Buying Ipaq 5450/55???

[bluebear]

Hello!

Given recent postings here and in pocketpcthoughts.com on several problems of new ipaq 5450/5455 (i.e., slower performance than ipaq 39xx, lower speaker volume and headphone output, wireless connection error, d-pad, some incompatibility with some software etc.), would you say ipaq 5450/55 is still a great buy? It is an expensive unit and am surprised to hear about such report. It appears that it has a lot of features that make me seriously consider buying one. But, I am holding back due to these postings. Will these so-called "bugs" be addressed by HP? Thanks for any suggestions.

[The Half-Ling]

Well...I would wait...when the bugs are fixed the unit will be the "ferarri" of pocket pc's...i would wait till WiFi and stuff are fixed...

Jake

[umichboy]

The 5450 will never be a "great buy" until its price drops some. I bought one anyway because I needed a PDA now and I like that it has integrated wireless so I don't need cards hanging out and a big CF sleeve. The bugs are bearable for me, but if you have a PPC I would wait. The price can only drop too. =)

[bluebear]

The Half-Ling and umichboy!

Thanks for your feedback! I have one quick follow-up question for you.

Does HP/Compaq usually release some kind of ROM update or fix for problems or glitches found in early batch of ipaq model like 5450? Were initial batches of 38xx or 39xx iPAQ series buggy like this? Since I am new to PocketPC world, I'd appreciate if you could share your experience.

The thing is that I have an opportunity to purchase iPAQ 5450. I like it over 39xx since it comes with Wifi, replaceable battery, vibration, microphone jack, etc. I may not use BT or fingerprint security!

Thanks for your suggestion!!

[acollet]

I just got my HP 5450 for 700... While you can buy less expensive devices for around 350.. Are those devies really less expensive ? Lets see. $350 for device... $150 for a GOOD WiFi CF Card... $100 for a Bluetooth card... $30 for Remote Control software.. possibly another $50-100 for a CF sleeve (depending on model)... All this puts you real close to the $700 price of an ipaq 5450. For me, I decided to forget aobut having all kinds of add-ons

[bucho]

I just got my HP 5450 for 700... While you can buy less expensive devices for around 350.. Are those devies really less expensive ? Lets see. $350 for device... $150 for a GOOD WiFi CF Card... $100 for a Bluetooth card... $30 for Remote Control software.. possibly another $50-100 for a CF sleeve (depending on model)...

Having all of this in one small package... priceless!

[anifong]

I just got my HP 5450 for 700... While you can buy less expensive devices for around 350.. Are those devies really less expensive ? Lets see. $350 for device... $150 for a GOOD WiFi CF Card... $100 for a Bluetooth card... $30 for Remote Control software.. possibly another $50-100 for a CF sleeve (depending on model)...

Having all of this in one small package... priceless!

Agreed! I agonized over the Axim vs. the 5450, and it ultimately came down to the fact that by the time I added BT and WiFi, the cool remote software plus the consumer ir hardware, I guessed that I would be nearing the price range of the 5450, and it would have to be done with a bunch of add-ons! Can't beat all that in one sleek package!

[bluebear]

bucho and anifong!

I am in complete agreement with your reasoning. For that very reason, I am interested in iPAQ 5450/55. Glad to hear that you enjoy yours.

However, all nice features will be good ONLY if they are working flawlessly. If you look at postings on iPAQ 5450/55 here, pocketpcpassion.com, and brighthand.com, initial responses from early adoptors of iPAQ 5450/55 are mixed at best.

Probably, I will end up with buying one soon anyway. My question posed a couple of days was whether HP/Compaq has been good at dealing with early bugs and glitches of other models of iPAQs by releasing some types of ROM updates or patches, etc.

Thanks!!

[Delta737]

Yes, HP/Compaq do provide frequent upgrades (at least Compaq did, when it was still Compaq) for their PPC's, always with a lot of bug-fixes. I'm jealous of that (as a Toshiba e310 owner), since Toshiba does not provide such upgrades :cry: