ipaq 2215 misbehavin'

[ironguy]

Yesterday, my long time friend, my ipaq2215 wouldn't power on when pressing the button. I played with the battery, cf card, etc, then finally did a soft reset.

WT... hard reset?

I figured I had done something while playing around. I connected to the PC and reloaded a bunch of stuff. Unplugged from the PC and went out. Came back and no power on again. I removed the CF card and it powered up. Odd. Reloaded some more stuff and disconnected. Turned off the PPC. Wouldn't come on. I banged it in frustration (not hard) and both the yellow and blue lights came on. Still no power on. Took card out again, tried putting an SD card in. No joy, but I did get the lights to go out. Hit the power button.

Another hard reset.

Entered my device id and powered off. Won't power on again! Pressed the soft reset button and the blue and yellow lights came on again. uh oh.Pressed soft reset button. Nothing, lights still on. Banged it on the side again and it hard reset again.

Is my pal dead?

[Sven Johannsen]

Could be. The 2215 has been a round a while. Since you are already sufferring hard resets, my suggesting one more shouldn't bug you too much. What helped me once in a while back before persistant memory was to pull the battery and leave the un it off charge for a good 24 hours. That should be enough to let the backup battery and any residual charge dissipate. Then put the battery back in and give it a nice full charge.

Might help. If not, then you need to start thinking about where you want to go with this. Reputable repair at PocketPCTechs might be possible, but might not be fiscally responsible (cost more than it is worth?). Wanna stick with a PDA, which is hard, or venture into a converged device, of which there are way too many options.

[ironguy]

I'll try the dissipation process. I've started looking around at replacements - torn between a straight up PPC, or a smartphone. I could probably replace my 2215 off ebay for about $50-75 and may do that until I decide what to do. I really like the HP 211 handheld, but maybe it's time to step up into a smartphone.

[Sven Johannsen]

I really like the HP 211 handheld, but maybe it's time to step up into a smartphone.
I have a 211 and it is a step up from the 2215, though bigger, and not all that current. If you can find a good deal on it, you would likely be happy with it, if you were comfortable with the 2215. It does have the somehat unique characteristic (these days) of having both the CF and SD slot, so you wouldn't lose any capability there. If your life is still OK with two devices, I'd have no regret recommending you stay that way. IMHO you do lose out on a few things when you go converged. You typically lose power, screen size, battery life, to pick up some convenience, and a smaller form factor (which is the other side of that coin). I must say that it does appear that some OEMs of converged devices are producing some bigger devices now, so maybe some of the drawbacks (IMHO) are turning around. I think the biggest issue is that converged devices are so significantly more expensive that buying one off contract, i.e. un-subsidized, becomes quite an investment. Partially due to that, I don't think you get the variety you once had, readily available, because OEMs aren't building for users, they are building for carriers.

[ironguy]

I managed to score a deal on ebay with a 2215. Looks brand new, came with extended batter and extra battery, case, usb card reader. The guy had it for a couple of years and didn't really do anything with. Looking at it you might think it was only a week or two old. Only set me back $54!

I'm going to keep my eyes open for a Smartphone. Maybe the new Samsung Omnia II or HTC Warhawk or fortress. Pretty cool stuff.