5555 Thoughts....

[Imageman]

Okay, so yesterday my 5455's wifi totally crapped out on me. Just would not initiallize. Tried the battery removal thing, hard reset, the works.

So I took it to CompUSA (I had the replacement plan), and behold- no more 5455s, only 5555s.

So I got an upgrade. Best $100s I ever spent for a warranty.

Here are my thoughts-

MUCH BETTER!

No, in more detail- what is the MOST improved is the WiFi. On the 5455 it was painful. There is no longer that annoying little Ipaq Wifi Util. That was terrible.

It's true- no Nevo, but I have a Pronto Pro, so that doesn't effect me at all.

I use 3 Access Points in my house, as I move through the house, the automatically finds them when i fist used the device, asking me which profile I want to assign each AP to. It then remembers it, and switches based on signal strength. I have YET to go to 'connections' and mess with it until I could get internet access. Very smooth. Perfect? No, but it works 1000 times better. Great start- looks like a total rewrite.

The device seems no faster than the 5455 (I wil assume this is mostly due to programs no optimized for 2003, along with no processor speed increase).

I also have yet needed a reset- which is something that I did daily before.

I will post more as it comes- but really I am very pleased.

[Jerry Raia]

I just got the 5555 today and I'm also blown away. It is quite an improvement over the 5455. I dont miss the Nevo stuff either.

[juan_chiriboga]

Just wondering if there's anyone out there who has upgraded a H5450 to 2003, and has made any performance comparisons.
Also, has anyone compared the h5555 and H2200 series?

[Server]

what is the MOST improved is the WiFi. On the 5455 it was painful. There is no longer that annoying little Ipaq Wifi Util. That was terrible. It's true- no Nevo, but I have a Pronto Pro, so that doesn't effect me at all.

WiFi issues (as far as I'm concerned) have been
FULLY RESOLVED! after applying the latest RomPaq 1.11.19
I have no problems and the DLL memory stack issue
has been re-optimized so as to not generate the false memory
errors. Of course there is still another firmware patch to come
from HP to take care of the few remainder issues ie.
(false Signal meter/fingerprint driver hook failure/ charging/etc)

I suppose it all depends on how you use your device and what
parameters you assign it to get it functional before giving in (and up)
Personally, I can't imagine my iPaq WITHOUT Nevo and CIR
and this is THE reason why I would never 'upgrade' to the 5550.



Just wondering if there's anyone out there who has upgraded a H5450 to 2003, and has made any performance comparisons.
Also, has anyone compared the h5555 and H2200 series?

According to INGES-PDA, (http://www.inges-pda.net/ppc2003_revieweng.html) The 5400,
once updated with PPC2K3, should run much faster.



"...I got my HP iPAQ H5450 a week after it was for sale here in Norway. So I got some experience with it. I was immidiately a little bit disappointed the first time I used it - and wonder why I changed from 3970 to 5450. The CPU should be sooo much better I was told. But I did not think it went faster. NOW I know what we were waiting for - the OS that is designed for the faster CPU and now my iPAQ 5450 vis running faster than ever. I think the iPAQ now is the RAW Pocket PC on the market - radicaly improved in speed and stability, I do not reset it as often as before. I guess that all that upgrades will feel the same! It was my first reaction: woow... it is faster. Even surfing the Internet is faster than ever...."

[disconnected]

I just updated from a 3970 to 5550, so I don't know how it compares to the 5400 series. I'm also not entirely sure which differences are OS related as opposed to hardware related.

A couple (or more :oops: ) questions and comments --

Is there a way to disable the up/down volume buttons? I keep hitting them by accident.

I'd read the 5400s sometimes wouldn't turn on WiFi without removing/replacing the battery and it's already happened once to my 5500.

I HATE that the PC card sleeve with battery doesn't supply power to the iPAQ.

I've only installed a few things so far. Media player seems to play video more smoothly, but I haven't seen any speed improvements (maybe slight slowdowns, actually) in games like Beshaped and Diamond Mine.

How does screen toggle work? On the 3975, from any app, I think, I could just hold down the power button to toggle the screen on and off. This doesn't work on the 5500.

I can hear some creaks if I squeeze the sides; this was definitely not the case with the 3970.

