home network, thousands of commercial hotspots or the many, many open access wireless spots around the nation. For example: many hotels now offer WIFI access and now you can easily surf the web or check your email through your PDA while you are travelling AND its much easier to travel with than a laptop if all you really use your laptop for is email. (I don't recommend using the PDA for extended web surfing since most webpages are not formated for PDA screens).
-BLUETOOTH- but wait! there is a second option for you and that is bluetooth. Bluetooth is great for syncing with your laptop, computer, phone, etc. wirelessly. No more USB cables to sync your schedule and address book or even transfer files (although large files such as mp3's(music) should use WIFI or USB to transfer since Bluetooth is a bit slower, but it is easier to configure). You can also use Bluetooth in conjunction with your bluetooth phone to get your email where WIFI isn't available. Bluetooth is also amazingly valuable when you want to exchange information such as calendars, contacts (such as your own business card) or files with other bluetooth enabled PDA's.
-KEYBOARD- I've had a PDA with the writing option and let me say, no matter how good you get (and it does take some practice), inputing text by graffiti is slower than typing with your thumbs. But still, the keyboard does need some time to get used to. My hands are average sized and I do find the keyboard very adequate for my hands.
-Tech Specs- cleary this is a top of the line PDA as far as the specs (memory, CPU speed, screen size, resolution) are concerned. Do you really need a fast PDA? I don't know about this, since it isn't like you are going to be doing photoshop on it or anything... but it is nice to know that you have a blazing fast PDA. The screen is a gem, very large compared to palms and very clear.

Cons:
-OS- the operating system is of the Windows genre, which is nice because most of us are familiar with Windows... BUT the OS is not very user friendly to PocketPC novices. Be prepared for some headaches when using some of the functions if you have little experience with PocketPC's.
-Size- really I expected the size to be bigger, but actually its quite small enough for me (and certainly not heavy). On the other hand it is a lot bigger than many other PDA's and might be a concern for you. I'd suggest taking a look at it in real life before buying it online just to be sure you can live with the larger size.
-PRICE- This baby is expensive. If you just want to use your PDA for elementary tasks or you don't forsee yourself using the PDA daily or you just don't need all of the features... then certainly you can get by with a much cheaper PDA. If the PDA you are going to buy is going to be equivalent to your left arm, then by all means the price of this PDA is worth it.
-CRADLE- this is the contraption where the PDA docks. I found the cradle connection where the PDA plugs into it to be a little iffy. The PDA really doesn't slide into place well and quite frankly it scares me that I will break something off when I insert the PDA a little crooked. On the plus side though, the cradle does have a nice second slot to charge an extra battery at the same time you charge the PDA,
-BATTERY LIFE- Nice bright screen, fast processor, WIFI, BLUETOOTH= battery hog. In my experience if I use it just to get schedule appointments and check an occasional emai, the PDA will last me about 2-3 days. If I use it as an mp3 player and to surf the web, sync via bluetooth and compose long emails. The PDA will last a max of 2 days before I need to charge it again. Still, simple measures such as turning off WIFI and bluetooth when not in use will greatly extend battery usage. And really as long as you park the PDA into the cradle every night, battery life isn't an issue.
-NO CAMERA- okay, this really isn't an issue with me, but I just want to put it out there for people that might not have noticed. Many PDA's (especially PDA's that cost over $200) offer low resoltion cameras as a fun gimmick and this might be the selling point for you. So take heed, you do not get a fun gimmicky camera with this PDA.

Summary: Great PDA, but unless you are rich, it is a little pricey. I would definitely consider this if you are a business person or you need to keep connected constantly, but I would strongly suggest you look at other cheaper PDA's if this is not the case. Also great if you refuse to learn graffiti or you need to input text longer than a sentence or two.

I was nervous about switching over to PocketPC from palm, and that I would lose my information,programs, capabilities... But boy was I wrong! The transition was as easy as pie!

This unit blows away the competition with features. I needed something with a built in keyboard (this one has a blue backlight so you can type in the dark!), I can't be bothered with online writing utilities (which this one also has, if needed for some reason). The keyboard is one of the most comfortable I have been able to type with my actual fingers (unlike the CLIE's finger-nail type keyboard).

Of course it has WiFi and Bluetooth, is fully multimedia compatible. What really blew me away was the amount of software that it comes with. While Palm boasts a large software library, you have to purchase each program seperately, and it gets expensive! Palm comes with the bare minimums installed - to sync with outlook you have to purchase software, for example. This PDA acts exactly like your Windows Based PC. Want to sync with Outlook? Go online? Look at a Flash document? It's all there! It really is foolproof.

The store that I tested this out in had wireless internet running through it. This device was FAST, and had no problems connecting to every website that I tested it out on. Since purchasing it, I've found it picks up signals really well. I've been able to drive around and jump on wireless networks in my town, even at the beach! Last night I streamed a radio station from England while at the beach. If that's not cool, I don't know what is!

I have not been able to find a more comfortable thumbpad keyboard on a PDA device with more features, or a better value than this one! If you're in the market for a new PDA, I'd buy this if I were you!

This is a pretty cool PDA. I got it for my third year of medical school and I haven't been disappointed. It's lightning fast, and the OS seems pretty stable. The only thing I'd do differently is not place as much importance on having a physical keyboard. I initially thought that the keyboard would be a great plus, but I rarely use it. For the times I do use it (typing passwords on web forms when I don't trust my scribbling), I could easily use the pop-up screen keyboard.

Another issue, which has been raised here before, is its wireless capabilities. The thing only supports the older WEP authentication, and not the newer WPA (which is more secure). I had set up my home network with WPA, but I had to downgrade it to WEP to use the iPAQ. This is annoying, not to mention puzzling. I mean, it's 2004 and they still haven't implemented 802.11g?

