Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC (Compaq iPaq Pocket PC H3630)

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Product:	Compaq iPaq Pocket PC H3630
Date:	23/05/01 (347 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: can use in direct sunlight, loads of uses, looks amazing

Disadvantages: not the best expansion, a bit on the expensive side

Key Features: 240x320 touch-sensitive colour LCD, 206MHz 32-Bit Intel StrongARM processor, 32Mb RAM (expandable via Compact Flash), 16Mb ROM, Microsoft Windows for Pocket PC, handwriting recognition (with predictive text), voice memo, IR port, USB connection/docking cradle, Software: Pocket Word, Excel, Outlook, Money, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Reader (with ClearType), Windows Media Player

Everybody's talking about Compaq's new Pocket PC, and T3 can't keep its hands off this latest Windows-fuelled PDA
Beam me up Scottie! And all that Star Trek malarky, cos Compaq's iPAQ looks like something straight off the pages of Captain Kirk's Log. Slim and futuristically metallic, this new e-organiser is the latest handheld to feature Microsoft's rebranded WinCE operating system, which is fine by us. Now dubbed 'Windows for Pocket PC', this Gates-ware can run familiar Windows applications such as Word, Excel and Internet Explorer.
Admittedly, these are stripped down versions of the PC originals. But they help transform the iPAQ from a full-colour info tablet into a versatile mobile office and multimedia companion.
If the previous best-of-Pocket-PC-breed was Hewlett Packard's Jornada ),then the iPAQ is better in almost every way. Where Windows-based PDAs used to lag
the powerful simplicity of their Palm counterparts, things have changed dramatically. Everything that Palm used to get right - size, flexibility, handwriting recognition, third-party software support - the Pocket PC now matches with a smug grin. Admittedly, the Windows OS is still unnecessarily complicated, a hereditary complaint passed on from the desktop original. But once you get used to its knotty structure, you find that you have a
system that can do so J H much more than calendaring and contacts management. Why fritter away 32Mb of memory on names and addresses when it can also be used for electronic books, MP3 files or games?
The design
retains the familiar, quick-launch application buttons and 240x320 pixel touch-sensitive, colour LCD but also features a unique, gamepad-style cursor pad, with eight-directional control plus an integrated loudspeaker. On top, you'll find a headphones jack, stylus slot and an IR port for wireless data connections. On the bottom, Compaq has replaced a Compact Flash slot with its own expansion interface. Additional CF or PCMCIA power, therefore, comes wired into plastic 'jackets' (optional) which can be slipped over the iPAQ's silver shell. These jackets give extra functionality but add significantly to the PDA's size and weight.
On the inside, the iPAQ's multiple talents are powered by a 206MHz, 32-bit Intel StrongARM processor - considerably speedier than the 133MHz chip that drives HP's Jornada Pocket PC. Fire up any of the core apps (stored on an internal 16Mb ROM) and the difference is astonishing. The 'pocket' versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Money, Outlook and Internet Explorer are all slicker and quicker, providing familiar PC-style functionality. The speed-boost is really noticeable in the weightier programs. Picture Viewer, for example, enables you to display full-colour JPEG images, and PVsplash provides support for streaming video. Lastly, the Microsoft Reader can effortlessly display e-books, while the Windows Media Player is capable of MP3, WMA and .WAV file playback. True, the internal speaker isn't up to much, but that's why the
iPAQ has a headphones socket.
Bar the strange, jacket-based expansion system, the iPAQ is a joy to use. Interfacing the device with your PC is idiot-proof, achieved via a high-speed USB connection and a docking cradle. Meanwhile, software transfer and info-synchronisation is managed by Microsoft's own ActiveSync program. In this way, you can transfer e-texts to read on the move, or pipe music files across to transform the iPAQ into a basic MP3 player. A number of g
ames are also available (including Golf and Pac-Man), while third-party software can be downloaded to add WAP support to the PDA's existing Net skills. With all this choice, 32Mb of memory doesn't seem enough.
