HP iPAQ Pocket PC 3900 series released

[Andy Sjostrom]

<a href="http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?bw.062402/221750046&ticker=HPQ">http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?bw.062402/221750046&ticker=HPQ</a><br /><br />Models begin shipping this week!<br /><br />Straight from the press release: "The new iPAQ Pocket PC H3900 series also contains a secure digital input/output (SDIO) expansion slot, allowing customers to move data back and forth through the smallest, lightest and most sophisticated storage and expansion accessories. SD cards are typically about the size of a postage stamp, offering expanded memory capacity today, and in the future, connectivity capabilities via Bluetooth, digital photography solutions and wireless(1) local area networking (WLAN). ... The iPAQ Pocket PC H3950 comes with 32 MB of Flash ROM (read-only memory) and has an estimated U.S. street price of $649.(2) The iPAQ Pocket PC H3970 comes with integrated Bluetooth capabilities and 48 MB of Flash ROM, at an estimated U.S. street price of $749.(2) Both models are powered by Microsoft(R) Windows(R) for Pocket PC 2002 and the 400MHz PXA250 processor with Intel(R) XScale technology for accelerated multimedia and security, and include 64 MB of RAM (random access memory). ... HP also added a 256 MB SD memory card to its secure digital portfolio at an estimated U.S. street price of $199.(2)"<br /><br />The Empire strikes back?

[denethor]

Yes it does. But just wait for another 6-8 months for the strongest strike ever!

[entropy1980]

meaning? what denethor?
If the HP's performance is as bad as the e740's looks like the implosion of the death star for Pocket PC's as we know it...It's one thing for a minor player Toshiba to have produced a crud unit, but another for flagship HP and the Ipaq to flop on performance!

[Chairman Clench]

I have a better idea...

Instead of releasing a new model, how about HP/Compaq FIXES all the existing DEFECTIVE iPAQs that people have already purchased?

After my experiences with the iPAQ 3650 and now a 3835, there is no way I will ever purchase another device from them.

All these new iPAQs will do is fix a few of the problems from the last series and create a whole new group of problems that HP/Compaq will never fix.

:evil: :evil: :evil:

[Dave Conger]

I have a better idea...
Instead of releasing a new model, how about HP/Compaq FIXES all the existing DEFECTIVE iPAQs that people have already purchased?


You make more money if you sell people another $600 device then take time to develop a solution and then fix the problems in the older device.

I am not saying that I agree with that, but it seems like that is what companies think.

[JMountford]

Simply Lovely.

First, I wish they would have changed the Nav button. I mean the shape sucks and it should do Diagonals for game play, which as we all know is a key factor for PDAs. Common I am too darn old for a frickin Gameboy. I remember buying one of the original models when they first came out!

Second, Universal Remote is cool. Transflective Display is cool, and Bluetooth is cool, But HP is charging $100.00 dollar difference for Bluetooth when they only charged a fifty dollar difference last time out? Oh of course three is the extra 15 mg of ROM but One Hundred dollars difference?! Sheesh.

Third, what the heck is up with the price? $750.00. Add a few hundred more and I can get a perfectly good laptop that actually performs like it is suppose to.

I mean I guess it just gets me and I know people will buy the thing. It is just a bite in the butt. And when most of us here are not big corporate users that get their devices handed to them by a company, but more of us scrape to buy our own it is just a stick in the wrong place.

[brntcrsp]

The price point is just too high. Until HP can produce a sub $400 or $300 unit they are going to continue to alienate its user base. Sure they can contiue to create these bleeding edge devices, but most users, even technophiles will not upgrade on a yearly basis to take of advantage of the minor improvements.

[Captain Obvious]

400MHz PXA250 processor with Intel(R) XScale technology for accelerated multimedia

Heh, don't they mean decelerated multimedia? :wink:

[denethor]

Chairman Clench:
Why did you buy 38xx after 36xx failue ;-) I have an answer: (!)
Because iPAQs as cool as jedi knights;-) We criticize them but we love them.
Cheers. Stay cool.

(ps: Posted from PocketIE so I am not sure about the paragraph format)

[thadrool]

If the prices remain this high, say goodbye to Ipaq's market share. This is probably the beginning of the end. Good job, HP. Great thinking. I don't think even tech geeks would pay $750 for the integrated Bluetooth.

[T-Will]

At least HP is innovating with the transflective screen...hopefully this will lead to a trend in the rest of the Pocket PC's. And even though this screen may look awesome, I will never buy another Compaq/HP Pocket PC unless they straighten out their quality control department.

[ricksfiona]

The 3970 for $750? I'll pass. It hurt to write a check for $700 for the 3870... They're crazy if they think they'll get $750 for the new device. I'd CONSIDER paying $750 if it had a CF slot AND WiFi/Ethernet added AND I was hiring a new employee, to give them my 3870.

[spursdude]

I think that Compaq/HP has really messed up here.

first - $750 for the bluetooth model? at the highest price of any ppc to date (as far as i know, maybe other than those older journadas with keyboards), they are going the wrong direction. with the advancement of technology, we always hope for more features at lower prices. toshiba has been bringing the prices down, compaq/hp has been bringing prices up. think about it like this. for $750, i could get 2 audiovox maestros and 384MB of CF space.

second - no cf. the ipaq's still need a cf slot. SD cards are way to expensive, and not versatile. a 256mb sd card for $200?! you can get a 256MB CF card for $100 - half the price. and, there aren't any SD ethernet cards or modems or cell-phone connections.

third - what's with bluetooth? is there any way to implement this tool that's worth $100? sure - link up with your cell phone, maybe an expensive bluetooth enabled printer. but, nothing substantial.

on a sort of separate note - why don't ppc's use smard media cards? they're incredibly slim (about a dime's thickness), and priced about the same as CF (as opposed to double, as with SD).

