boss is going to get me and himself and ipaq... now.. which one should i get? are there any design changes between the models, or is it just more memory?

also, are there any alternatives to ipaqs? preferably non-palm software, unless its really good/better. thanks

are there any alternatives to ipaqs?

One of my coworkers has the Toshiba e310. If it had 64MB, I would trade my iPaq for it. Very thin.

Yep, plenty of iPaq handheld clones out there. The origional iPaq design was so good, MS practicially said it's now the standard for any Pocket PC 2002 device. Head to a local store like Best Buy, they should have several on display.

The 3600 series is what started it all. These all ran PocketPC 2000, and usually can't be found any more. 32 and 64 meg versions existed

3700 series simply was the PocketPC 2002 versions of the above. 32 and 64 meg versions here as well.

3800 series adds a high color(64k) screen (over the 4096 color screens on older units), and a SD media slot. Plus a redesign of the front (black area at the top with the speaker, new cradle plug, but still works with all the expansion sleeves.) It also has a longer lasting battery, and one model has Bluetooth built in. All had 64 mb RAM.

3900 series adds a brigher screen, even longer lasting battery, a ton of ROM space for future OS upgrades (it can be used now for storage), and an Intel XScale CPU running at 400 (the older iPaqs used a 206mHz Arm). Preformance on these with the current Pocket PC 2002 is not worth the extra price of the XScale chip. But, with the ROM capacity and upgradibility, it shouldn't hold you off completly from considering one.

Oh, and the 3100 series is copies of the 3600 with a greyscale screen. Made mainly for the European market when the Color LCD scare was going on.

Do iPaq's still have to be weighed on truck scales? The weight/form factor was the one thing keeping me from jumping on an iPaq 36xx. I already made one mistake with my Casiopeia E-100.

Whatever you buy, most of the physical stores i.e. Staples, Best Buy, will match internet prices. This allows you to get the price of an internet site and still get the unit the same day you buy it.

Specs from the 3900 series:
Dimensions (HxWxD) 5.3 x 3.3 x 0.62 in (133mm x 84mm x 16mm)
Weight 6.7 oz. (190 grams)

And the 3600 specs were:
Dimensions (HxWxD) 5.11 x 3.28 x 0.62 in (12.99 x 8.33 x 1.57 cm
130 x 83.5 tapering to 77.5 x 15.9 mm)
Weight 6.3 oz (178.6 g)

I have to comment on the 3900 series. From the reviews I've read, the new XScale processor actually runs the OS SLOWER than the Strong Arm.

Reviewers are using "Intel" and "egg on face" in the same sentence. This matches with Win "CE" programmers having trouble getting their OS to run on the new processor.

My guess is the compiler team at Intel flubbed it. In any event the 9700 is good if you think you'll need the extra ROM (about 50% increase over the 3800) and if you want a MUCH better screen. I've compared the 3800 and 3900 @ Fry's the 3900's screen really looks much better. The only reason I don't buy it is the thing still isn't powerful enough to do 'speach to text'.

I'm not connected with them in anyway but Pocket PC Techs do upgrades for the Toshiba e310. I'm sending in my old iPaq 3630 to have a new battery put in and a memory upgrade as I accidently killed battery.

You can get a 64MB or 128MB upgrade for the e310 here. Isn't cheap though...

- Trevor

That link is VERY interesting. 128MB would be killer for my GPS, but my receiver is specifically for the iPAQ. I wonder if there are receivers out for the e310 yet?

I forgot. I recenlty ran into a friend of mine. I noticed he wasn't using his palm V, or ANY PDA. He's a programmer, has a server room in house etc.. real tech junky.

When I asked him why he wasn't using it anymore he said "One digital device at a time man..". He's making due with the organizer in his cel phone. Among the productive, wisdom seems to be going from the dilbert 'toolbelt' mentality to the Dick Tracy 'if it's not in my watch, I don't need it' state of mind.

I'm not willing to compromise functionality, so I keep using my Palm V. But if you're looking for some thing, an alternative to all of these try the nokia 9200 I played with one @ Compusa. It's pretty nice. I was able to get typing speeds almost up to my current Grafitti writing speed. I'm sure with practice one could go even faster.

Any comments on Treo? That was supposed to combine organizer and phone, but I haven't really met anyone using it...

