hapoo

well, i lost my Palm Vx and i'm looking for an Ipaq. Anyone know where i can find one for a good price? I also want a pcmcia sleeve for it.

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qmanchu

Before we can throw any suggestions your way, I'm going to have to ask the obligatory questions:

- Which model are you looking for?

- Are you sure you want an iPAQ?

hapoo

there are a lot of models, as far as i can tell they come in only 3 flavors currently among the color ones. 64 & 32 meg 3700/3600 and 64 meg 3800. Either one of these is cool with me.

As far as wanting an Ipaq, its got the features i want and the support. The new 560 HP looks nice but its expensive. And i really require pcmcia support.

qmanchu

Well, if you're determined to find a Pocket PC, have you had a look at the UR There @migo-600C? It has a PCMCIA slot built right into it. Here are a few reviews of it for you:

PocketMatrix, PocketPCPassion, BrightHand, Pocket PC Magazine

Another special feature is a 16-bit (64k) color display, if that's an issue for you. I believe only the current Casio and Pocket PC 2002 devices can support 64k colors. Also, like the iPAQ, it has a flashable ROM so you can upgrade to Pocket PC 2002.

The iPAQ currently supports PCMCIA using a sleeve and the new Jornadas will also get a PCMCIA sleeve in the coming months. Since you mentioned the Jornada 560 series is a bit much, it might help if you mentioned what kind of budget you have for this.

I'm sorry to drag this out so long. I just wanted to make sure you know about the options you had.

hapoo

i appreciate all the help! I'm looking to spend no more than $400
originally i was looking at the ipaq 3630 for around $300 with the pc card sleave for under $100


BTW, i want the pc card slot for my netgear wifi (802.11b) card, so compatablity is an issue.

qmanchu

Definitely, with a $400 budget, your choice would either have to be the 3600 series iPAQs or the UR There @migo. Ok, the @migo is selling for $400 right now at a couple of places I know of. Like I mentioned previously, it has some advantages over the iPAQ like the integrated PCMCIA slot and the 16-bit color display. I forgot to mention the larger battery capacity of the @migo as well (1550mA vs 950mA for the naked iPAQ).

However, if you're really looking to save money, there are a few deals floating around for the iPAQ 3635 and its $150 mail-in rebate. Most of them deal with pricematching an online retailer to Staples and using a coupon. It was just mentioned today that Radio Shack has dropped the price of the 3635 down to $350 so that would come out to roughly $200 after rebate. Not too shabby at all.

As long as you're aware that the PCMCIA sleeve adds significant bulk to the iPAQ (some refer to it as a "brick" with the PCMCIA sleeve on) and can live with a 12-bit color display, go for the iPAQ deals.

hapoo

thats a great deal for 200 bucks! but...
with the 3635:
1. dust problem
2. brick
3. 12bit display

@migo:
1. not flash upgradable
2. not as bright as ipaq
3. only 1500mA compaired to 1900mA (Ipaq + sleeve)
4. not as well known/supported/trusted

ughh someone just choose for me!

hapoo

btw, where can i find that $350 ipaq? gotta link?

qmanchu

For the most part, Compaq has addressed this issue with the latest batches. Supposedly, iPAQs with serial numbers starting with 4G14 or above have been completely sealed. However, if you still encounter this problem, the operation to fix this is covered under Compaq's warranty.


I agree. However, with the money you save on the deal, you could get a PC Slider from the same maker of the (iPAQ)world-famous Silver Slider. However, you would need to buy the PCMCIA sleeve, send it to George Mosquera, and pay $55 for the modification. Many claim it is well worth it.


It's not so bad really. You will really only notice this with hi-color pictures and movies.


Actually, it is flash upgradable. All you have to do is register and you're qualified for a free upgrade (according to their homepage.


Yeah, probably true but then again, how bright do you need it to be? I believe it will be bright enough for most, if not all, situations.


So the battery in the PCMCIA sleeve is equivalent to the one built into the iPAQ?


Yeah, at this point, that's very true.


The question really is, do you require use of the PCMCIA slot often enough to need it to be integrated? If so, definitely go with the @migo.

Or can you overlook the bulky size of the iPAQ + PCMCIA sleeve combo during the times you will need to use it? If so, go with the iPAQ.

IMHO, size is the determinant here. What will you be willing to carry around with you for use and how often?

As far as the Radio Shack deal is concerned, unfortunately, it's a B&M deal. You'll probably have to call around and check for availability. Reports indicate that their warehouses have already been depleted. They're essentially selling off the rest of their iPAQ inventory that they have in stores.

If you're still interested in some other iPAQ deals, I can dig around a bit and see what I find.

hapoo

woohoo! thanks sooo much qmanchu

I went to two radio shacks and neither had one in stock so i told the casher to tell whoever calls the store asking for one to tell them that they have it in stock. I then just skipped over to the staples next door and pricematched it

qmanchu

LOL! That's the most ingenious idea I've heard yet to get the deal. Good for you!

If you need some pointers to some good sites or software, let me know.
Here's to happy iPAQing!

hapoo

feel free to post some addresses for me. I was pretty deep into the palm software and palm & pocketpc hardware but i haven't seen much on pocketpc software.

Jeffbx

http://www.pocketpc.com is a good place to start. Also check out http://www.tucows.com and http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0....html?tag=dir- they both have PocketPC downloads.

E-mail me if you want more useful links.

Jeffbx

Yes - this is true. That's why the PC card sleeve is so expensive. It does give you a nice looong run time, though. Some PC cards (notably modems and wireless NICs) really suck your batteries dry, so Compaq included another battery in the PC card sleeve to compensate for this. A nice bonus is extended battery life on the ipaq if you're not using the PC card slot.