Electronics : Compaq iPAQ 3650 Color Pocket PC

Rating: - An actual Review
The Ipaq is a great pocket pc overall. The Good and the bad

Bad- With small amount of memory you can sometimes have a problem of certain programs not functioning properly. Since the pocket pc manages its memory automatically you cant always use your on board memory to its full advantage.

The foul part on Compaq is that you must buy accessories for example the carring case you get with it is a sleeve which is tight as hell to pull your pocket pc which means you need to buy accessories and since there is no slot to stick a memory card in you have to buy a new sleeve that allows you to put a memory card in then you got to get the card seperately which all together can run you over another 100 or more which as we know will be more. Which is funny cause you can get a real pc for the price of this.

I guess buy now your wondering what the good is:

Well if your the type like me that has a lot of appointments on a daily basis and keeps forgetting those important meetings than this is definately for you. Its great because you have many programs that interact with your pc like word and excel plus once linked to your pc you can connect through the net download and whatever which is cool. The programs that you can load are amazing like you can turn your pocket pc from a calculator to a voice command gaming system to even a remote control for any tv stero or vcr or dvd player doesnt matter.

I have found it very useful in my newly busy life and a great benefit for reminders. Battery last pretty long even with the color screen I mean if you plan on using it the whole day and plan on doing serious programs on it better bring your charger.

Later

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Rating: - Love the concept and loved the product
But after several months of owning it, I am noticing some things I don't like.

Pro's:

Pocket PC operating system is wonderful. It is just like Windows and has everything Windows has to offer in a little tiny version. I am a programmer, and love the ability to connect to databases with this product

MP3. What else do I need to say about that?? Wonderful!

Document Library: A specially designated place tos tore eBooks was a wonderful idea!

Screen: Crisp and clean. Perfect clarity, much better than the Sony's.

Con's:

Battery Life: Very short. I need to recharge fully every night and do a restore as the battery dies throughout the day.

Size: Very bulky. In today's marketplace I find it hard to believe this model cannot be more compact. Warning: This BARELY fits in the Coach mini-office.

Lack of accessories: Try to find a hardcase for this model. Yikes! Without it, your iPaq will turn on on its own, draining the battery even more.

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Rating: - Solid device
Very nice machine - I use it everyday. The software out for it is growing. I have owned this machine since Jan '02, and have had no major problems with it. I think it is better than any palm device I have ever used.

Cons:
Software - MS still has some glitches... but only once in a while (~1/month) after a sync the machine will 'freeze' and needs to be soft reset (w/no loss of data).
Also be aware of another problem other ppl have encountered with pluging in the ear phone jack to listen to music, then removing them and having no sound on the external speakers. This may have been fixed on the more recent devices.

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Rating: - Close to perfect
I had an Ipaq 3150 before this unit. That unit was a replacement for my Palm IIIXE. Each time I have changed my Handheld, it has been a step up. Now, going to the 3650 has been a giant step forward.

The color screen is great. It is well lit, easy to read. The programs that come with the unit halp me keep myself organized at home or on the road. I already used Microsoft Outlook to organize everything while at my desk. The Activesync software that comes with the Ipaq automatically found all my appointment, calendars, and contacts and put them into my Ipaq for me.

Sure, it only has 32mb of storage. But I have hundreds of contacts, 40-60 eamails per day, and I subscribe to Avantgo for offline web broiwsing and I never get near the maximum.

If I want to store some music files, I just add a 64mb Compact Flash card and I have plenty of space. That 64mb card can store about 2 and a half albums when compressed into WMA format. I use my Ipaq on planes as a music player similar to an MP3 player (Can't call it an MP3 player if I use WMA files, can I?) All I do is hook up my headphones, turn on the media player (Included with PocketPC software), and put the player in my breast pocket.

The only thing I would like to see is longer battery life. I regularly travel and after 8-10 hours of continuous use, I have to recharge it.

One accessory I would recommend....I picked up a USB Sync cable that also recharges the battery from your USB port. It's great when on the road...one cable both charges and syncs up the Ipaq...

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Rating: - Compaq ipaq - great product!
Overall, a fantastic product. I use it every day for business and personal matters. The handwriting recognition is especially useful. It would be useful if there was a pad which could be used in conjunction with it to enable bigger handwriting which would lead to even greater accuracy - hopefully, someone will develop and sell it. Battery life could be longer, however, I have no doubt that there are plenty of people working on that issue.