iPaq vs. Dell (and the rest...)

[socrguy74]

Admittedly, I am a late-comer to the PocketPC revolution. I have been researching the various PPCs available, and have waited....and waited...and waited. I am really close to "buy status", but I am still hesistant.

Which is the better buy OVERALL? The HP (nee compaq) iPaq has always been my favorite...but also one of the most expensive on the market. Then comes along Dell. It looks like a great device, and I save $200.00. HELP!

And are there any estimates on the release of the X3 or the X7?

[Pony99CA]

Which is the better buy OVERALL? The HP (nee compaq) iPaq has always been my favorite...but also one of the most expensive on the market. Then comes along Dell. It looks like a great device, and I save $200.00. HELP!

Unless you have a specific need for something the iPAQ has -- built-in WiFi, fingerprint scanning, sleeve support, etc. -- I think the better buy is the Dell.

And remember, I own an iPAQ 3870, so this isn't easy to say. :-D

Steve

[wolverine]

I had one heck of a time getting through customer care, etc. with Dell. They were a monsterous pain but now that I have the Dell Axim 5, I am glad that I returned the Ipac because I didn't need stuff that were add ons. It was the best deal and I am glad that I persisted though it was very maddening at the outset. Do not order accessories becuase that will slow the ordering process immensely. And be prepared to deal with reps that are outsourced. Good luck.

[socrguy74]

-- I think the better buy is the Dell.

And remember, I own an iPAQ 3870, so this isn't easy to say. :-D

Steve

OK. So the better buy is the Dell. But which is the better device? Including all of the extras, which may come in handy at some point.

More specifically I am comparing the 3970 and 5450 to the Dell Axim X5 (maybe also waiting for the X7). Gaming, movies, music...which is the better purchase taking all of these things into account?

Thanks,
Jason

[mscdex]

Personally, I think you should wait until you see some of the newer devices come out, the ones with the 200mhz bus speeds. This will significantly increase the speed of the device overall, no matter what OS you are running, optimized for Xscale or not.

I myself have been unwillingly holding out on buying a new Axim, so as to see how soon a 200mhz bus speed PocketPC will become available. But my 3635 is slowly dying :P, so it is a hard decision.

[ux4484]

The specs are very similar, but the Ipaq's have enhanced IR capabilities that the Dell cannot perform as it has a very narrow and anemic IR.

The Dell's do seem to win for battery life hands down, at least according to most of the Axim owners here at PPCT.

an of course, with the Dell you'll never need a sleeve to use a CF card.

For most folks the Dell would seem the best value out there......unless using your PDA as a TV remote is one of your reasons for getting one ;)

[socrguy74]

Personally, I think you should wait until you see some of the newer devices come out, the ones with the 200mhz bus speeds. This will significantly increase the speed of the device overall, no matter what OS you are running, optimized for Xscale or not.

Any links about the 200mhz bus speed? Or hints as to when some of these PPCs might become available?

[PetiteFlower]

No, that information hasn't been released yet. Personally I'd be surprised if we see them any sooner then 6 months from now. I'm not a big fan of waiting for ANYTHING!

I like the dell because it's a lot more flexible/customisable with the dual expansion slots. I wouldn't want to have to pay for bluetooth or wifi that I'm probably never going to use; but if it turns out I do need them someday I can get a card for it later.

[mscdex]

No, that information hasn't been released yet. Personally I'd be surprised if we see them any sooner then 6 months from now. I'm not a big fan of waiting for ANYTHING!


Well then you'd better hope that a new, optimized PocketPC OS comes out before the PPCs with the faster bus speeds. :wink:

[slinger]

I have a 5455 and the wife has the X5. My iPaq has been back to HP 3 times over the last 4 weeks, has a power glitch that they seem unable to diagnose or fix, just plain disconnects itself from its power supply and hard resets with a full battery. My prior 2 PPC's were iPaq's, 3635 & 3835. I must say, the quality has gone down or I picked a lemon nobody wants to fix.

