The HP IPAQ 3975 Pocket PC 2002

I have been using an iPAQ Pocket PC since its introduction in 2000. In fact, I had one of the first 3600 series devices. Since that day, I have been hooked. Every time HP (formerly Compaq) announces a new iPAQ device, I want one. And when it arrives, I'm like a kid on Christmas morning.

However, when the iPAQ 3970 was announced and some of its specifications revealed, I wasn't all that excited. Better screen? I couldn't see how that was possible. More ROM? Who needs it? XScale 400 MHz Processor? Yeah, right, like I need that kind of power in a handheld. Then I saw one and once again, I just had to have it!

SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS BUT THE SAME FORM FACTOR

I ended up purchasing an HP iPAQ 3975. The only difference between a 3975 and a 3970 is the box it comes in, and the only differences between a 3975 and a 3950 are that the 3975 has Bluetooth support and an additional 16MB of flash ROM. Therefore, most of the comments in this review apply to any 3900 series iPAQ Pocket PC.

Press the On button and you see that screen, that beautiful screen! The original Compaq iPAQ set the standard for screens and other manufacturers have worked hard to compete with it. But the screen on the 3975...Wow! The last time I reacted like this to a screen is when the first High Definition Plasma TV screens came out. They were so much brighter and crisper than their old, dingy cousins. The same is true here. The 3975 has a 3.8" diagonal, 240x320 pixel touch screen that uses Transflective TFT liquid crystal technology and is capable of displaying 16-bit color (65,536 colors)—and these are the same specs as the 3800 series. But the new screen is much brighter and easier to view than the one found on previous iPAQs. I don't know what HP did, but I like it.

The outward "form factor" of the iPAQ 3975 is the same as that of the 3800 series. Additionally, the 3975 has the same Expansion Pack interface as previous iPAQs. That means that there are plenty of Expansion Pack options. Any external keyboards, Expansion Packs, and cases that work with the 3800 series will work with the 3975 as well. It is nice to see a company stick to its promise not to change the form factor radically, since such changes force you to purchase new peripherals for each new device in a product line.

The 3975 uses Intel's new PXA250 XScale processor, which is capable of running at speeds of up to 400 MHz. However, it has been widely reported that these devices are no faster than their older 206 MHz Intel StrongARM siblings. I found this to be true. When this article was completed (in mid-September, 2002), no updates were available from Microsoft or HP. I hope they offer something soon.

The Pocket PC 2002's operating system and built-in applications occupy approximately 24 MB of flash ROM, and the 3975 comes with 48 MB. HP utilized the remaining ROM to create the iPAQ File Store, a user-accessible section of ROM that, can hold approximately 22 MB of data, applications, and other files. The great thing about this flash ROM File Store is that it is non-volatile memory, which means that even if the iPAQ were to lose all power, the files and data in the File Store would not be lost. File Store was such a hit, HP decided to increase the amount of Flash ROM on the 3975 to 48 MB. HP uses a little of this to store some of the add-on applications it includes with the device. You get about 22 MB of non-volatile storage space.

The 3975 has a built-in SD card slot for expansion and, unlike the iPAQ 3800 series and most other Pocket PCs with SD slots, accepts the newer SD input/output (SDIO) cards as well as SD and MMC memory cards. Currently, the only SDIO card available is a Bluetooth card, which would be redundant in the 3975. But digital camera, GPS, and wireless SD cards are all in development.

Finally, HP upgraded the IR port to "commercial grade," allowing you to control just about any remote control device. They also included the Nevo Universal Remote Control software to support this feature (more on that in the software section).

ENHANCED SOFTWARE FROM HP