Rating: 
Summary: The IPAQ 3635 is it
Review: I've had the IPAQ 3635 for 6 months now and like it better every day. I keep contacts, email, music, spreadsheets (they are easy to view), meeting notes (targus keypad works great), directions to destinations, etc. I really depend on it for business. Activesynch has worked like a dream - takes about 30 seconds when I plug it in and if I leave it plugged in it keeps synched. The only real problem is battery life - it lasts about 3-3 1/2 hours and many times I really need 5-6 hours. Wish there was an external battery pack for it like I have for my digital camera.
Rating: 
Summary: Great
Review: I do not actually have this yet, but let me twll you, this is the best I can fin anywhere. WHEN will it be in stock!!?! I'm checking every day.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I found this device so wonderful that it replaced my Handspring Visor Platinum! Transcriber is the best handwriting recognition program I have ever used, and this PDA is the only one upgradable to the new PocketPC OS! I use it with a 1GB IBM Microdrive, and that capacity places it light years ahead of my old Visor! I highly recommend the Ipaq 3635!
Rating:
Summary: Palm? Hell no.
Review: One of my friends warned me not to buy the iPaq 3135, but since Amazon had such a good deal on it, I ordered it... and he was totally wrong about it. I absolutely love my 3135 - although the screen does scratch easily, in my opinion, but this isn't a big deal, as it can be expected with all handhelds. Compared to the Palm I had (a Palm IIIe), this thing is God^3. ;-)
Rating: 
Summary: Tried 3135 after having used Handspring (Palm OS)
Review: Have had the 3135 for a few days after having used a Handspring
Visor for some time. Was seduced by articles that said that
Compaq had beaten Palm in terms of sales, that MS had just
intro'd Pocket PC 2002 OS (3135 features Pocket PC 1.0 but is
mostly upgradable to PPC 2002 OS), that Palm OS 5 was going
to look like PPC 2002, etc. No matter what anyone says, Win
CE (aka Pocket PC) OS is NOT LIKE desktop Windows software.
Win CE/PPC is crude, and we are unfortunately beta testing
MS software just as we did with Windows versions prior to
Win 2000.Although I discuss Handspring, the analogy pretty much works
with any Palm type device. 1. If you need simple, direct access to applications, look at
any Palm OS PDA running Palm OS 4. 2. Have had constant problems with ActiveSync (MS version of
Palm Desktop sync). Have had to reset 3135 several times (I've
only had to do this once w/ Handspring, when I tried to use
the VisorPhone, which worked for a while, then stopped when
I did something stupid. 3. PPC OS doesn't handle CompactFlash (CF) well. With Handspring CF adapters (Kopsis drivers), if you put something in CF, as long as your CF card is compatible, the Handspring will see it. Unfortunately, as my Handspring With PPC, you HAVE to synchronize, otherwise, your application (such as Media Player) won't be able to access the mp3's you've put in the CF. 4. (This is not limtied to PPC, also applies to any black and
white PDA.) Don't bother with video if you "only" have a
black and white PDA. Movies look terrible on a b/w device. The only video that is ok on a b/w device is cartoons. 5. The 3135 makes a terrific mp3 player though. Dont' bother
buying a CF or SmartMedia-based mp3 player when you can buy
a 3135. The built-in mono speaker is loud, and the volume
through headphones is pretty good.
Rating:
Summary: about average
Review: The iPAQs are the best Pocket PCs to own if your priorities are expansion possibilities and style. The iPAQs are big losers if you want hardware reliability. There are a number of reported problems--- dust under the screen, broken stylus latch, busted headphone switch, busted digitizer, and reversed screen display. The screen problems apply only to the color iPAQs. In particular, the monochrome iPAQ does not have the infamous "dust under the screen" problem. The monochrome iPAQ's screen is more reliable but less readable. It isn't the lack of color that causes problems, rather it is the lack of brightness. The 3150's screen is best used in two situations--- very bright lighting, where the display's reflective elements provide good contrast, or in very low light situations where the weak backlighting is sufficient. In moderate light situations, neither the reflective screen nor the backlight offer enough contrast to cut through screen glare. If you've seen those watches with the blue backlighting that's about the level of backlight and color you get with the monochrome iPAQ. In bright light the screen is greenish, not the nice white color Compaq likes to use in ad photos. If your priority is small size AND you want to use the CF sleeve, you're better off with a Cassiopeia E-125 because that unit is less thick than an iPAQ with the CF sleeve. (The iPAQ wearing the PCMCIA card sleeve is much larger than the E-125.) To play MP3's or to watch movies using Media Player 7.1 (free from Microsoft), you'll likely need a CF memory card for storage, so for those applications expect to have that fat sleeve around your iPAQ. You must expect a certain amount of flakiness with Microsoft Windows powered devices. This is still Windows after all. You will need to reboot the device (soft reset) from time to time get out of hangs or to get ActiveSync to start working again. You will also need to reboot your desktop sometimes because ActiveSync will crash it. Fair warning. This is not to say the device is so unstable as to be unusable. But Pocket PC's are by no means at appliance-level reliability. (You don't worry about your microwave oven's operating system crashing in the middle of cooking a meal.) The Pocket PC shell strangely lacks a uniform way to close applications. There is no little "x" in the corner to close an app. Compaq has added an application that addresses this. The little "Q" button pops up a window that offers to close the currently active app or to close all applications. Very handy. Not so handy is the infrared send utility, which only allows you to send one file at a time. Multiple contacts and notes can be sent at once, but not ordinary files via the file explorer utility. In between files you have to close the utility and restart it to send another file...
