HP Taking Orders For iPAQ 3800 Upgrades To Windows Mobile 2003

[Ed Hansberry]

Rounding out the list of iPAQs HP is selling upgrades to the new Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC, they are now taking orders for the 3800 models. There are two different CDs, <a href="http://h30094.www3.hp.com/product.asp?sku=2411863">one for the 387x series</a> that has integrated bluetooth and <a href="http://h30094.www3.hp.com/product.asp?sku=2411862">one for all non-bluetooth 3800s</a>. The price is $29.95 plus shipping.<br /><br />I would think this ROM build would also include all previously released driver updates, with the exception of keyboard drivers and similar items, for the device, so if you get this, make sure that before you put on any 3800 related patches, it is for the 2003 OS.<br /><br /><b>UPDATE:</b> The upgrade site seems to be having intermittent problems, so if you can't get through, don't panic. Just try back again later.<br /><br /><b>UPDATE 2:</b> It seems HP is messing with the links. :roll: <a href="http://www.smb.compaq.com/sp_main.asp?hp_url=searchresults.asp?store_id=8&search_id=71&dept_id=1084&dsc=pocket+pc+upgrades&c=HPSMBCtr_ppcupgrade&n=D_I_DR_X_T_x_GenericNVP&t=ad&r=HP_SMBCtr_O&jumpid=re_R295_store/special-ppc-upgrade/computing/handhelds">Either try this page</a> or go to <a href="http://www.hp.com/sbso/special/ppc_upgrade.html#upgrade">the 2003 update page</a> and select the purchase link. It boggles my mind why companies block direct linking to these sorts of things. It is as if they are thinking you'll get lost in the site (very likely) and will just wind up purchasing the HP 9000 Superdome or something while you are in the maze. :roll:

[hopeful797]

any chance this would work with the 3600 series? i am tempted to order just to see and ebay it if need be.

[Ed Hansberry]

any chance this would work with the 3600 series? i am tempted to order just to see and ebay it if need be.
Nope. Totally different device. Remember that these ROMs include the necessary drivers specific to each device. That is why there is a different ROM upgrade for the 3800, 3900 and 5400, and the 38/3900 have two version, one with and one without BT.

[jpaq]

Kudos to Hp/Compaq for their ongoing support of their past devices. They and Dell (although early in the game) seem to be tops in this department. The sad thing is that you seem to have three levels in this arena and the majority of the vendors lean towards the lower extreme.

1. GREAT Support! (HP/Compaq, Dell)
2. Good Support
3. Support? What's Support? (Toshiba/Audiovox)

But, not to dwell on the negative. Again, I say cheers to HP/Compaq!

:beer:

[FrankO]

Ordered yesterday, shipped yesterday, be here tomorrow.

Now, will it work?

FrankO

:wink:

[JustinGTP]

Ordered yesterday, shipped yesterday, be here tomorrow.

Now, will it work?

FrankO

:wink:

Most likely :D

I love HP stuff, high quality and good looking... (Great C/S)

-Justin.

[jfreiman]

I just ordered mine too - next day air with estimated ship date of Nov 1.

[shark-e]

Will this upgrade work for machines bought in the UK?

Am I better off getting the upgrade from a UK supplier?

Presumably just backing up is not good enough I need to reload all apps once I've upgraded

[ricksfiona]

You guys are lucky... My order won't get shipped until November 19th. Heck, I may have my 5550 by then. Well, the 3870 will be good for a future employee at least.

[Perk]

I ordered it long ago and they kept delaying, stating that the publisher mislabeled the CDs or something like that. :roll:

I love the new small chassis iPAQ lineup but use different expansion sleeves on my current unit and simply can not do without. I recently re-located to Denver and use CoPilot GPS software in my business day. The sleeve stays on my windsheild 24/7, provides an exterior antenna and recharges my iPAQ while driving. I can't do this with the current models. I also use an expansion sleeve for wifi at home. If anyone knows of resources like these for the new small chasis line-up, please reply.

INSTALLATION
Installation is exactly the same as their previous ROM updates so, if you follow the instructions, it's a piece of cake.
CAUTION: Connecting your iPAQ through a hub when doing this can send it back to the factory. This happened to me once.

VISUALS :razzing:
The new look is only slightly different but a nice improvement. Viewing contacts, apointments and so on are easier on the eyes and the watermarks keep your eyes on target when glancing from left to right. There are other nice little visual improvements here and there. It reminds me of my upgrade from Win95 to Win98.

