Hewlett Packard IPAQ h3630 Pocket PC

Just a quick background before I get into the positives and negatives of the Compaq IPaq 3630. I bought the unit from Circuit City right around the time it came out (August 2000) at the MSRP. I guess I was pretty lucky at the time, because myself and two coworkers all managed to pick it up at the same time. This is back when the IPaq was not in-stock anywhere, but we happened to catch the delivery truck at the right time.


SPECS

Processor
206 MHz Intel? Strong ARM 32-bit Processor

Memory
32 MB RAM
16 MB ROM

Display
Color reflective TFT liquid crystal display for indoor and outdoor viewing (4,086 colors)
Touch Screen: Yes
Resolution: 240 x 320
Pixel Pitch: 0.24 mm
Viewable Image: 2.26"wide x 3.02" tall
Light: 5 settings include automatic, low, medium, high and super brightness


POSITIVES
First the things I like about this Pocket PC ...

Intel StrongARM 206MHz Processor
This processor is just plain fast at 206MHz, which is 70MHz faster than what's offered with the HP Jornada and the Cassio Cassiopeia. I played around with my IPaq and my friend's Jornada, and the difference in speed is definitely noticeable when opening applications and popping up menus. (Side Note: My friend that owned the Jornada actually returned it and ended up buying an IPaq.) When I first bought the IPaq (August 2000), many of the programs I wanted to use were not compatible with the processor, but that seems to be less of a problem now.

32MB of RAM
Most of you probably know that Microsoft products tend to be resource-hungry, and Windows CE doesn't seem to be any different. The 32MB of RAM is another definite plus, especially when you consider the Jornada and Cassiopeia offer only 16MB of RAM in the same price range (at least that was the case when I purchased my IPaq). Bottom line: more memory is always good.

Bright Display
I don't know much about displays, but the screen is definitely bright and there are more than enough colors displayed for my purposes. I believe the exact number is 4,096 colors, which is less color depth than the Cassiopeia, but they both have the same screen resolution (and just about everything else about the IPaq is better). If you have actually seen the IPaq in-person, you'll notice that the screen is incredibly bright from all angles, because instead of being backlit it has small lights around the edge that reflect off the screen (the benefit is especially noticeable in direct sunlight). Another nice feature of the display is that a light sensor can automatically adjust the brightness.

QMenu Button
Windows CE is supposed to shut down applications as necessary to free up memory, but that does not seem to always work. The QMenu button allows you to shut down applications yourself, in addition to providing you quick access to what basically amounts to the control panel (display, sound, power, etc).

Coolness Factor
The IPaq just plain looks cool! (It would be nice if the case it came with was cooler looking though; an integrated cover like the Jornada has would be nice.)


NEGATIVES
What annoys me about my $500 purchase ...

Build Quality
My biggest complaint about the IPaq is the build quality. When I first got the IPaq, a coworker came over to look at it, and the first words out of his mouth were, "I see you bought some Com-crap." Now I expected there to be some problems since I purchased it almost immediately after it came out, but I expected a little (a lot) more quality from something I paid $500 for! Amongst the problems I had were dust getting under the screen (the bright display made them all the more visible), the stylus not staying in the holder (more than one stylus ended up on the subway tracks), and the main power switch door refusing to stay closed (any small movement would open or close the door). To Compaq's credit, I called there customer service to complain, and overnight a pre-paid package was sent to me to ship back my IPaq and get all these problems repaired with a turnaround time of less than a week. Also, I believe a lot of the problems I had were not present with future units that were built.

Short Battery Life
The IPaq uses a lithium-polymer rechargeable battery (which I have no idea how to replace if it goes dead). Battery life is supposed to be 12 hours in-between charges, but I have found it to be significantly less (more like 4-6 hours for my typical usage). I found that out the hard way when my battery died and I had to reinstall everything. I guess that taught me to back things up.

Expansion Packs
In theory, the idea of slide-on sleeves being used for expansion of the unit is a great idea. The first purchase I made for my IPaq was to buy the CF expansion pack so that I could buy some CF memory cards and start listening to MP3s on my IPaq. The problem with this is that the expansion pack practically doubles the size of the unit, making it almost impossible to fit into the manufacturer's carrying case (my friend managed to stretch it out enough to squeeze everything in, but not without significant effort and few of the seams in the case looking like they're about to come apart). I don't have the PC Card expansion pack yet, but that seems like it's even bigger than the CF expansion pack. You can always buy a new carrying case for your IPaq if you want to use the expansion packs, just keep in mind that the unit is significantly bigger with them on.


SUMMARY

If you want a Pocket PC, this is the one to get. It has a fast processor, more memory than it's comparitively priced competitors, and the sleekest looks. The real question though is whether you really need one. In hindsight, for my purposes, I probably would have been better served to just buy a Palm, because I only really use my IPaq to keep track of tasks and appointments, plus the occassional game of Pac-Man (yes, I know, to some that might be worth it alone). Just keep in mind the price and decide whether you'll really get that much value out of it.