The volume is way too soft. I have Mapopolis Navigator, and could hear the voice directions clearly on the 3970. Now with the 5500 I have to use one of those cassette plug in things and listen to it through the car audio; another wire to get in the way and a serious annoyance especially if I ever end up in a rental car without a cassette player.

This connection manager may be somewhat improved, but I'm still having problems with it. The connection to my Sprint phone via Supplynet cable was easy to set up, and it automatically detected my home network for internet access and file sharing (haven't tried Ethernet or Starbuck's connections yet), but the only way I've been able to sync wirelessly is to go through several screens to get to the one that asks if my wireless card connects to internet or work. If I set it to work then I can sync but not get to the internet. If I set it to internet, I can get to the internet but not sync. I can switch it back and forth, but it takes SEVEN taps to just get to the option. Surely there must be an easier way to do this!

The screen on my 3970 had gotten pretty scuffed up (too much Cropped Out probably; I think I'll use screen protectors this time), and the 5500 definitely has more features (more RAM and integrated WiFi are great), but of my four iPAQs (3630, 38xx, 3970, 5550), the 3970 still somehow seems the most solid.

[WyattEarp]

Can anyone tell if the Consumer IR is actually gone? I would hate to give up my 3975 if there is no CIR. I use Nevo alot and it is one of the better remote programs I have seen.

[iant54]

I'm reckoning on getting a 5550 at the end of the month, so a couple of questions from me!

- Is it true, as Disconnected states, that the Expansion Jackets with battery packs don't power the iPAQ?

- Can Expansion Jackets be used with the Extended Battery (the other type is described as "Slim")?

[KayMan2k]

Can anyone tell if the Consumer IR is actually gone? I would hate to give up my 3975 if there is no CIR. I use Nevo alot and it is one of the better remote programs I have seen.

No. The h555x does not have CIR.

[ntractv]

Can anyone tell if the Consumer IR is actually gone? I would hate to give up my 3975 if there is no CIR. I use Nevo alot and it is one of the better remote programs I have seen.

No. The h555x does not have CIR.

When you say no Consumer IR, are you saying that my TV/VCR/DVD remote controll app I use on my 3835 will not work on the 5555?

What about beaming files and contacts or that's not a problem?

[KayMan2k]

When you say no Consumer IR, are you saying that my TV/VCR/DVD remote controll app I use on my 3835 will not work on the 5555?

What about beaming files and contacts or that's not a problem?

The unit does still have a form of infra-red called SIR (slow infra-red) located at the top of the unit (in the 'black box'). I believe it is similar (is not the same as ) the 38xx - since that is before Nevo's time. So your remote control app from 3835 will still work on the 5555 (so long as it works with PPC2003). You might not get the same range though.. if it does not have as much power as the 3835 - but I have no idea. I will run tests when J&R ships mine :) I think others have reported a max of 5ft.

You can still beam files and contacts up to 125k or something like that. Not 4Mbps thought - but seriously, why do you need that? That's what bluetooth is for.

[Chris Spera]

When you say no Consumer IR, are you saying that my TV/VCR/DVD remote controll app I use on my 3835 will not work on the 5555?

What about beaming files and contacts or that's not a problem?

Consumer IR has different hardware than the Slow IR on the 5500. Consumer IR is much stronger and the signal travels much farther with greater accuracy. It is capable of controlling devices like TV's, DVD's, VCR's etc.

Slow IR is meant for short distance file beaming and not much else. Other remote control apps, like the one you use on your 3835 will work on the 5500, but the results you receive won't be anything like those on the 3900 and 5400 series devices.


Kind Regards,


Christopher Spera

[WyattEarp]

Guess I'll be keeping my 3975 a bit longer. HP should have kept the CIR, it is good thing to have.

[Server]

Isn't it amazing how removing one little feature can totally
ruin what could have been the most complete PPC.

CIR is something you don't realize how important it is
unit you need it or start using it. HP looked for ways to
cut costs by removing Nevo and CIR in their 'hi-end'
model.

I'd say, HP marketing failed this time round.

[Chris Spera]

HP looked for ways to cut costs by removing Nevo and CIR in their 'hi-end' model.

