Compare Prices on Hewlett-Packard 170294-002
This is one of the most innovative products on the market today. Why? Because it works exactly as advertised! I have owned one since September and have had absolutely zero problems. My IPAC worked well directly out of the box and gets daily consume. I am and remain deeply impressed. I can say that I was extremely notable about this contrivance when it first hit the streets but it is simply the best map as of date. I played with it for a day or two to become familiar with its basic operation. Although it did not near with an owner's manual, one is posted on the web page. However, it's not needed. I've heard some minor gripes such as: there is no adjustable alarms (there really is...unbiased!) , the recorder sound quality is awful (gallop in the ear phones, there is a large incompatibility) , the stylus jams (set aside it in the proper arrangement) . By far, the only major drawback is the battery. I acquire approximately 14 hours of exhaust, which is about a normal day for me. Then it's recharge time. I would consume to have a local battery standby option for the times that you are not advance a recharger / power supply. One expansion pack has an extra battery for card utilize but it transforms the arrangement into "IPAC On Steroids" (it doubles the width) . Some feel that the cost is too high. I agree to a determined extent. However, when compared to the others such as the Palm Vx, IIIc, Casio's and others, it is very competitive and beats the competition hands down. The bottom line is that this product is by far the best-engineered product for the PDA environment to date and it looks marvelous too!
I bought the iPAQ because I wanted to upgrade from my Palm to a color conceal, and the Palm color demonstrate was unbiased unpleasant. Enter the iPAQ, a stylish executive gadget with a broad color prove, and a built-in MP3 player. Add the built-in speaker with a joypad, and this unit would be big for games too! So I ordered one, and after months of waiting, it arrived.
The first thing that struck me was that the reset door was not closing, but rattled like a rattlesnake if you moved the unit. Research on the internet showed that this was a celebrated flaw, but it could be fixed by bending the door with a runt screwdriver.
Next I found out that dust had entered the present, and due to the construction of the backlighting, dust particles shine brightly and can only be removed by fishing them out with a long hair. Apparently this too is a accepted dilemma, since Compaq forgot to seal the exhibit of the unit, so dust can enter between the present and the touchscreen foil. Compaq does exchange the iPAQ if there is dust in the prove, but the replacement unit will have the right same problems since this is caused by an engineering flaw. So don't bother sending it in until Compaq has a right fix.
The MP3 player proved to be shapely mighty unusable, because the amplifier is switched off and support on between tracks, causing a deafening popping noise on the headphones. Compaq has promised a firmware update to remedy this jam, but that keeps getting postponed every two weeks, the latest announcement is sometime next year. I won't bear my breath.
Using the unit for games is also all but impossible, because the joypad/buttons are somewhat exiguous by the hardware execute.
Don't be fooled by the metal looking case; it's really impartial painted plastic, and the paint comes off easily. Objective skedaddle on one of the Expansion Packs regularly and gawk for yourself where the scratches manufacture.
By now I was subscribed to a forum and found out about a myriad of other problems, including that the symbols on the buttons rub off after a few weeks of using them. Compaq thinks this is normal, so my conclusion would be: don't spend them. Tremendous. My advice to Compaq: don't print on metal unless you're distinct the paint will stick! The paint on my (plastic) Palm buttons stayed on for two years, and probably will pause on for another twenty.
Would I capture it again? Yes and no. The iPAQ was a sizable belief, it's currently the fastest Pocket PC around, and if it didn't have the quality problems it has, I'd capture it again. But for this imprint I query a unit that works as reliably as my Palm did, that I can actually utilize daily and not objective carry around and not spend it to prevent it from becoming unusable.
Unfortunately the put a question to is currently so gigantic that Compaq seems to be getting away with anything, as people don't care about the problems as long as they can procure their hands on an iPAQ. Personally, if I were you, I'd wait a while until either Compaq gets things done proper, or the competition comes up with a similar product which doesn't have the problems the iPAQ has.
If you're waiting for the iPAQ to become available again, conclude waiting and be happy you didn't use your money on this prototype that accidentally went into production, and consume your money on something else instead.
I purchased the Compaq Ipaq not out of dire necessity, but mostly because of the many features it has:
One, it looks the best out of all of the PDA's. It has a sleek, futuristic, fabricate, unlike the Jornada, for example, which is objective uninteresting sunless.
Two, the stylus can store inside of the body, so there is less of a chance of losing it and you don't have to carry it around separately.
Three, It has an Mp3 player, which is one of the main reasons I picked it over the Palm and Visor, in which an Mp3 expansion costs as distinguished as the PDA itself.
Four, the writing status is retractable and there is an on-screen keyboard; the Palm and Visor don't have the keyboard, and the writing state takes up precious veil area.
Five, the processor is an Intel Strong ARM 206MHz; the other pocket PC's only have 133MHz or lower, and they're not Intel, which is the best and most sterling processor.
Six, it doubles as an E-book, you can read books on your iPaq with Microsoft Reader and download them from numerous websites, even a thesaurus and dictionary; the Palm doesn't have this feature and the Visor expansion is expensive and you can only resolve from a selection of four books.
Seven, one of the most necessary factors in my buying the iPaq is the color screen; the resolution is the best out there, especially compared to the color Palm and Visor PDA's, which are expensive and have very extreme resolution. Not considerable of an improvement from a Game Boy.
I went through excruciating research on the other PDA's before I decided on the iPaq, visiting Casio, HP, Visor, Palm, and Compaq. The Palm and Visor I ruled out immediately after seeing the capability of the Pocket PC's. I looked at CNET, Epinions, and PDA Buzz, and went to my local Best Lift, CompUSA, and Circuit City. I saw that it got high praise from many electronics and technology magazines, such as Best of the Year from Celebrated Science.
It took me 2 weeks before my final decision. That was two weeks too slack, into the middle of the Christmas shopping frenzy. Almost every retailer was out because of the popularity of the iPaq and on eBay, it cost around $600-$700. I finally snagged it at a Brandsmart USA, it was the last one.
A very useful feature is AvantGo, which is included. You can load your common web residence onto your iPaq for viewing anywhere. Also, you can read the Wall Street Journal, the Original York Times, USAToday, you can play Jeopardy from SonyStation, you can access Yahoo(with movies, news, sports, stocks, etc.), and thousands of other sites.
There are many games and lots of software that you can download for it, like Flight Simulator.
I am very gratified with my iPaq, and I would suggest it to anyone. It's beneficial for the music lover, disorganized person, businessman, etc.