Rating:
Summary: What a difference a year makes!
Review: The value of the 3135 cannot be matched! After having my Palm V lost during a repair and return under warranty somewhere between Palm and their Airborne carrier (at the fault of one or the other), it was time to get a new handheld. When compared to my Palm V in limbo, it offers 10x the processor speed, 12x the storage space (mananged to snag the free 32MB CF while that was going on), and all of the PC functionality that one you pay extra for on a Palm (which I paid 33% more for just over one year ago). B&W screen? The resolution is wonderful, but if you want to play games shell out $90 for a Gameboy Advance instead of another $400 for a 3600 (color) series (only one button can be pressed at a time which makes for limiting action gaming). Combined with the 128MB CF card which I scored for about the amount of the rebate thanks to economic crisis in Asia, I find myself with 176MB of RAM for mp3s and programs galore. My friend got an $82 keyboard she uses to type up her notes directly into word documents. One gripe? If you download a program that doesn't come with a setup file, many non-windows wizards may become frustrated by the usually less than thorough readme instructions. PS - If you did buy a Palm then try to avoid (obviously) their warranty service. Many internet companies sell replacement and repair kits (which void your worthless warranty that does not cover screens). I helped replace a friend's screen which cost half of what the unit cost, though Palm wanted to charge this person 133% of what the unit originally cost. Go figure.
Rating:
Summary: iPAQ - Better than Palm
Review: I was sold on getting a palm device (Handspring Visor Deluxe). I even order one, but returned it after researching the iPAQ 3135. The iPAQ cost less, has more features and significantly better hand writing recognition. I had always heard Palm was tops for basic organizer functions. It is simply not true. The iPAQ 3135 is easier to use and comes with more features. There really is no comparison.
Rating:
Summary: Best bang for the buck!
Review: For my purposes, this was a near perfect PDA solution. Many will say that using a monochrome PDA seems to be a bit on the 'Flintstonian' side. Color, has a couple of advantages. It *is* easier to read and you can do some extra stuff like watch movies and look at pictures. The screen on the 3135 is adequate for viewing for extended periods. It's not first class, but then again, you didn't *pay* for first class. Last I heard, first class is about 600 or so for the Ipaq 3670. :-) On the upside of things, the battery life will be at least a couple of hours more than you would usually get. It's not a HUGE difference, since they already use hi-cap Li Polymer batteries. It can easily play MP3's and read e-books, which are other reasons why I got it. Plus, it is very fast--this was just fast enough for me to consider. Since it's using an 206Mhz Intel StrongARM processor, there is hardly any wait in opening up programs. It's not perfect, however. Personally, I like the palm pilot's harder screen over the softer LCD the Ipaq 3135 uses. I helped protect the screen by using a piece of transparancy film cut to fit and slipped under the lip of the screen to protect that, so it's not much of an issue. Also, I don't like how they skimped with RAM. I'm not sure why they didn't go for the whole 32 megs, since pocket pc programs can really eat up a lot of space. I remedied that with an additional 128 meg flash card (55 bux delivered--newegg.com). However, that leads me to my NEXT problem--the size of the compact flash jacket. It will turn your svelte, slim Ipaq into a huge, lumbering ogre that you can hardly get your hands around. OK, not THAT bad, but you get the idea. What really ticks me off is that when you open it up (don't try this at home), it's a lot of wasted space. They could have safely done away with about half the plastic and had a sturdy CF jacket. (On a side note, you can get your CF jacket modified by a George Mosquera (sp?) or Whittney LuBean (sp?) to take away much of that excess plastic and modify your CF case to a MUCH smaller size, but it will cost you $70-120. I forgot the URL--you go look it up!) ANYHOO, you have to get a special case to hold your Ipaq and jacket since the one it came with is too small. Which leads me to my NEXT problem--the case ... Plus, it is really hard to find a case that is just big enough to fit the Ipaq and jacket and hook onto your belt. That, or I'm just really really picky. OK, that is my impressions of the Ipaq 3135. It is a great PDA for the price, but be prepared to pay for it with some lost functionality.
Rating:
Summary: only iPAQs can be upgraded to Pocket PC 2002 OS
Review: If you're looking for a Pocket PC device that can be upgraded to the recently announced Pocket PC 2002 OS from Microsoft, you need to buy an iPAQ. Both the 3100 and 3600 series devices have flash ROM and can have the new OS installed there. Casio's and HP's current devices cannot be upgraded.
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