I don't quite think that's it. This was a consumer feature in an enterprise level device. They removed it because CONSUMER Infra Red didn't fit into the ENTERPRISE model the device addressed.

However, I agree that it was a mistake to take CIR/ Nevo out of the device. Those of us who upgrade our 5400's to WM2003 may not have the wiz-bang processor or 128MB of native RAM; but with the RAM upgrade from PPC Techs, an upgraded 5400 is going to be killer!

Kind Regards,


Christopher Spera

[WyattEarp]

I think Nevo and CIR fits perfectly into the enterprise level device. It may have started out as a consumer feature but think about those who do presentations for example. This is one easy way to help avoid the last minute search for the remote to show those prsentations we all love to sit though during a meeting :wink: .

Remotes are not strictly consumer devices, after all just about everything the consumer gets starts out in the business arena in some shape or form first if not elsewhere. HP make a poor choice IMHO.

[ntractv]

Is there any other new PPC2003 device with Bluetooth, WiFi, and CIR?

[ctmagnus]

Geez, I hope the Canadian units will be different. :cry:

[nosmohtac]

When you say no Consumer IR, are you saying that my TV/VCR/DVD remote controll app I use on my 3835 will not work on the 5555?

What about beaming files and contacts or that's not a problem?

Consumer IR has different hardware than the Slow IR on the 5500. Consumer IR is much stronger and the signal travels much farther with greater accuracy. It is capable of controlling devices like TV's, DVD's, VCR's etc.

Slow IR is meant for short distance file beaming and not much else. Other remote control apps, like the one you use on your 3835 will work on the 5500, but the results you receive won't be anything like those on the 3900 and 5400 series devices.


Kind Regards,


Christopher Spera

I don't know much about programming, especially when tying it in with harware such as IR. But, I have a 3970 and and hp568, and my 568 with tvremotecontroller has a greater range than the 3970 with CIR.

I have tried other remote control software on my jornada and only got a range of about 5 to 7 feet, but with tv remote controller I get better than 20 feet.

I would be curious to know how well nevo or tvrc work on th 555x. Can somebody that upgraded from an iPAQ with nevo try to install nevo from their install disk from their previous device, and test it?

[nosmohtac]

Is there any other new PPC2003 device with Bluetooth, WiFi, and CIR?

AFAIK NO. The closest thing is either the toshiba 755, which has built in WiFi, but no BT or CIR, or the HP 2215, which has BT and CIR, but no WiFi.

On the other hand though, the 2215 has CF and SD built in, So you could buy a CF WiFi card and still end up saving money over a 555x.

[Server]

Is there any other new PPC2003 device with Bluetooth, WiFi, and CIR?

*repost from brighthand via jaja_75*

Mitac Mio 558 (dual IR "IrDA & CIR", dual wireless "WiFi & Bluetooth", dual slot "CF & SD", dual USB "USB client & host") : 480 US$
http://65.115.69.88/mio/products_mio558.asp

"Mitac International launched two new Mio-branded Pocket PCs – the Mio 339 and Mio 558.

The Mio 339, aimed at young adults, is a PDA, MP3 player and 300,000-pixel digital camera all-in-one device. It features a 400MHz Intel PXA255 processor that runs the latest Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 OS.

The Mio 558 is targeted at wireless workers and includes both Bluetooth and 802.11b wireless connectivity built-in plus VoIP (voice over IP) functionality as well. It features Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 OS running on a 400MHz Intel PXA263 processor. For expansion, it has a dual slot configuration that supports both CompactFlash (CF) II and SD I/O~MMC Secure Digital (SD) formats.

The two Pocket PCs will be on the Taiwan market around the middle or end of this month. Suggested retail pricing for the Mio 339 and Mio 558 are NT$10,900 (about US$315) and NT$16,800 (about US$480), respectively."

http://www.digitimes.com/NewsShow/Article.asp?datePublish=2003/07/01&pages=PR&seq=201

[starstreak]

Crap, I dump my 5455 cuz of all the problems and move over to a Sony NZ90 (only for the camera. Btw, anybody know of a program to synce perfectly with outlook on a palm type? Augh) and I was gonna switch back but a I used the Nevo ALOT. Sad they did away with it. If I didn't read it here, I would've bought it looking for it.