I guess this is partly the fault of the OS, which superficially resembles Windows XP. A problem I've had with the OS is that when you hit the `x' in the upper right of the window (x=close, one would think), it only minimizes the program (it seems to stay on in memory and you have to shut it down in memory). This is retarded. A minus sign would be a more accurate representation.

A word about HP support. Their online knowledgebase is almost useless (I was searching to see if the iPAQ had 802.11g support), and no matter what you do, don't use their online chat support. The chat tech support guy I had was completely clueless, took 5 minutes to answer each message I sent, and didn't even bother acknowledging his ignorance. He just sent me a word document and told me to read it. The only thing he was good for was giving me the HP supprt phone number (which was wrong, but they automatically transferred me). Get their phone number (it's supposedly hidden deep somewhere) and call them. The phone tech support guy I talked to (after a long wait) was professional, helpful, polite, and knowledgeable.

Finally, if anyone else is using this for medical school, note that your friends will probably have Palms. They'll be beaming their cool programs to each other (for free), while you stand idly by with your incompatible iPAQ. On the other hand, our school has moved their records electronic, and they've chosen iPAQs. Take a look at what your colleagues and schools are using before you spend the big bucks.

I have had my 4355 for approximately a month now, and I am blown away by it's set of features.It literally has everything one could want from a handheld. The built in WiFi effortlessly recognized our home network, I bought a BT GPS receiver on ebay, which gives me wireless GPS navigation, while leaving the SD slot free for my memory cards.
I, personally love the keyboard. I have never been a fan of handwriting recognition, and I have larger than average hands, so the size is actually perfect for me. While it's a bit longer because of the keyboard (1 inch longer than the 4150), the device itself is very thin. My girlfriend bought the 4150, which aside from the keyboard, and a slightly smaller battery has the same features.
Battery life is better than average, although like every other device, heavy WiFi use drains it pretty quickly. Simply buying an additional battery for emergencies would suffice for just about anyone's usage.
The keyboard is a good size, making thumb typing very easy. If it has a drawback, it's that there aren't stand alone number keys, so typing alot of numbers is a bit of a hassle at times. But that's really nitpicking. Overall, I can't really find anything not to like about this handheld. Except the terrible case that HP gives you with it. I'm still waiting for others to hit the stores so I can replace it.

We had the product and really loved it for 30 days...then for no reason, (we didn't drop it or bang it) the screen got a crack in it...Since we were still under warranty called HP...sorry the screen isn't covered. They wanted 175 dollars to fix it...it then took them over a month to send the box that we were to ship it in...then because it took so long...Oooops the price for the repair went up to $199. We will never buy another HP product again...

I bought a 4355 and the hardware seems OK, but the software, alhtough functional has some rough edges. HP support seems to end 90 days after it is shipped from HP, therefore, HP claims my software warranty ran out two weeks after I bought the 4355. They insist that it will cost $34.95 per incident of software support. A really sterling service plan, first they outsource all of their tech support to India to save money, then they charge $34.95 per incident to support the software.

Chances are, I will return the device and take HP off my wish list.

This model has a number of problems.

- Size: This unit isn't very portable -- it's pretty big, in fact. The keyboard makes data entry easier, but I'd rather have something smaller.
- Screen: Mine cracked, and to this day, I don't know why -- maybe heat? Some message boards suggested that sometimes these screens just break. They promptly replaced it for $175.
- Case: The included case is a cheap, nylon slipcover. My unit was in that very case when it cracked. If you want a case that fits it while it's on the cradle, there's only one I've found (by Bellagio). If you want something sturdy, there's an aluminum one by InnoPocket (but it won't fit on the cradle with that case on).
- WiFi: I thought this would be cool, but I have yet to find it useful (and I have a WiFi home network). Surfing the web on a pda is not fun.
- HP camera: You can buy a cam to go on top. Don't. It's bulky, and keeps the ipaq from fitting in a case, and has a dark (if high res) picture.

The best pda I've seen to date is a Sony Clie NX70V, which (sadly) they don't make any more :-(

The HP Ipaq 4355 is a great road companion. Not only is it easy to use, thanks to Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003, but also very powerful, thanks to Hewlett Packard. With this PocketPC, you are always in touch. After being accustomed to lugging around my laptop between work, school and home, I replaced them all with this PDA. It is powerful enough to do basic applications, such as powerpoint presentations, word documents and excel spreadsheets, but besides this, you are always in touch and can check email and browse the net thanks to 802.11b WiFi and bluetooth built into this pda. The mini keyboard makes it easy to type and send messages. The battery life is also fantastic, and along with a second removeable battery, you do not have to worry about running out, and even if you do, there is a backup battery that will save your information. All In all, after using this Pda for a few months, there is no way anyone can take this away, because my back is happy because I no longer have to carry a heavy laptop with me wherever I go!

It took me some time to set it up but it is really amazing and exactly what I expected of a great pda.
Share with you some tips to save your time on setup.
1.WLAN setup: extremely easy. Once you enter the main menu, click 'start' to find 'ipad wireless' in the menu. It shows you both bluetooth and wlan icons. Click 'WLAN' and then it will show you the wireless networks around, exactly the same as how to setup laptop's WLAN.
2.Install software. It bugged me for a while. I assumed I could install softwares on it directly.(This is my first pda.) In fact, we have to install activesync to the desktop first. Plug 4355 to the cradle and then connect the cradle to your desktop by USB cable. Now, install the softwares to your desktop and they are automatically installed to 4355 by ActiveSync.
3. So far, ActiveSync performs very well.
4. An extra SD memory card is a must to leverage your investment.