[Jason Dunn]

on a sort of separate note - why don't ppc's use smard media cards? they're incredibly slim (about a dime's thickness), and priced about the same as CF (as opposed to double, as with SD).

Just my opinion, but SmartMedia is a dead format - it lost the storage wars. Only Fujitsu and Olympus still use the format in cameras (to my knowledge) and I imagine it's due to some licensing agreement. SmartMedia was a very fragile format, and they didn't reach high enough capacity.

[TypeMRT]

I think that Compaq/HP has really messed up here.

third - what's with bluetooth? is there any way to implement this tool that's worth $100? sure - link up with your cell phone, maybe an expensive bluetooth enabled printer. but, nothing substantial.


A USB Bluetooth adapter can be had for about $150, allowing for a more secure wireless network.

[Chairman Clench]

Chairman Clench:
Why did you buy 38xx after 36xx failue ;-) I have an answer: (!)
Because iPAQs as cool as jedi knights;-) We criticize them but we love them.
Cheers. Stay cool.

(ps: Posted from PocketIE so I am not sure about the paragraph format)

Actually, I purchased a 38xx because I had this strange faith that Compaq may actually have fixed the problems with the 1st generation device. I was wrong.

Cool or not, a PDA is not a decorative item (although that's about all the iPAQ does well!) I want something that actually works. HP/Compaq's track record tells me that they are incapable of producing a PDA that works.

I will be taking my money elsewhere and I would suggest that anyone else who doesn't like paying to be an ALPHA tester do the same.

P.S. Jedi Knights are way cooler than iPAQs... and most of them work :P

[Terry]

Just two posts prior, HP announces a major WiFi implementation...why then Bluetooth? (cuz the HP printers use Bluetooth an we all know nobody really minds an expansion pack an cuz we can sell another $150, er $200 buck gizmo on top of our already higher than ever price, an cuz we can't loox stoopic or let Toshiba whip us...ok a Toshiba whiping would be fun...).

Sounds more like the Mel Brooks parody than the Lucas version.

And I still want a darn flip cover.

[Pony99CA]

Just my opinion, but SmartMedia is a dead format - it lost the storage wars. Only Fujitsu and Olympus still use the format in cameras (to my knowledge) and I imagine it's due to some licensing agreement. SmartMedia was a very fragile format, and they didn't reach high enough capacity.

Only two digital camera manufacturers may use SmartMedia, but I believe Olympus is the #1 digital camera manufacturer. So, like HP/Compaq in the Pocket PC world, it gets to do things its own way.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

HP is charging $100.00 dollar difference for Bluetooth when they only charged a fifty dollar difference last time out? Oh of course three is the extra 15 mg of ROM but One Hundred dollars difference?! Sheesh.

Well, I suppose you could get the 3950 and then pay $150 for a Bluetooth sleeve. :twisted:

As for memory, Pocket PC memory has always been expensive. When I was buying my first iPAQ, I debated between the 3650 (32MB) and the 3670 (64MB). They were the same devices except for the memory, but the 3670 was over $100 more. I went with the 3650.

Unfortunately, I decided 32MB was too small for me, so when the 3870 came out, I bought one of those. (16MB seemed like so much on my old Sharp Mobilon....)

Given that, $50 for Bluetooth (the same difference between the 3870 and the 3850) and $50 for 16MB more Flash ROM doesn't seem that excessive.

[W]hat the heck is up with the price? $750.00. Add a few hundred more and I can get a perfectly good laptop that actually performs like it is suppose to.

Well, the 3870 was $650. For a few hundred more, you could have gotten a laptop, too....

Would I like the prices to be less? Who wouldn't. Hopefully, competition with the Toshiba e740 at $600 (XScale, WiFi, etc.) will get HP or its resellers to lower that price.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

The price point is just too high. Until HP can produce a sub $400 or $300 unit they are going to continue to alienate its user base.

Their user base seems willing to pay $500 and up. (A "user base" is the actual users of a device.) Their user base consists of the same people who were paying over list price for the original iPAQs.

They may be "alienating" (I'd say "discouraging") buyers in the larger PDA market, but I haven't heard the user base clamoring for $300-400 devices, especially if those low-cost devices would mean giving up features.

Steve

[Pony99CA]

The 3970 for $750? I'll pass. It hurt to write a check for $700 for the 3870...

$700? Did you buy one of the first ones from people selling them above list price? I got mine from PC Connection in January for $650 (not including shipping, of course).

If you really paid $700 for a 3870 (before shippping and any taxes), are you saying the transflective display, SDIO, 16MB more Flash ROM and Consumer IR aren't worth $50? (I'm not even counting the XScale processor because of the apparent lack of performance, and because I haven't heard if battery life is really improved.)

They're crazy if they think they'll get $750 for the new device. I'd CONSIDER paying $750 if it had a CF slot AND WiFi/Ethernet added AND I was hiring a new employee, to give them my 3870.

I'm not going to buy one, but my iPAQ 3870 is still working fine.

As for CF in an iPAQ, I'd rather have more base RAM. 128MB (or even 256MB) would be wonderful, and I'll use a sleeve for expandability.

Steve