Armin

Cingular just started pushing the Treo 270, color with keypad instead of grafitti. Cnet liked it but Handspring has a bad reputation for screen quality.... I've owned two, so I'm not just picking on them. The problem is everyone can get you one, they just don't stock them. So you have to commit to a 5 to 6 hundred dollar purchase without getting to kick the tires. Too many if's for me...

I have the e310. It's a great machine and the only PocketPC that I feel is worth buying. See this post for my feelings about PDA size and you'll understand why I say that. The e310 is the first PocketPC to reach Palm V form factor and has decent battery life.

But, AFAIK, there is no GPS that will work with it. I had a Navman sleeve for my iPaq that I liked. It's possible that there will never be a GPS that works with the e310 because I'm not sure it's sync port can be used as a generic serial port. There was some debate on this at BrightHand but I don't remember the conclusion.

-Dylan

On the GPS serial thing. I heard on TechTV of all places that there was some spec just passed to use the SD interface for devices other than memory cards. Maybe GPS could eventually plug in there?

Don't see why not. Palm have made a Bluetooth SD card. It does stick out of the slot a little but it's really thin and doesn't have any bulges.

I still prefer CF because it's more flexible but the size is a disadvantage.

- Trevor

Heretics! Sharp Zaurus....Let fly the penguins.

Speaking of Zaurus... There were some cool pics on the Akiba PC Hotline today:

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/akiba/hotline/20020810/etc_linuxzaurus.html

Only the 3900 series iPaq supports "SDIO" or Secure Digital Input Output devices like the Bluetooth adaptor seen on some Palm models. The 3800 has just a SD/MMC memory slot.

Ohhh. Didn't know there was a difference... Always thought they were the same thing.

- Trevor

In reply to:

---

I heard on TechTV of all places that there was some spec just passed to use the SD interface for devices other than memory cards. Maybe GPS could eventually plug in there?

---

Yes, it's called SDIO and the new Toshiba devices support it but I don't think the iPaq 3800's do. I've been debating getting the SD Bluetooth card and a Bluetooth phone for wireless internet browsing.

You're right that it's possible a GPS SD card will be made some day. SD is gaining momentum and I think we'll see a lot of new proudcts for it. CF is certainly the most flexible today but every millimeter matters on these devices and no one has been able to get a CF slot on a device with a Palm V form factor.

-Dylan

Since this seems pretty hot, I figured I'd post in this thread.

The Toshiba e310 can be had at Amazon for $249 after mail in rebates. Plus, it seems you can also take adavntage of a free $50 Amazon gift certificate. PLUS, there is a promo code on the Amazon page for a free 32MB SD card with purchase. This is a killer deal. One of the rebates ends tomorrow. I am thinking about buying this.

Hello gents,

Sorry to Hijack this thread but, can someone tell me wether WindowsCE and PocketPC are the same thing? Or is it a case of PocketPC running on top of CE? If someone can explain the link I would be most gratefull.
If the answer is positive then I might be able to screw an IPAC out of my boss for a little 'project'...

From Microsoft's website...
[snip]
Pocket PC vs. Handheld PC
This is a question that often crops up: What is the difference between the Pocket PC and the Handheld PC? The answer is relatively simple: the Handheld PC comes with a keyboard and half- (320 x 480) or full-size (640 x 480) video graphics adaptor (VGA) screen, similar to a mini-notebook computer. The Pocket PC has a quarter-size VGA screen (240 x 320), and accepts input by stylus entry.

Windows CE vs. Pocket PC
This is probably one of the most common questions that appears in various discussion forums about the Pocket PC: What is the difference between Windows CE and the Pocket PC?
Well, the Pocket PC is a device that runs Windows CE 3.0. It includes numerous additional programs, such as Inbox, Notes, Money, and Tasks, as well as a new graphical user interface (GUI) better designed for the quarter-size VGA screen. Windows CE is an operating system that can be custom compiled using the Platform Builder to work on a number of platforms by developers, including custom machinery control systems.

The term “Windows for Pocket PC” refers to the software on the device, whereas the term “Windows Powered Pocket PC” refers to the actual device running the Windows for Pocket PC software.
[/snip]

If I understand correctly a Pocket PC device is uniquely contructed to work with a set of standard tools and drivers built on top CE 3.0. Devices that are constructed differently won't run Pocket PC software.