Which Ipaq should I get next- 39xx or 54xx series?

[agirlcalledbob]

Hello all,
I have a 3835- which I love. This week the battery stopped charging and while I am sending it back to Compaq in hopes that its only in need of a new battery I am thinking about upgrading (especially, if its going to cost more than the $140 I paid through eBay).

I have a few extras for my h3835 (multiple cradles, 2 card exp w/ battery, car charger, nice case) so I want something that is going to be compatible with these items. I think that the 3900 and 5400 series are interchangible with these items but I a) want to make sure and b) want to know the best one to buy.

I have read alot of people love their 3900's, and some others swear by their 5400's.

What do you think? Either that or maybe i should just pay for whatever repairs my 3835 needs and stick with that.

Thanks,
B

[Johannes]

I upgraded to a 5555 in November and haven't looked back since then. It can use any of the older expansion packs, has 802.11b and bluetooth, more memory than just about anything else and is fast to boot. The flipside is that it costs more, but you can find them for pretty good prices these day - particularly on ebay.

[arnage2]

look for a used 2215 or 4155, you wont regret it.

[Pat Logsdon]

look for a used 2215 or 4155, you wont regret it.
While this is probably true, these devices do not support the expansion packs that "Bob" has - only the 5xxx series has the correct form factor.

My vote is for the 5xxx series, simply because it's newer. :wink:

[Janak Parekh]

I owned a 3870, so here's my feedback.

multiple cradles
Cradles should work just fine -- the connector hasn't changed.

2 card exp w/ battery
Will work fine in both, although I've heard the battery behavior has changed in 5xxx units. In the 5xxx units, the sleeve battery only powers the sleeve peripherals.

car charger
Like cradle, should work fine.

nice case
Will work on 39xx, probably not 5xxx, because they moved the screen "up" to handle the new d-pad and biometric reader. The antenna may be an issue too, but I doubt it.

--janak