Log in

View Full Version : iPaq h1940 Upgrade Suggestions


mgreenhalgh
09-30-2006, 04:56 PM
When I first bought my h1940 it was due to my old Toshiba (e300 I think) biting the dust...the screen collapsed and I didn't fancy forking out a lot of money replacing the screen on an out-dated and underpowered machine. So I researched, however only had cash for a bargain replacement and decided I'd go with the well known bargain iPaq of the time.

It's been two years now and the device has been absolutely amazing, a joy to live with...I'm hardly what you'd call a power user, I use it for viewing pictures, all of the standard PDA stuff (for which I use Pocket Informant and Pocket Breeze), playing games (PocketSCUMM mostly, I play Monkey Island and the like) and finally viewing movies (No question of legalities here, it's all my own movies :)). I'd like to use it occasionally for MSN Messenger and viewing some websites however the lack of wi-fi has cramped my style here.

That's the background out of the way, now on to the point of my post. Thanks for bearing with me.

As I said it's been two years and now I'm facing a dilemma. My iPaq still works nicely, no signs of failings anywhere, however I'm facing my last chance to upgrade for a while. After the start of next year I won't really be in a position to replace the unit easily and I'm all for looking ahead, so I thought I'd preempty any problems that may arise from the unit being old by upgrading while I have the cash.

So my question is, what would be a good upgrade considering I'm happy with my model?

My ideas were;
HP iPaq rx1950 - The budget price model again, it appeals to me because of how close to my own model it is, it provides upgrades I want without breaking the bank. What I've heard about memory worries me however...considering I'm 'just about comfortable' with the memory my 1940 has (I'll admit to wishing sometimes that I had more) I'm unsure whether I'd consider it an issue. My other worry is it's only a 300mhz processor...the nerd in me wonders if that's enough of an upgrade from the 222mhz processor in my 1940. I also wonder how many of my 1940 accessories would work with a 1950...anything at all?

HP iPaq hx2190 - This would be what I'd consider a 'meaty' upgrade, well above what I'm used to. While again there's the processor niggle, the memory is well and truly what I'd be looking for. However it's a little more expensive and I'm really not sure of the design...it looks a bit too sharp edged? What's it like to use?

Dell Axim X-51 - Sorry folks, I had to throw this one in...it's the equivalent of the 2190 in spec (though the processor is a noticeable upgrade...double what I'm using) however having to replace all of my accessories bothers me...that's a lot of extra money on top. With this another positive is that it includes bluetooth as well as wi-fi, and compact flash as well as SD card slots. Like I said however, I have the worry of changing brands and not knowing what to expect.

So I'm just looking for suggestions really. Has anyone had any experience with a similar upgrade path, anyone used a 1940 and then upgraded to any of these or similar? Any recommendations really, along with warnings as to what to avoid if I do decide to upgrade to any of these.

hx2210
10-01-2006, 02:38 AM
Hi,

Well up until a month ago I was using a hx2110, which I had upgraded to WM5. I found the device to be perfect for me except that it had no wi-fi. It was comfortable to hold and wasn't too big. The model you were looking at is the model that shipped with WM5 and doesn't have wi-fi but there is another model above it that does and doesn't cost much more.

The rx1950 however is one that I haven't used personaly, but a friend has one and he has only had good things to say about it. The only drawback (for me when I was considering buying this model) was that it didn't have bluetooth which I was acustomed to using on my Nokia phone.

Both are really good choices it just depends on which one you find matches your needs more.

splat
10-01-2006, 04:01 PM
Since your using the PPC to do simple things (no slight intended) the 1955 should work for you.

I've used one for a while and was not unhappy.

You will want to get an SD card and install sofftware to it as opposed to in memory - but otherwise it was fast enough to view video (TCMP works fine), the screen is nice, it's not much bigger than the 1940 and the battery life seems better.

AS to the others - I've never used the Dell, and after having the 1945 the 2210 was _huge_ to me. I got rid of it and went back to the 1945 as soon as I could.

...but that was me. I don't mind losing a little horsepower to have a more portable device.