Love my wife's Dell. Battery life is great, included software is good too. 2 months old and no problems, in fact, I've only soft reset it 3 times. I didn't experience any shipment problems, ordered it early December and got it before Christmas with all the options.

Good luck

[Brad Adrian]

Personally, I think you should wait until you see some of the newer devices come out, the ones with the 200mhz bus speeds.
I have no real problem with this kind of advice; however, there will ALWAYS be a newer, shinier, "better" device on the horizon. Waiting to see the next big thing is a never-ending proposition.

If you're in the market for a Pocket PC today, I don't think you can go wrong with the Dell. I own an Axim and a 3870 and I've started using the Axim nearly nonstop. It suits my needs very well for dual expansion slots without the need for a bulky sleeve.

[Pony99CA]

Personally, I think you should wait until you see some of the newer devices come out, the ones with the 200mhz bus speeds.
I have no real problem with this kind of advice; however, there will ALWAYS be a newer, shinier, "better" device on the horizon. Waiting to see the next big thing is a never-ending proposition.
That's true, and the test to determine when to buy is typically based a few decisions:

Does the current device do everything I want?
Is it available at a price I'm willing to pay?
Does the next device have something I really need?
Will it be available in a reasonable time frame?
Will the price be something I'll be willing to pay?

Rumor may help with question #3, but, unless the device has been announced, questions 4 and 5 are usually more difficult to answer.

The above answers will also be affected by whether or not you already own a Pocket PC. I didn't upgrade to a 3970 because my 3870 does almost everything I want (Nevo would be nice) and it was too expensive when it came out. The 5450 has features I'd be willing to pay for, but the cost and problems I've heard about it keep me from upgrading.

Steve

[mscdex]

Personally, I think you should wait until you see some of the newer devices come out, the ones with the 200mhz bus speeds.
I have no real problem with this kind of advice; however, there will ALWAYS be a newer, shinier, "better" device on the horizon. Waiting to see the next big thing is a never-ending proposition.


I agree. However, I am saying that the newer bus speed is something that can't be upgraded via software, it's a hardware change. And depending on when we will see the next PPC OS, waiting for a faster bus speed may be the way to go. Especially if you get a PPC in the long run that has a faster bus speed and will be upgraded to an optimized OS.

The above answers will also be affected by whether or not you already own a Pocket PC. I didn't upgrade to a 3970 because my 3870 does almost everything I want (Nevo would be nice) and it was too expensive when it came out. The 5450 has features I'd be willing to pay for, but the cost and problems I've heard about it keep me from upgrading.

I agree with this as well, as I am still a 3635 user and it does everything I need to do (typing notes, etc.). Until some really processor-intensive software becomes available that would be useful, I am trying not to let myself break down and get an Axim :P. So holding off on buying a new PPC, especially when I know one is going to come out that will make the device faster despite what OS is installed, is the best way to go. If you are someone like me who buys a fair amount of accessories for a PocketPC that I just recently bought, then you would be out of luck when you know there's going to be a faster (overall) PocketPC for sure out within a year.

Now, I think one would at least wait for a PPC with the PXA255 to come out. But that's my opinion, it seems to be much more efficient than the current Xscales.

Random Thought: What PDA manufacturers should do is come up with some way to allow the consumer to somewhat upgrade their PDA internally, like a computer. e.g. have a (mother)daughterboard that could support faster, removable CPUs, the same with memory, make it removable and installable by the user.

[Pony99CA]

Now, I think one would at least wait for a PPC with the PXA255 to come out. But that's my opinion, it seems to be much more efficient than the current Xscales.

If the Pocket PC available now does what you want, why wait? As has been mentioned before, it won't stop working when the next Pocket PC comes out. If you don't need one now, I'd agree that waiting would give you more options (and likely a better deal).

Random Thought: What PDA manufacturers should do is come up with some way to allow the consumer to somewhat upgrade their PDA internally, like a computer. e.g. have a (mother)daughterboard that could support faster, removable CPUs, the same with memory, make it removable and installable by the user.

With a device this small, that would be difficult to do. How much can you upgrade on a laptop even? Usually just memory and maybe a drive or two (if you have swappable drive bays). Components would be even more inaccessible in a PDA.

Did you notice that the iPAQ 5450 has a less powerful battery than the 3800/3900 iPAQs? That's because making it swappable required space and that space came at the expense of battery life.

Steve

[Birdman]

I too am still using my 36xx series ipaq. With my cel phone cable, my CF modem and my Targus keyboard, it still does everything I need. Sure, the stylus no longer stays in place, it is heavier and bulkier than I would like, and I would love to get a new Dell that is integrated and basically the same size as the naked ipaq. (A size I can deal with.) But it is hard to justify the expense when my current ipaq does all I need.

BUT, the one thing that I am likely about to jump on, is a PPCPE if I can get one in Canada. That is something that would make me switch.

[mscdex]

With a device this small, that would be difficult to do. How much can you upgrade on a laptop even? Usually just memory and maybe a drive or two (if you have swappable drive bays). Components would be even more inaccessible in a PDA.

Did you notice that the iPAQ 5450 has a less powerful battery than the 3800/3900 iPAQs? That's because making it swappable required space and that space came at the expense of battery life.

Steve

I still believe that daughterboard manufacturers for PocketPCs could devise some sort of plan to upgrade say, only the cpu and memory. I mean, back with some of the Palm-size PCs, the manufacturer had a cover, that when lifted off, you could replace the ROM and upgrade to a newer OS. I don't believe it would take too much to replace the memory and/or CPU. Because what say I buy a 300mhz Dell, and I wish to upgrade it to a 400mhz later on? That would be a big + for the consumer, but also somewhat of a - for the manufacturer. But then again, it's the same type of thing with motherboards, you'll always have to replace it to get a faster CPU, so the manufacturers are still going to make money. I personally think that more people would buy PocketPCs if they could upgrade the device to a limited extent themselves (being memory and/or CPU).

[Janak Parekh]

I don't believe it would take too much to replace the memory and/or CPU.
Yes, it would. These components are now surface-mounted for pin density purposes. If you had a memory or processor with insertion packaging, it would make it larger and thicker. Additionally, the thermal conductivity to keep the processor's heat distributed wouldn't be possible.

You're honestly never going to see a replaceable CPU. As it is 99.99% of laptops don't have this. As for memory, there's a miniscule chance, but I wouldn't bet on it -- that's what removable flash is for.

--janak

[mscdex]

If you had a memory or processor with insertion packaging, it would make it larger and thicker.

Sure, it may make it a tad bit larger, but I was referring to future handhelds, by that time there may be a way to have replaceable chips like this, adding little or no bulk to the device.

You're honestly never going to see a replaceable CPU.

--janak

I believe it is possible, and that the chances of it happening may increase as time goes on.

[Pony99CA]

You're honestly never going to see a replaceable CPU.

I believe it is possible, and that the chances of it happening may increase as time goes on.
Why would a Pocket PC vendor undercut sales of new devices to allow this? :-)

Don't say that PC vendors allow it. On a PC, it's expected to be able to replace components; on a PDA, it's not.

Steve

[mscdex]

You're honestly never going to see a replaceable CPU.

I believe it is possible, and that the chances of it happening may increase as time goes on.
Why would a Pocket PC vendor undercut sales of new devices to allow this? :-)

Don't say that PC vendors allow it. On a PC, it's expected to be able to replace components; on a PDA, it's not.

Steve

Well, seeing how the PocketPC is becoming less and less of just an "organizer", I don't think it seems too far fetched. Also, some newcomers to the PocketPC may be thinking the same thing I am. Besides, that was just a random thought/wish in the first place. :P