PERFORMANCE :mrgreen:
My H3835 actually seems faster. When using my GPS software, it always seemed to slow down calendar and contact lookups in the past. There is a definite improvement in speed here. Also, I play Monopoly on occasion and can't help noticing that the animation is smoother.

WIFI 8)
I use an expansion sleeve and CF WIFI card on my iPAQ and in the past, I found it way too slow and just not very good at all. Not so anymore. I downloaded new drivers for my card, plugged it in and off I went. The page loading times are MUCH FASTER and the graphics better. When using the "Fit to Screen" option, graphics can look blocky but disabling it reloads the page very quickly.

VALUE :way to go:
Breathing new life in to a tried and true friend comes pretty easy at this price. I strongly reccommend this upgrade to anyone who uses the H3800 series on a daily basis.

[Gerard]

It's possible that I'll order this, but not likely. Too late, and still too many of my main software titles unsupported for WM2003. My HP CF camera wouldn't work, as mmVision has apparently abandoned their software development for the camera. There's a few other titles still unresolved, but the camera is the serious sticking point for me.

Now that the e800 is coming available, others with similar features are bound to follow soon. I'm holding out for one with e800-like features and GPRS besides. Meanwhile, PPC 2002 will do fine. HP stalled far too long with this, at least for this user, as other possibilities on the near horizon just look better than this funky old 3835 with dying battery and disfunctional backlight. (Every morning I'm tapping blindly with a finger to shut off the SuperAlert alarm, as the backlight stops working at all until I reset.) Compaq/HP - bye bye.

[Iznot Gold]

3870 upgrade in US = $30
3870 upgrade in UK = $84!!!!!!!

Hmmmm 8O

David

[nikeboy]

I got my 3835 pocket pc 2003 upgrade kit a few days ago. Went without a hitch. Haven't played with it too much, but I am irritated there is no driver support for the WL110 pc card. Being that it's from Compaq I assumed it would be supported. I can use a compact flash wireless card, but I prefer the range that the WL110 has. I may have to switch back to 2002 just for that reason.

[Perk]

I just ordered mine too - next day air with estimated ship date of Nov 1.

[JustinGTP]

I just ordered mine too - next day air with estimated ship date of Nov 1.

Dont post your replies in he subject line! I found it very confusing why you only posted a quote, and then I realized that your answer was in the subject line.)Put in in your message like so :

[example]
I just ordered mine too - next day air with estimated ship date of Nov 1.
That's true of iPAQs but I had a very different experience with their laptops

[end example]

See, this makes it much, much easier.

-Justin.

[ctmagnus]

I just ordered mine too - next day air with estimated ship date of Nov 1.

Dont post your replies in he subject line! I found it very confusing why you only posted a quote, and then I realized that your answer was in the subject line.)Put in in your message like so :

[example]
I just ordered mine too - next day air with estimated ship date of Nov 1.
That's true of iPAQs but I had a very different experience with their laptops

[end example]

See, this makes it much, much easier.

-Justin.

Personally, I don't even read subject lines in phpBB-based forums as the subject is tucked way up, beside the date and out of the way. vBulletin-based forums, on the other hand, stick the subject at the beginning of the post where it's actually likely to get read, and bold it, so it's even easier to find out what the post is about. That's my one beef with phpBB.

:nonono:

[Kati Compton]

Enough chastizing Perk. Let's move on. I had it covered.

[lapchinj]

VALUE :way to go:
Breathing new life in to a tried and true friend comes pretty easy at this price. I strongly reccommend this upgrade to anyone who uses the H3800 series on a daily basis.

Thanks. I received my upgrade early last week and have been holding off until I heard some positive feedback. Your review was complete and positive enough to go with upgrade. :D

Jeff -

[nicholsr]

INSTALLATION
Installation is exactly the same as their previous ROM updates so, if you follow the instructions, it's a piece of cake.
CAUTION: Connecting your iPAQ through a hub when doing this can send it back to the factory. This happened to me once.


Got mine today, ran through the process but it kept telling me the ROM on my h3850 was wrong. I have (and it reported) 1.20 but it said I needed 4.00. Someone said I needed the EUU 4 update but I can't find one. Ive got EUU 3.0

:?: Any idea's?
:?:
Richard

[Janak Parekh]

Got mine today, ran through the process but it kept telling me the ROM on my h3850 was wrong. I have (and it reported) 1.20 but it said I needed 4.00. Someone said I needed the EUU 4 update but I can't find one. Ive got EUU 3.0
Sounds to me like you ended up getting the wrong CD, e.g., the Bluetooth version even though you don't have a BT-enabled iPAQ. I'd call HP first and ask.

