Update on the iPAQpetition front

[marlof]

Earlier we <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2337">reported</a> on the <a href="http://www.ipaqpetition.com">iPAQpetition</a> site that was set up to voice the dissatisfaction with iPAQ quality. They now released a press release, stating that together with HP they're looking into the issues reported on the site. &lt;!><br /><br />"Hewlett-Packard recently contacted the ipaqpetition.com team in an effort to better understand the concerns cited in the iPAQ petition (<a href="www.ipaqpetition.com/petition">www.ipaqpetition.com/petition</a>) regarding iPAQ PocketPCs. Hewlett-Packard assembled a cross-functional team representing various departments of their organization including marketing, quality control, customer service, technical support, and product engineering. During a 2-hour conference call, the team from HP and the ipaqpetition.com team discussed the various issues cited in the iPAQ petition. HP will continue to research these issues and then schedule another conference call with us to discuss their findings. <br />Both HP and the ipaqpetition.com team want to stress that any iPAQ user who has experienced a problem with their device should take the following steps: <br />1. Visit the HP/Compaq iPAQ support page to download and install all available updates. This includes SoftPAQs, End User Updates, and drivers. The support page is located at <a href="http://www.compaq.com/support/files/handheldiPAQ/us/index.html?cat=iPAQ%20Internet%20Devices">http://www.compaq.com/support/files/handheldiPAQ/us/index.html?cat=iPAQ%20Internet%20Devices</a>. <br />2. Research the problem through the HP/Compaq Reference Library. This library provides information regarding many of the issues users may experience and provides work-arounds for many of them. The reference library is located at <a href="http://wwss1pro.compaq.com/support/home/selectproduct.asp?destination=reflib">http://wwss1pro.compaq.com/support/home/selectproduct.asp?destination=reflib</a>. <br />3. If the iPAQ is still under warranty and the user is still experiencing problems, contact HP/Compaq technical support. They will attempt to address the issue and/or repair the iPAQ. The phone number for technical support is in the contacts listing on the iPAQ or visit <a href="www.hp.com">www.hp.com</a> for more support information.<br />Overall, the ipaqpetition.com team is very happy that HP is working with us to clarify the issues cited in the petition and we look forward to our next conference call with them. The very fact that they are attempting to address these issues with us speaks highly of their desire to produce a better product in the future. After the next conference call, we will update our website (<a href="www.ipaqpetition.com">www.ipaqpetition.com</a>) with the information we receive from HP."

[Sanjay Srikonda]

hmm, if you can't beat 'em then make sure that they get lost in the quagmire of "investigations." So does that mean that the petition worked? The people who started it will get what THEY want and the rest of us will have signed something for their benefit or will this just get swept under the rug?

Do I sound cynical? Hmm, must be from experience.

[rubberdemon]

Call me an optimist, but it might also be that HP is learning that the online community is not only an important constituency to keep happy (after all, a great deal of informal pre-purchase research is done online through forums and user groups), but a resource that can help improve a product. Companies who spend time talking with their customers and finding out what they want instead of imposing on them what the company believes they should want, tend to do better in the long run, and definitely have more satisfied customers (and maybe avoid some class-action lawsuits...).

Perhaps this is a sign of better things to come??

[Jason Lee]

Let's all just give up our hPAQ's and buy Toshiba's!!!!
As the former owner of 3 ipaqs (not that I didn't love them at the time) I am much happier now with my new Toshiba e740. :D

[Dave Conger]

I just can't see HP spending money to fix problems in devices pre-3800 or even in the 3800 series. If they want to do something, I say just give users a good upgrade offer when your release the 2000/5000 iPAQ's and put your energy into a good QA team to find the bugs and a good dev team to fix them before the release.

[Sanjay Srikonda]

I'm guessing that they're hoping the public's memory is so bad that we'll forget the problems thus far and flock to buy the new crappaqs when they come out.

Why spend money on quality development and diligent QA when the users can do it for them?

[techie]

I've had both an iPAQ (replaced twice under warranty) and now a Tosh e310. Despite the problems with the iPAQ, compaq service (ooops, I mean HP) was always great and dropped me a replacement pronto. I think its great that they are working to address the problem (at last).

Things are not always sweetness and light with other devices.
My Tosh e310 has the click-after-sound problem, and a problem with scrolling down in reader. Contacted tosh support to see if they are releasing SP 2 to address these. They said "there are no problems with the e310 and we will not be releasing SP 2". Humph.

Having said that, my thoughts on the switch from iPAQ->e310 are:
- battery lasts much longer
- its noticably slower.
- its small. Size matters :-)

That last one sold it for me - its the first device that I can put in my shirt pocket without tearing the pocket out from my shirt.

Cheers.
Paul.

[DaleReeck]

Of course, gotta make sure they include that marketing rep as we all know that's the most important issue - how they can spin the problems :)

[Gerard]

Well, I'm of the cynical camp I suppose. Not that I've had any serious direct contact with Compaq, because I haven't. But I certainly have seen in abundance of problems, with a 3835 and a 3870. the ROM update didn't fix much with the 3870. SD is still a big problem for File Explorer, and the \iPAQ File Store directory has proven a huge headache to figure out what can and cannot be put there, and how much is too much. Seems items in Startup shouldn't be installed there at all, but did Compaq ever advise that, or even acknowledge it as an issue? It's a hard reset for those who make this mistake, or so it seems. And many have now confirmed that Compaq/HP says there's a limit on Contacts and Calendar items which can be restored from this location, something about a maximum of 3 x 512KB blocks being available... WHAT?! Sorry, but I ask a little more of a computer than safely storing 700 contacts and a year of appointments! How many users have 1000 or more names in their Contacts list, and imagine that data to be protected by the built-in autobackup feature? It's a lie, pure and simple.
And I still see far too many forced soft resets each day, and would like some answers on that. If these consultations amount to something more than a cover-up I will certainly be very pleased, and surprised as well. But with the current rate of release for new brands, new models, and the ever decreasing profit margin that competition brings, I just doubt it. Probably more responsible to the shareholders to release new toys on a tighter schedule than the old Compaq did.