Despite the complexities of the Windows OS, the iPAQ provides a classy mobile computing option. It's a dramatic improvement over the clunky WinCE handhelds of old - from the eight-hour battery life to the wide range of Windows-compatible programs. What ultimately impresses you about the iPAQ, however, is the detail. This H3650 model, for example, features a light sensor that can adjust the LCD brightness according to how much natural light there is, and a voice memo facility with one-touch recording. Finally, a word about the intuitive handwriting recognition software. This is not only quick and incredibly easy to use (with a text prediction function) it's also surprisingly accurate, providing an excellent and natural way to enter information.
The iPAQ definitely turns heads with its powerful functionality and silvery good looks. It's arguably the best Pocket PC currently available, despite the fact that the expansion casings give it the electronic equivalent of a fat, blubbery ass. Once so boosted, it's not exactly pocket-friendly, and there are cling-ons on the starboard bow. Your alternatives are either to buy a new Palm PDA, Sony's planned handheld, or to wait for something more futuristic such as Mitsubishi's Trium Mondo - a next-gen super-gadget that's half Windows-powered e-organiser, half-GSM/GPRS mobile phone. With one eye on the future, even this brand new Pocket PC can start to seem a little two-dimensional.
On the inside, the iPAQ's multiple talents are powered by a 206MHz, 32-bit Intel StrongARM processor - considerably speedier than the 133MHz chip that drives HP's Jornada Pocket PC. Fire up any of the core apps (stored on an internal 16Mb ROM) and the difference is astonishing. The '
pocket' versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, Money, Outlook and Internet Explorer are all slicker and quicker, providing familiar PC-style functionality. The speed-boost is really noticeable in the weightier programs. Picture Viewer, for example, enables you to display full-colour JPEG images, and PVsplash provides support for streaming video. Lastly, the Microsoft Reader can effortlessly display e-books, while the Windows Media Player is capable of MP3, WMA and .WAV file playback. True, the internal speaker isn't up to much, but that's why the
iPAQ has a headphones socket.
Bar the strange, jacket-based expansion system, the iPAQ is a joy to use. Interfacing the device with your PC is idiot-proof, achieved via a high-speed USB connection and a docking cradle. Meanwhile, software transfer and info-synchronisation is managed by Microsoft's own ActiveSync program. In this way, you can transfer e-texts to read on the move, or pipe music files across to transform the iPAQ into a basic MP3 player. A number of games are also available (including Golf and Pac-Man), while third-party software can be downloaded to add WAP support to the PDA's existing Net skills. With all this choice, 32Mb of memory doesn't seem enough.
Despite the complexities of the Windows OS, the iPAQ provides a classy mobile computing option. It's a dramatic improvement over the clunky WinCE handhelds of old - from the eight-hour battery life to the wide range of Windows-compatible programs. What ultimately impresses you about the iPAQ, however, is the detail. This H3650 model, for example, features a light sensor that can adjust the LCD brightness according to how much natural light there is, and a voice memo facility with one-touch recording. Finally, a word about the intuitive handwriting recognition software. This is not only quick and incredibly easy to use (with a text prediction function) it's also surprisingly accurate, providing an excellent and natura
l way to enter information.
The iPAQ definitely turns heads with its powerful functionality and silvery good looks. It's arguably the best Pocket PC currently available, despite the fact that the expansion casings give it the electronic equivalent of a fat, blubbery ass. Once so boosted, it's not exactly pocket-friendly, and there are cling-ons on the starboard bow. Your alternatives are either to buy a new Palm PDA, Sony's planned handheld, or to wait for something more futuristic such as Mitsubishi's Trium Mondo - a next-gen super-gadget that's half Windows-powered e-organiser, half-GSM/GPRS mobile phone. With one eye on the future, even this brand new Pocket PC can start to seem a little two-dimensional.

Summary: