Update on iPAQ Upgrades

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.hp.com/sbso/special/ppc_upgrade.html' target='_blank'>http://www.hp.com/sbso/special/ppc_upgrade.html</a><br /><br /></div>A number of people wrote in to say that HP has finally posted details to their Pocket PC 2003 upgrade page. If you are within the free upgrade period, there is a coupon you have to fill out and send in; otherwise, you can <a href="http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/sbso/exit.cgi?goto=bstore/special_ppc_upgrade/computing/handhelds">buy the upgrade</a> for $29.95 for the 38xx, 39xx and 54xx units. The 39xx and 54xx units' upgrades will ship in July; the 38xx units' upgrade will ship in October.<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> The purchase link isn't useful yet. Come on HP, get with the program! ;)

[Trokair]

Alas, in true HP fashion, the purchase link (http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/sbso/exit.cgi?goto=bstore/special_ppc_upgrade/computing/handhelds) is not available yet (or, should I say, "leads nowhere"). :evil:

I hear it'll be up and running on Monday, from what I've read on the Brighthand and Pocket PC Passion forums. Then again, I've also heard that the 54xx/39xx series upgrade don't ship until the end of July, and those poor 38xx users don't get their upgrade until October.

-Kyle

[Trimble]

When I click on the purchase link, I get taken to a page that has no information about the upgrade at all. This happens on the official page, as well as the link in the newspost above.

[Jerry Raia]

I ended up just doing the snail mail version. Doesnt look like it will take any longer anyway.

[Chris Spera]

otherwise, you can buy the upgrade (http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/sbso/exit.cgi?goto=bstore/special_ppc_upgrade/computing/handhelds) for $29.95 for the 38xx, 39xx and 54xx units.

This comment is not directed at ANYONE in particular... Please excuse my frustration with this..

:soapbox:

There is no link to order the upgrade. While the posts from both Trimble and Trokair say much the same thing, Trokair's only offers more rumor about WHEN an upgrade link will be available. This whole process has been put together in a half-@$$ed method by HP. (Trokair, I am not lashing out at you, man...nor am I suggesting that you shouldn't have offered your information. All I am saying is that HP is strangely absent in all of this when they should just come out and close the loop on this and other issues.)

I'm not as angry about this as others are; but I am very frustrated that someone over at one of the biggest computer hardware manufacturers can't see that they haven't done their job correctly.

Does anyone at HP monitor this or other enthusiast sites for items like this? Does anyone at HP pass this kind of information on to someone of authority within the Pocket PC projects or divisions that can initiate a change or correction??

The Pocket PC community is larger than it was when PPC 2002 was initially released, and there are MORE people wanting this upgrade than there were wanting the H31/3600 upgrade. But yet...HP seems to be handling this with the same consistency that Compaq handled the H31/3600 upgrades.

Haven't we learned anything from the previous experience that would be/ could be implement here so we don't have to go through something like that again???

:pukeface2: K... I'm done now.

[Trokair]

(Trokair, I am not lashing out at you, man...nor am I suggesting that you shouldn't have offered your information. All I am saying is that HP is strangely absent in all of this when they should just come out and close the loop on this and other issues.)

S'ok. I know what you're tryin' to get at, Chris. To be absolutely honest, you'd think they would have learned their lesson after the whole 2002 Upgrade fiasco. x_x

Lasher, when you say you snail-mailed it, I take it that you're doing it through Microsoft's Technology Fulfilment Program, and not HP?

-Kyle

[rtrueman]

I'm with you Chris! To make matters worse, the people at HP sales are quite rude about the situation. I called and the guy told me, "yeah, yeah, it's not available yet and we don't know when it will be. We're waiting for Microsoft to release the software." When I mentioned that their web site said it was available, the guy said, "Yeah, well I've been fielding calls from people all day about this. Microsoft told us to put it on our web site on a specific day, so we did. We still don't know when it will be available. You'll have to check back in a few days." Microsoft told them to post the information? Unlikely at best. This is just another example of the ignorance at HP and their practice of hyping things before they're available. Honestly, I love my iPaq and don't "need" this upgrade. I do expect to be able to order it when there is a link on the website. I also don't need the "attitude" when I call in to the sales line.

[ericdo]

October!!!! :!:

Damn - I'll have bought a new 5550 by then. And my 3870 will be reduced to a 'live in the car GPS unit' So looks like I won't bother to upgrade. :evil:

Major Gripe - Why is it that the Rest of the World had to wait for stuff to get released in the US sometimes. There is no info on the UK HP site on the upgrade. I mean surely HP realise they're a Global comapny now. Why treat half the world differently?

[trachy]

Major Gripe - Why is it that the Rest of the World had to wait for stuff to get released in the US sometimes. There is no info on the UK HP site on the upgrade. I mean surely HP realise they're a Global comapny now. Why treat half the world differently?

That's what makes the world go 'round, I guess. Not surprising or unusual, really. There are tons of products out there that make in-roads in Asia and Europe before coming to the states, too. For instance, that neat little Orange SPV. Didn't that come out in the UK first?

[ghostppc]

October!!!! :!:

Damn - I'll have bought a new 5550 by then. And my 3870 will be reduced to a 'live in the car GPS unit' So looks like I won't bother to upgrade. :evil:


Seems like that's what HP wants. The longer you have to wait for an upgrade, the more likely you'll be to buy a new device. That is if you aren't already at the brink of just selling off your handheld and going back to a notepad. :evil:

[ricksfiona]

That stinks having to wait until October to upgrade my 3870. I'll have my 5550 by then. I will eventually upgrade the 3870 so I can give that unit to an employee and keep all OS's consistent.

[dcharles18]

I actually called HP to order it over the phone since the link doesn't lead anywhere and was told that it had been delayed at least two weeks by a rep, to check back again in two weeks time.

[dartman]

Compaq did a terrible job with the 2002 upgrades on the 3100/3600. They should have been embarrassed.

On the other hand, they were one of the few vendors who even offered the upgrade. Lots of people had to buy new machines.

At least more vendors are on board this time even if it takes a while. Competitors like Dell keeping the rest honest.

dart

[Jerry Raia]

Lasher, when you say you snail-mailed it, I take it that you're doing it through Microsoft's Technology Fulfilment Program, and not HP?

-Kyle

Thats correct, I just bought my 5455 a couple weeks ago. I printed out the coupon they provided and mailed it in with a copy of my receipt.

[GadgetMan]

Well, I would like to upgrade my iPaq 3950 to Pocket PC 2003 today, but I cannot, even if it was available as a free download from HP site today!

Why?

Because Linksys has not yet bothered to release a Pocket PC 2003 compatible driver for their WCF-12 Wi-Fi compact flash card. So, the moment I perform the upgrade I will no longer have wireless connectivity.

And you think that HP's attitude is bad? Linksys is actining as if they only learned about Pocket PC 2003 today and maybe sometime in the near future they will sit down and think long and deep and then decide if maybe they feel like releasing the new driver before the end of this decade. How's this for stupidity and incompetence! :evil:

Cheers,

[Trokair]

Thats correct, I just bought my 5455 a couple weeks ago. I printed out the coupon they provided and mailed it in with a copy of my receipt.

Ah, I understand. I got my 3970 back in December, so I have to hang around until they start shipping the CDs. I hope they don't do something silly and charge $15 shipping and handling in addition to the $29.95 upgrade cost like they did with the 2002 upgrades, though.

-Kyle

[Jerry Raia]

oh they probably are...There's a 15.99 charge for the free one im getting!

[Janak Parekh]

And you think that HP's attitude is bad? Linksys is actining as if they only learned about Pocket PC 2003 today and maybe sometime in the near future they will sit down and think long and deep and then decide if maybe they feel like releasing the new driver before the end of this decade. How's this for stupidity and incompetence! :evil:
Right. I don't mean to defend HP per se, but I've seen many, many vendors do a whole lot worse in the consumer electronics industry, of which PDAs straddle the barrier.

And where does it say they're required to give you an upgrade tomorrow? I understand the frustration, but it's in their interest not to cannibalize sales of their own units. Of course, the counterpart is that their customers might go elsewhere, but that's a cost-risk factor I guess they're willing to take.