--janak

[nicholsr]

Got mine today, ran through the process but it kept telling me the ROM on my h3850 was wrong. I have (and it reported) 1.20 but it said I needed 4.00. Someone said I needed the EUU 4 update but I can't find one. Ive got EUU 3.0
Sounds to me like you ended up getting the wrong CD, e.g., the Bluetooth version even though you don't have a BT-enabled iPAQ. I'd call HP first and ask.

--janak

Yup, that's it! I looked on my invoice and sure enough it says BT! The only problem is I have to send this one back and wait for the new one.

I'm going to keep this one just in case and order a new copy!

Thanks for your help.

:lol: Richard

[Marc Zimmermann]

3870 upgrade in US = $30
3870 upgrade in UK = $84!!!!!!!


In Germany = ~65 Euros

[OSUKid7]

Just ordered mine last night...

Est Ship Date: 11/20/2003
Est Delivery Date: 11/27/2003

:( Well, at least I'll get it sometime soon...


BTW, does the update only erase ROM? Or does it delete all RAM and programs too? Anyone know?

[Ed Hansberry]

Just ordered mine last night...

Est Ship Date: 11/20/2003
Est Delivery Date: 11/27/2003

:( Well, at least I'll get it sometime soon...


BTW, does the update only erase ROM? Or does it delete all RAM and programs too? Anyone know?Part of the process is to do a hard reset. You don't want old program settings and the 2002 registry in there, so back up your data and prepare to reinstall all of your apps.

[OSUKid7]

Just ordered mine last night...

Est Ship Date: 11/20/2003
Est Delivery Date: 11/27/2003

:( Well, at least I'll get it sometime soon...


BTW, does the update only erase ROM? Or does it delete all RAM and programs too? Anyone know?Part of the process is to do a hard reset. You don't want old program settings and the 2002 registry in there, so back up your data and prepare to reinstall all of your apps.

I see...ok, think I can live with that. Just g2 find some old install files (since I have reformatted my PC after installing most of my PPC apps).

[jfreiman]

I just ordered mine too - next day air with estimated ship date of Nov 1.

Well, I got an email from "Stephanie" at HP saying that my item is now backordered and will not ship out on the expected date.

No new date is given for my order but they will contact me on or by 11/16 and let me know the status.

:evil:

[buckyg]

FWIW... I got caught in the whole fiasco with the 54xx upgrade: backorders, no communication, got the wrong CD, backordered again, etc. Finally got the CD.

Anyway, if this is the Stephanie that worked with me, she kept me up to date. (I think her last name stated with H) Until I got in touch with her, I received no notices from HP, the date on my order lookup page kept changing, etc. I finally called them. From then on, Stephanie kept me informed on a timely basis. I would get one of these emails, would respond back to please keep the order, then she would respond that same business day.

If I remember correctly, I received one of these delay messages 1 or 2 days before actually receiving the CD. Yes, you may have a different experience, my point is to try using her as a contact regarding your order status.

Best regards,
buckyg

[jfreiman]

Well, I finally got my upgrade in the other night and I've got to say that my iPAQ isn't as reliable as it once was.

In the past 1.5 days my unit has locked up no less than 4 times.

I'm not doing anything "wierd" on my PocketPC and the few applications I have installed are 2003 compatible.

This sucks.

[OSUKid7]

Well, I finally got my upgrade in the other night and I've got to say that my iPAQ isn't as reliable as it once was.

In the past 1.5 days my unit has locked up no less than 4 times.

I'm not doing anything "wierd" on my PocketPC and the few applications I have installed are 2003 compatible.

This sucks.

Well, first of all, an English correction - that should be "locked up no fewer than four times."

But anyway, I got my 3870 upgrade about two weeks after I ordered it. It came very fast. And although I'm not sure paying $30 for the limited new features was worth it, my PocketPC has been much more stable than before. NetStumbler also works now. It didn't for some reason with PPC2002.

[Janak Parekh]

In the past 1.5 days my unit has locked up no less than 4 times.
Try using it without ANY software for a day or two. That'll help you narrow it down. I haven't used my upgraded 3870 much, but it seems to run OK...

--janak