March 11 - March 18 2001

Great with some reserve by Alessandro Cancian Its an iPaq. Explaining to my friends and acquaintances that my little handheld was neither a Palm Pilot nor a miniaturized version of an iMac wasnt easy. That, in fact, was the more or less constant reaction I was getting from those who noticed the "thing" on my desk. But aside from this, the iPaq (3650) is a really nice-looking handheld PC from Compaq, running the latest version of Windows CE. Style is not the only ace in the hole for the small jewel by Compaq. A simple and elegant shape is matched to truly interesting power thanks to a CPU based on an impressive 206-MHz StrongARM 32-bit Intel RISC Processor. This is rounded off with a 32 MB RAM and a respectable 12-bit (4096 colour), 240x320, .24 mm dot pitch TFT display. On the software side there are more pleasant surprises: the iPaq, in fact, offers Microsoft Windows for Pocket PC (Windows CE), Active Sync 3.1, MS Calendar, Contacts (address book), Inbox (mail), Tasks (to-do list), Note Taker (memo pad), Calculator, Internet Explorer, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Pocket Money, Windows Media Player, various Compaq utilities, and Solitaire. The unit is also loaded with a Type II Compact Flash slot when its expansion jacket is on, infrared, a mic, speaker and earplug-speaker jack, and back light. The latest generation of Pocket PCs is proposing itself to the public by trying to sweep the market not as mere solo electronic diaries but as veritable multimedia containers. One of the most interesting features is the possibility of listening to MP3 files and/or some books in audio format, through the Windows Media Player. Sound quality is absolutely respectable, especially in comparison to dedicated devices, such as Rio 600, although play-list management is quite limited. In any case, it should be noted that the 32 MB RAM, perfect for running programs, does not make for high capacity when it comes to music file archival. The iPaq also allows visualization of images, a pleasant reading of electronic texts via Microsoft Reader, browsing websites, using e-mail, and also using Microsoft Word and Excel in their "pocket" version. The fully packed device comes with a USB docking cradle for connecting the handheld to a PC in order to synchronize files and recharge batteries. In summary, this is apparently a recipe for success; but there is a small problem, although the main culprit may be Windows CE. One of the most annoying things is the location of the button for voice recording, which I kept pressing accidentally every time I tried to undock the iPaq from the cradle. The installation of the device on a brand new HP Pavillion gave me some headaches, since after set-up the PC insisted in not recognizing the iPaq, and asking for the drivers for the "New Hardware Found." A subsequent installation only partially solved the situation, and every time the iPaq was docked in the cradle the computer needed several attempts for successfully recognizing the device. Anyway, after positive recognition, the smart synchronization process worked beautifully, self-activating every time I modified something. Only twice Windows CE crashed, but in one case I was specifically trying to saturate the available memory, so the failure was self-induced. The batteries of the iPaq have a rather satisfactory life if the Compaq device is used as a normal PDA. On the other hand, if one wants to exploit its multimedia capabilities, by listening to music or watching pictures, the results are less than enthusing. In my case, after less than one hour the iPaq blacked out, even deleting all the files I had downloaded. In general, the PDA is quite pleasant to use, even if it is not the user-friendliest device. I understand that the start button is a standard feature of CE as it is for all the other OS by Microsoft, but in this case some confusion can arise from it, at least initially. Handwriting recognition is good, although, like with Palm products, one needs to learn a new alphabet specifically designed for these devices. The $699 CDN iPaq, even if not for everyone, has a very good quali-ty/price ratio, especially considering that the expansion modules give the device a good range of additional functions. It remains to be seen how many will use their PDA as a multimedia player and will therefore fork out that amount of money. The available options are interesting but we shall see how fully they will be exploitable. For further information please visit www.compaq.com

 

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