Looking to buy a iPAQ h4355 Need help with Questions..

[IpaqMan2]

Well I have been using a Palm OS PDA for sometimes and have been looking to switching back to the PPC but was hoping to get some information from others using the PPCs now.

I've used the Sony Clies for about the lst 3 years and have really grown attach to using a thumboard and decided that the iPAQ h4355 except a camera :-( ] has everything I would like to have in a PDA, Thumboard, Bluetooth, and WiFi....But not the 2003SE of the PPC OS. Does anyone know if the iPAQ h4355 can be upgraded to the 2003SE PPC OS? I have been waiting for Microsoft to add landscape support for the last 4 years.

Next... does anyone know if there is a folding keyboard or something that the iPAQ h4355 can use.

And last.. does anyone think it's a dumb idea to buy the iPAQ h4355 now when newer PPCs with VGA support will be comming out just around the corner, or does anyone know of another PPC witha Built in thumb board?

I saw the Symbol MC50 and WOULD LOVE to have one.. but don't need a barscanner and it would cost way too much. Also looked into the hitachi g1000 and though it's HUGE, it does have the thumb board, and a Phone and a Camera that is a big plus.. but it also is running an older OS still.

I appreciate any info, thoughts, or suggesstions..
Thanks

[Darius Wey]

Unfortunately, the h4355 cannot be upgraded to WM2003SE. None of HP's previous generation of devices will be able to be upgraded to this new version. It's probably the news you didn't want to hear, but trust me, we've all had our rants on this! ;)

As with folding keyboards, you can easily get IR or Bluetooth enabled keyboards that work with the device. I would recommend some but there are simply too many to choose from. Have a search through PPCT for some suggestions.

And lastly, is it a "dumb idea" to be purchasing the h4355? Well that really depends on what you want in a Pocket PC. If WM2003SE is not a big deal, then you can generally find a vast range of devices out there with WM2003 that have been marked down in price. Are you solely limited to HP when choosing a Pocket PC? If not, there are other manufacturers out there such as Dell, Toshiba, and Asus...to name a few. If so, have you considered other devices in HP's previous range? Although you have grown attached to the idea of a thumboard, if you feel as though you can make do without it, then there are many other devices out there that you can opt for with similar specifications. The h4150 and h2210 may appeal to you in this case.

These are just a few suggestions. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

[TMann]

Hello! I'm a current Palm and PPC user. I'm also a former Clie user who misses the thumboard on my TG50. :(

I think that you'll really like the 4355. It's a nice device with a really good keyboard. As far as I can tell from the forums. there were very few complaints about this model.

Except for the lack of landscape support I can't think of anything significant that you'd be missing by not having WM SE. (I have a 4155 and have loved it.)

Good luck with your decision!

TMann :D

[jpf]

The screen (4355) has a slight yellow tinge to it and I noticed that changing the viewing angle had a significant effect on the overall tone of the screen.

I upgraded from a 4355 to the 4700 and although I really found little to fault the 4355 once I was used to it, I have to say that I am very happy to make the change to the 4700 (despite the fact it's been far more prone to software errors). Some have problems and some don't.