I received my first Compaq iPAQ 18 months ago, and I remember that day well. It was the day that opened my eyes to the potential of the Pocket PC. Compaq's original H3600 series iPAQ was slim and sexy, and its unique Expansion Packs let you add card slots, battery life, and more. Compaq won many awards for the 3600 series, including the most important prize: they've dominated Pocket PC sales since April of 2000. In terms of dollars they've even outsold the previous handheld champ, the Palm. Many think that the iPAQ is the primary reason for the current success of the Pocket PC.

The H3600 is a tough act to follow, and with the introduction of the new Pocket PC 2002, many have wondered what Compaq could do to top the original iPAQ. Well, Compaq has done it again with its new iPAQ H3800 series Pocket PC 2002s. This new iPAQ series not only has the hot new Pocket PC 2002 OS, but an improved look and feel, and new hardware features, including a built-in Secure Digital (SD) card slot and Bluetooth capability on some models. Bluetooth is a new technology standard that uses short-range radio links to connect mobile computers, mobile phones, and other portable handheld devices to each other, and to a variety of accessories. Compaq will initially offer the H3835 and H3850 without Bluetooth capability, and the H3870 and H3875 with Bluetooth. All H3800 series iPAQs will have a SD card slot.

A new and improved iPAQ

I tested an iPAQ H3835 with a built-in Secure Digital card slot but without Bluetooth capability. It's obvious that the H3800 and H3600 devices are from the same family of Pocket PCs, but it's just as obvious that many changes have been made to the newer iPAQ (see Screen 1). One of the most obvious is the sleek new launch button/navigation pad layout. The built-in speaker on the original H3600 and the more recent H3700 series is located beneath the navigation pad. This has been moved to the black top piece of the new H3800. The navigation pad has been flattened into an oval shape, and the whole launch button/navigation pad group takes up less space at the bottom of the new iPAQ.

Screen 1: The new iPAQ H3800 (left) shown next to the iPAQ H3700 (right). Both are Pocket PC 2002s, but the H3700 has the same external design characteristics as the original H3600, and can be used to compare the original iPAQ with the H3800. Note the new launch button / navigation pad layout on the H3800, and the black top piece.

The other noticeable change to the H3800 is the black top piece. This cap contains the built-in speaker, battery charging indicator, power-on button, built-in microphone, ambient light sensor, and the Secure Digital card slot (see Screen 2). On the iPAQ H3870/75 it also contains a Bluetooth indicator.

Screen 2: The iPAQ H3800 series has a black top piece that houses the Secure Digital card slot, a buil-in speaker, a charging indicator, and a Bluetooth indicator for iPAQ's with built-in Bluetooth capability.

At the top of the new iPAQ you'll notice a new card slot. This slot accepts "Secure Digital" cards, about the size of a thick postage stamp. Currently, 32 and 64 Mb file storage cards are available in the SD format, but higher capacity storage cards are just around the corner. In addition, Panasonic was displaying prototypes of a number of SD input/output cards at this year's COMDEX. Sometime next year you'll start seeing SD digital cameras, GPS receivers, modems and more. SD technology offers built-in security features and fast data transfer rates. You'll see plenty of new SD technology in the future.