Compaq iPAQ H3850 review

Another big factor that set the original iPAQ apart from its rivals was perceived speed. The gap has narrowed now, with all the Pocket PC 2002 devices we've seen using the same 206MHz processor. Both new iPAQs were as fast as we expected in our Pocket PC benchmarks, with the 206MHz processor making itself felt. The H3850 sped through them in a cumulative time of 69.4 seconds, compared to 79.5 for the H3760; this struggled in the Form Objects test (for more details, see Labs, issue 87, p97). HP's Jornada 568 remains the speed king, though, with a time of 63.2 seconds.

But performance is just one factor in any buying decision. Toshiba's e570 won our recent PDAs group test (see Labs, issue 87, p94) due to its great expandability in such a compact form rather than performance in our speed tests - the e570 includes both a Type II CompactFlash and an SD/MMC slot, yet weighs just 180g.

So can the iPAQ H3850 regain the A List crown for Compaq? Well, it comes very close - the range of expansion jackets already available makes this PDA one of the most versatile around, which almost entirely compensates for the lack of integrated CompactFlash support. But the e570 remains the best choice overall, thanks to its innate expandability and its aggressive street price of £381.

Author: Tim Danton