ipaq accessory recommendations plz

[sp0om]

hello all.

im about to get an ipaq 2215 (yippee) and i want to protect my investment as much as possible. Does anyone have any screen protector , case, and keyboard recommendations?

right now, im leaning toward a rhino skin for a case, but i am still clueless on the keyboard and screen protector.

[Steven Cedrone]

My choices weren't cheap...

Vaja hp 41 Case (http://www.vajacases.com/) and WriteSHIELD's. (http://www.pocketpctechs.com/ws.asp)

Steve

[sp0om]

holy crap. 40 dollar screen protectors!? :lol:

anyways, looks like good stuff.

btw, are 2215 as bad as they are made out to be on amazon.com? ive read some horror stories on amazon regarding the cheapness and terrible customer support of this product, and am a bit worried. im buying the 2215 used without a warrenty, and i might just sell it right when i get it. i really cant afford to have my ppc die on me in a year or so.

is it really that risky?

[Steven Cedrone]

I have been using my 2215 for months and months, no problems here. What exactly have you heard?

Steve

[sp0om]

- HP has terrible customer support. Because in my experience PDA screens scratch and/or wear out, I made the mistake of purchasing an extended warranty, the HP Care Pack, from HP. So far my experience has been very negative. To begin with they sent me two warranties for my one device. I discovered this when I looked at the purchase confirmation so I called them for help. First they blamed me and accused me of purposely buying two warranties and then they proceeded to make the return process as inconvenient as possible. Let's just say that I still haven't gotten a refund for the warranty they "accidentally" charged me for, but that isn't why I am upset...

-The large button in the center broke within a week. Then, after I'd had it about two months, it broke completely. I was staring right at it and it shut down, never to turn on again...

-My IPAQ froze up on Thanksgiving day of 2003. It would not do anything, so on Monday, I called HP service, they said they wouldn't do anything because the 1 year warranty had expired. I purchased two of the three on Oct. 4, 2002 and this was No

-Why on earth you would release something so buggy and problem ridden is beyond me...

- you're in trouble. and for customer service, be prepared to read a hundred screens and waste hours. I got partial sync only, and in the end, my error message wasn't even listed after hours of trying to clear it up. If it doesn't work right off the bat, beware...

the majority of the reviews on amazon are positive, but they were also written right after purchase. i also read on this very forum about the rubber side grips falling off after a couple months of use. is this unit as crappy as it is made out to be?

[jnajera]

The 2215 I have turned out to be one of the best PDA's I have ever owned . HP's customer support is one of the best out there,excellent!

[Steven Cedrone]

i also read on this very forum about the rubber side grips falling off after a couple months of use. is this unit as crappy as it is made out to be?

O.K., you have me on that one! There have been a bunch of problems with side grips (although it has not happened to me). This, however, can be fixed with a call to HP requesting a new pair (or purchasing replacements from Pocket PC Techs).

But I just want to say again, I have not had any problems with my side grips...

Steve

[sp0om]

even though i bought this used, can i still get that 2 year warranty?

[bljarv]

But I just want to say again, I have not had any problems with my side grips...

Like Steve, I have had my 2215 for a while now and not had any problems - not even with the notorious side grips. I would agree that this has probably been the best device I've owned yet (certainly not my first...much to my wife's disappointment :D )

[bigkingfun]

holy crap. 40 dollar screen protectors!? :lol:

They're worth every penny, IMHO. On my last PPC, I used the same one for about a year and it still worked fine. You can remove them, clean them, and reapply them, so they last a LOT longer than the cheap ones.

[Mark Kenepp]

I first used screen protectors on my Old Palm Pilot Pro and found they made the screen difficult to read (don't remember the brand).

When I purchased my Jornada, I didn't use screen protectors and within a month, the screen was so scratched (combined with the infamous dust problem) that my screen was harder to read than my old Palm Pilot with its screen protector.

WriteShields (http://www.pocketpctechs.com/detail.asp?Product_ID=WSIPAQ03-3) are far superior and, IMHO, they make the screen more readable in some conditions than a bare screen. Screen protectors have come a long way.

Regarding cases, I picked up a Rhino-skin Aluminum Hard Case (http://www.saunders-usa.com/rhinoskin/cat.cfm?cat_id=5072) at Comp USA when I bought my 2215 mainly because the 2215 doesn't come with a flip cover :soapbox: It doesn't add too much balk to the device so it still fits into my pocket. I do on occasion; use the belt clip option with the case but it mostly goes into a pocket somewhere.