--janak

[CoreyJF]

And you think that HP's attitude is bad? Linksys is actining as if they only learned about Pocket PC 2003 today and maybe sometime in the near future they will sit down and think long and deep and then decide if maybe they feel like releasing the new driver before the end of this decade. How's this for stupidity and incompetence! :evil:
Right. I don't mean to defend HP per se, but I've seen many, many vendors do a whole lot worse in the consumer electronics industry, of which PDAs straddle the barrier.

And where does it say they're required to give you an upgrade tomorrow? I understand the frustration, but it's in their interest not to cannibalize sales of their own units. Of course, the counterpart is that their customers might go elsewhere, but that's a cost-risk factor I guess they're willing to take.

--janak

Sorry to double quote. My problem is not with the upgrade policy. I only have a mild issue with there not meeting there own deadlines. Sometimes it is a fact of buisness. My problem is that they have a website that said they would have update info on the 26th which sat unchanged for most if not all of the 26th. Then when they finally do post upgarde info it is to a link on there online store with no product. Then I waste my time searching the site to find the upgrade. Then further waste my time calling HP, only to be told that they had hopes it would be up today but that is isn't and I could go to ppcupgrades.com. Of course since I purchaced mine 3 weeks before that date, that is not an option. I can accept that sometimes products do not ship when jope or planned for, but don't waste my time with links that go nowhere!

[Janak Parekh]

I can accept that sometimes products do not ship when jope or planned for, but don't waste my time with links that go nowhere!
Understood. I've updated my post to reflect as much.

--janak

[Skitals]

Does anyone else feel like they have been at this too long? Seeing the release of Pocket PC 2000, Pocket PC 2002, and now 2003?

It's the same old same old. Compaq had a million problems with the original 36XX ipaq, and things havent really changed much sense.

I dont know about you guys, but I'm just gonna wait for 2k3 to leak. I remember 2k2 was leaked before most people got it legitimately. Honestly... I dont feel bad for hp/compaq at all.

[Johan]

I can't understand why a thing like this upgrade isn't rolled out to the users the same date M$ released it! How hard can it be? Also why they don't give us the option to pay online and download the stuff. I'm sure most are frustrated by having to wait. 8O

HP Sweden has no info. when it will be available or what it wil cost.

Seem like Dell got their act together! Perhaps it's time for a Dell next time for me, the coming unit with Wifi, GPRS, Bluetooth sounds sweet.

I'm HP and others that are slow on offering the upgrades will loose a lot of sales as soon as things get posted on Kaaza and the likes.

YOU SNOOZE YOU LOOSE.... :twisted:

[cpoole]

It looks like my 3670 is out of the loop... I guess that should be viewed as posative... at least I don't have to fret about waiting till October :?

[SLG2]

I assume that with my Jornada 565 I'm completely out of luck in getting an update?

[Trokair]

Yeah, the HP Upgrade page quotes the Jordana series as having reached its 'end of lifecycle' (which means no upgrade).

-Kyle

[Johan]

And where does it say they're required to give you an upgrade tomorrow? I understand the frustration, but it's in their interest not to cannibalize sales of their own units. Of course, the counterpart is that their customers might go elsewhere, but that's a cost-risk factor I guess they're willing to take.

--janak

That is the same as if HP would refuse to sell you a Windows Xp upgrade for a two year old PC. Don't think people will throw away a working PPC 2002 device for the changes in PPC 2003. People who has to have the latest modell will buy a new model, no matter the OS. I think I would prefer a "bios" upgrade from hardware manufacturer and the purchase the OS from M$.

[Perry Reed]

I assume that with my Jornada 565 I'm completely out of luck in getting an update?

Yep, you are well and truly SOL. And so am I.

Unlike the old days when HP would support "obsolete" products, the new HP seems to have very little interest in it.

[cmchavez]

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2003 2:23 PM
To: cmchavez
Subject: RE: iPAQ H3900 Series Pocket PC P-hand-dg <ID:NAD030627470874-269662185>

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please retain this line in all replies: <ID:NAD030627470874-269662185>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dear Customer,

Thank you for contacting HP eServices.

We appreciate your patience and co-operation regarding this matter. As the volume required is too high, the online purchase may not be enabled till Monday 30th June 2003. For more information, please call 800-888-0262. We once again apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Please e-mail us if you have any further clarification and we will be glad to help.

Regards,

HP eServices


Just a few more days of waiting... :roll: