Unboxing Video of the iPAQ 100 Series

[Brandon Miniman]

Jason Dunn from Pocket PC Thoughts (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,57335) gives us an early look at the iPAQ 100, a Windows Mobile 6 Classic device (one of the very, very few) that sports a 624MHz processor, a QVGA screen, WiFi, and Bluetooth. For a detailed specification chart, check out PDAdb.net (http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=849).

Is there still a market for non-phone PDA devices? I think HP hopes to test this market by releasing the iPAQ 100, and soon, the iPAQ 200 (http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=specs&id=850), which is almost the same as the 100, but with a larger VGA screen, different case design, and more RAM. Here is a comparison grid (http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdacomparer&id1=850&id2=849).

[Rainman]

Even though the trend is towards converged devices, I think that there is still a market for PDA only devices. I love to read different publications and forums and there just seems to be a reasonable sized population that still prefer the two-box solution. Some of the reasons I have read are:

1. Don't want to carry a PDA with me all the time.
2. Battery life is an issue for some on converged devices.
3. Converged devices seem to have smaller screens, and PDA only devices have at least 3.5" screens.

Do I necesssarily agree with this sample of statements, not entirely, but I can see where these people are coming from. With the iPAQ 200's larger 4" VGA screen, 624mhz processor, and high capacity 2200 mAh battery, I can see a lot of people getting very excited about this device.

It will be interesting to see what happens when these devices do finally hit the market (and hopefully soon!!)

[Brandon Miniman]

Even though the trend is towards converged devices, I think that there is still a market for PDA only devices. I love to read different publications and forums and there just seems to be a reasonable sized population that still prefer the two-box solution. Some of the reasons I have read are:

1. Don't want to carry a PDA with me all the time.
2. Battery life is an issue for some on converged devices.
3. Converged devices seem to have smaller screens, and PDA only devices have at least 3.5" screens.

Do I necesssarily agree with this sample of statements, not entirely, but I can see where these people are coming from. With the iPAQ 200's larger 4" VGA screen, 624mhz processor, and high capacity 2200 mAh battery, I can see a lot of people getting very excited about this device.

It will be interesting to see what happens when these devices do finally hit the market (and hopefully soon!!)

So then for such people, a pocketable device that has a large screen, like the Shadow or BlackJack, would give them the best of both worlds. Who really needs a PDA with a 3.5" screen, especially when it's the same resolution that can be found on a device with a 2.8" screen?

[Rainman]

So then for such people, a pocketable device that has a large screen, like the Shadow or BlackJack, would give them the best of both worlds. Who really needs a PDA with a 3.5" screen, especially when it's the same resolution that can be found on a device with a 2.8" screen?

I agree with you, but I think there are still plenty of people (though a shrinking amount) out there who think that bigger screens are better. In the PDA world, that would seem to be the Dell Axim X50/X51 and old HP iPAQ 4700 users. These folks have been waiting for the next replacement for their older devices.

Again, I'll be interested to see how these two models fare in the marketplace. But I think these two iPAQ's will probably be the last PDA only devices we will see for the consumer market.

[JayP]

So then for such people, a pocketable device that has a large screen, like the Shadow or BlackJack, would give them the best of both worlds. Who really needs a PDA with a 3.5" screen, especially when it's the same resolution that can be found on a device with a 2.8" screen? For me, it's not just a matter of screen resolution, but also the screen size. I agree with other users who've said that 2.8 inch VGA screen is not as useful as a larger VGA screen for some applications. The obvious problem that smaller-sized screens have is that they make everthing smaller. I use Pocket Excel a lot to view a variety spreadsheets and prefer to see as many columns on the screen as possible. I can comfortably view a lot more on my Axim x51v at once than I can on another VGA screen that is 2.8inches. This is one reason I'm quite interested in the IPAQ 200 series with a 4 inch screen.

Another common program for me is Laridian's PocketBible. I easily display and read from 3 different texts at once on the same screen on my Axim, but know that it would be much more difficult on a smaller screen. Sure I can increase the font size, but that means I displays fewer words.

I was quite interested in the Toshiba G900 as the convergence device for me. I loved the larger screen and hi-res, but was scared away by the fact that it hasn't released in the U.S., doesn't have quad-band, and seems to be plagued by various problems at the moment.

[Rainman]

For me, it's not just a matter of screen resolution, but also the screen size. I agree with other users who've said that 2.8 inch VGA screen is not as useful as a larger VGA screen for some applications. The obvious problem that smaller-sized screens have is that they make everthing smaller.

