rx3115 vs 4150 vs 3835

[rook]

Hello,

I've had a 3835 for a few years now and have really enjoyed having a pocket pc. The unit has survived a lot of drops and heavy use. Unfortunately the most recent drop put a pretty good size crack in the LCD. I used it for a month after, but when Staples had a $100 rebate, i knew it was time to get a new PPC. I had decided that i wanted the 4150, but they didn't have any more, so i got the rx3115 (net will be about 240 after rebates and tax). After using the rx3115 for a week now, I'm still unsure if i should keep it or return it and hold out for the 4150.

I don't need the latest and greatest (read: i don't want to spend $500) PPC. After having the 3835 for so long, i know the things i want to use it for. I never thought the 3835 was too slow, so i don't think i need the processing power of some of the higher end models. I had a sleeve for the 3835 that let me work wirelessly, but the sleeve added a lot of weight-- i'm happy that wifi it built in to most of the newer models.

These are my common uses for the PPC:
Contacts, reminders, Auidble.com, GPS, Internet, viewing photos, games

Things i might add start doing:
MP3s, Videos

Looking at the specs between the 4150 and the rx3115 show the 4150 to be a little smaller. Both are smaller then the 3835, so either will be an improvement. Also, both have built in 802.11 and BT.

My reservations for the rx5115 are:
It is billed as a Media PPC. I'm not sure what that means except the buttons are labeled differently (i've re-assigned them back to match my 3835)
It was missing the Terminal Server client. After a LOT of searching, i found the install and it seems to work.
It seems to be missing a VPN client.
When pressing the buttons it seems a little sluggish--even compared to my 3835.
The speaker does not seem to be as loud as the 3835

What i like:
My car charger for the 3835 works with it
the screen can flip to landscape. I love that for Internet browsing
Removable battery
Bright screen

Does anyone have any recommendations for me? Should i just stick with the rx3115? Or will the 4150 be a better replacement for me?

Thanks for any input,
Rook

[Kowalski]

4150 is has one of the best form factors ever, and rock solid stable device(software and OS)
i didnt see any rx series device but i am sure the form factor wont be better than 4150
if i were you, i would get a 4150, a stable and trusted device, mature OS

[Menneisyys]

i didnt see any rx series device but i am sure the form factor wont be better than 4150
if i were you, i would get a 4150, a stable and trusted device, mature OS

Indeed its form factor isn't better, but it still has some advantages over the 4150:

- has a newer OS and it may have the chance (albeit not much) to even receive the WM2005 upgrade. The 4150, being an older device, will definitely not receive anything.

- has a MUCH better screen

- has CIR

- has much better battery life

So, I'd go for the rx3115.

[Kowalski]

rook mentioned that he needs the device for 'simple daily use' so CIR, better screen etc. is not important here. i find the stability and form factor of 4150 will be key features for a standart user

and about the OS upgrade; i am pretty sure that HP wont release 2005 update for rx3115

[garlic]

rx3115 hands down. Theres just no question about it....

1. There is no landscape mode with the 4150 and 3rd party programs suck. This is a HUGE feature you want that the 4150 does not have.

2. Battery life on the rx3115 is SUPERIOUR. plus it can use the same battery the rx3715 has which dosnt pertrude out the back and will give you an amazing 8-9 hours of battery life. I got 6 hours on my rx3115 with the standard battery.

3. Even though the rx3115 is 300mhz its about as fast as the 4150 since it uses the new samsung CPU. I have done side by side tests. The rx3115 and the hp2215 which has the same 400mhz cpu the 4150 has. Speed was about the same. Dont look at the spb benchmarks, they're riddled with bugs and errors. This has been proven countless times.

[Orbsplateau]

I can easily recommend the rx3115 over the h4150 - though I think the 4150 is a great device.

I spent a long time agonizing over the X50, h4150, rx3115 and hx2410

I got to use the h4150 for about a day and I actually bought the X50, rx3115 and hx2410 and tried to use each model for about a week. I REALLY liked the rx3115 but I got an amazing deal on my 2410, so I kept it but... I still miss the 3115 sometimes.

It’s very light and has a wonderful display. The battery life is unbeatable.
The formfactor actually grew on me after a few days. Although the buttons initially felt small and flimsy, they felt pretty good once I got used to them. The 5 directional pad for example, felt much more comfortable than the ones found on the other devices (and much softer than my hx2410's).

It’s pretty fast too. I got great video performance out of it (Betaplayer).
It kept up with the 416Mhz X50 and was just a little slower than the 520Mhz 2410.
I didn’t notice any speed lags while reading articles on a news site or when performing day-to-day taks (recording lectures, MP3 playback, pocket streets, Planmaker)

The ONLY speed difference I noticed was when loading a 6MB+ word file, and when performing a soft reset. The rx3115 took the longest to boot-up after a soft-reset, but this didn’t bother me too much since I only had to do it once.
Larger images and maps also took slightly longer to load (only compared to the hx2410).

The 3115 also has more functions (e.g. hold power button to turn off backlight, landscape mode, consumer IR, wifi streaming, etc.) and comes with more software (loaded in ROM) than the h4150.

Future expansion/parts replacement should also be easier. It seems that the rx3xxx series and the hx2xxx use the same battery and stylus. Only their cradle/connector seemed different.

I can’t think of any cons, at least not compared to the h4150.

Compared to the hx2410 however, I’d say the 3115 didn’t feel as solid (I felt that if I tried hard enough I could crush it in my hands). Connecting to secure networks is more manageable with the 2410 (LEAP) but there’s software than can overcome this. The 3115's display was great, but the hx2410's was slightly brighter. The 2410 has a CF slot, is faster and has more memory. The security features on the 2410 are also impressive (can survive a hard-reset).

All-in-all, the rx3115 is a great device. Once you start using it, it’s hard not to like it.

[rook]

Thanks for all the comments. I did end up going with the 3115. With the rebate it was $100 cheaper, plus I really like the landscape mode.

I've had it for a few weeks now, and it really growing on me. At first, i didn't like the buttons as compared to my 3835. But i'm getting used to it.

Now that i've settled on a new PPC, i need to get all new accessories! And based on what happen to my rusty 3835, the rhinoskin cover will be the first.