Excellent PDA, But It is Still a PDA
Written: Aug 04 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent PDA screen, best available CPU and 64 MB RAM
Cons: Still only a PDA screen, it is noticeably underpowered and it could stand more RAM
The Bottom Line: Great piece of technology. If you need or like personal organizers, buy one.
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| maltfillisch's Full Review: Compaq iPAQ H3955 Pocket PC |
I had a hard time deciding how to rate this item. I use it at work and I realize that as PDAs go this is top of the line. That being said, it is also undeniably still a PDA. I went back and forth between giving it a 5 star rating and a 3 star rating. I settled on a 4 star rating. It doesn't rise to the performance level of what could be called a pocket PC. Indeed, I have begun to suspect that the very concept of a pocket PC may be wishful thinking. The CPU is rated at 400 Mhz and it is better than most other CPUs installed on competing units. It is, however, noticeably slower than the 400 Mhz AMD-K2 that runs my aging notebook PC. I realize that the Pocket PC 2002 OS is better than other options for a handheld OS, but it is still slower than the Windows XP Home Edition that I run on my notebook. The MicroSoft Pocket applications are indeed usable, but the difference in speed between data entry in Access on my PDA and data entry on the ordinary Access on my notebook is marked. All in all, little tiny PDAs that are currently available are unavoidably slow and the screens are small. Another annoying development was the disappointing performance of the Navman GPS attachment. I was initially given a Navman to record the latitude and longitude of businesses that I was visiting. That was a glacially slow exercise. It had to be abandoned and we went back to making the lat long readings with a handheld Garmin GPS.
If you want a pocket PC, this isn't it. There is no item out there that I feel fairly falls into that category. If there is no other way to record information in the field, then use it. It is the best available. Otherwise, collect your data on paper and transcribe it later with a regular PC and a full sized keyboard and display screen. In my work I have to visit businesses during their hours of operation. In a given workday, the limit on the number of businesses that I can visit is controlled by the amount of time that I spend at the business recording information. Using a PDA is still too slow.
If you need a personal organizer and or love technology, buy this thing. It is a marvelous item. Whatever you do, think about what it will be used for.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399.99
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Epinions.com ID:
maltfillisch
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Member: Michael Altfillisch
Location: Carrboro, NC USA
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I'm a field surveyor that works for market research companies on a contract basis.
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