This is the same issue my dad has and why he loves his Axim X50v. Also the fact that he is nearsighted, it helps him to have a larger display so he can see what he's doing. Though he will admit he likes the Tilt alot and is looking towards a converged device now.

[jgrnt1]

For I long time I swore I would never go converged. I had a phone and an iPAQ 4700. The 4 inch VGA screen was incredible. It was too big to be pocketable, so I carried it in a 5x8 inch binder. I loved the screen and read ebooks extensively (Mobipocket). Reading on a QVGA screen just didn't work for me. It was also great for navigation, with a Bluetooth GPS module and iGuidance.

This past Frebruary, I got out of my car at a hotel and put the binder up on the roof while I got my luggage out, but in the middle, decided to go down the street to the store before I checked into the hotel. I left the binder on the roof of the car, though I didn't realize it at the time. After checking in at the hotel, I went to my room and needed to check my calendar. I was in a panic. I looked everywhere, even down at the desk, thinking I might have left it there when I checked in. My life was in that iPAQ. A couple of hours later, somebody from the hotel knocked on the door. They had found my binder in the parking lot. Everything was intact.

The next morning, I went to the Cingular store in the shopping center across the street, signed a new agreement and bought an 8525. It took a little while to get used to QVGA again, but I love having everything on my hip in one device. I also have an unlimited laptop connect plan, so I can surf with the device (acceptable, but not great with Opera mini) and use it as a high speed modem with my laptop.

The only issue was all the Mobipocket ebooks I had purchased (several hundred dollars worth). This summer, I broke down and bought an iRex iLiad (http://irextechnologies.com). After reading ebooks on it, I'll never go back to a simple VGA screen for reading.

Since I've now added a 60GB mp3 player to my arsenal, I don't think I could ever go back to a plain PDA. It would just be too many devices, and I'm not quite geek enough to carry separate devices on my hip. :)

[Jaime Rivera]

The only thing I miss about a classic device is gaming.

Pro devices are still too phone focused to render fast and complicated game and multimedia processing without killing the battery. I think that's another market. Button mapping on a pro device is simply killed for a game to keep the one hand operation active.

I would honestly not mind to carry a pro or standard phone for my business needs and have a classic device in my brief case for good reading, games and music. It sure beats carrying a similar sized ipod with 3 times less functionallity

[Brandon Miniman]

The only thing I miss about a classic device is gaming.

Pro devices are still too phone focused to render fast and complicated game and multimedia processing without killing the battery. I think that's another market. Button mapping on a pro device is simply killed for a game to keep the one hand operation active.

I would honestly not mind to carry a pro or standard phone for my business needs and have a classic device in my brief case for good reading, games and music. It sure beats carrying a similar sized ipod with 3 times less functionallity

Yeah the larger devices with better processors and graphics were great media devices. We're starting to see beefier processors in WM phones though now - not so much graphics controllers.

[Brandon Miniman]

For I long time I swore I would never go converged. I had a phone and an iPAQ 4700. The 4 inch VGA screen was incredible. It was too big to be pocketable, so I carried it in a 5x8 inch binder. I loved the screen and read ebooks extensively (Mobipocket). Reading on a QVGA screen just didn't work for me. It was also great for navigation, with a Bluetooth GPS module and iGuidance.

This past Frebruary, I got out of my car at a hotel and put the binder up on the roof while I got my luggage out, but in the middle, decided to go down the street to the store before I checked into the hotel. I left the binder on the roof of the car, though I didn't realize it at the time. After checking in at the hotel, I went to my room and needed to check my calendar. I was in a panic. I looked everywhere, even down at the desk, thinking I might have left it there when I checked in. My life was in that iPAQ. A couple of hours later, somebody from the hotel knocked on the door. They had found my binder in the parking lot. Everything was intact.

The next morning, I went to the Cingular store in the shopping center across the street, signed a new agreement and bought an 8525. It took a little while to get used to QVGA again, but I love having everything on my hip in one device. I also have an unlimited laptop connect plan, so I can surf with the device (acceptable, but not great with Opera mini) and use it as a high speed modem with my laptop.

The only issue was all the Mobipocket ebooks I had purchased (several hundred dollars worth). This summer, I broke down and bought an iRex iLiad (http://irextechnologies.com). After reading ebooks on it, I'll never go back to a simple VGA screen for reading.

Since I've now added a 60GB mp3 player to my arsenal, I don't think I could ever go back to a plain PDA. It would just be too many devices, and I'm not quite geek enough to carry separate devices on my hip. :)

Having owner an iLiad, what do you think of the Kindle? Will you be trading your iLiad for one?