Pocket PC magazine, January 2004
Page 4
iPAQ User's Guide—complete user's guide to the h1900 series iPAQ in .pdf format.
SingleTap Catalog (www.singletap.com/iPAQ/download/)—free Pocket PC software catalog.
TRIAL VERSIONS—demo versions of these programs are on the CD. If you wish to continue to use them after the trial period, you must purchase them.
Lotus Cadenza (www.commontime.com/hp.htm)—synchronize calendar, contacts, tasks, and journal notes between a Pocket PC and desktop PC that's using Lotus Notes.
Sprite Pocket Backup (www.spritesoftware.com/)—selectively back up files, databases, registry, and more from your Pocket PC to a storage card, desktop PC, or network. The program also includes PocketMON, a Today screen resource monitor, and Space Detective, a file storage analysis tool.
Ilium Software eWallet (www.iliumsoft.com/)—view and securely store credit card information, passwords, PIN numbers, and other important information.
Ilium Software List Pro (www.iliumsoft.com/)—store and organize lists.
Audible Player (www.audible.com)—"reads" news, magazines, and books to you. The player application and the first month of service is free. After that you must subscribe to the service.
Vindigo (www.vindigo.com)—navigation software that displays maps of, and detailed information about, 50 major metropolitan areas. Application and first month of service is free. After that you must subscribe.
Attractive device performs well!
HP made some compromises to keep the price of the iPAQ h1935 down. Unlike other recently released iPAQs, this one doesn't have built-in Bluetooth capabilities. You can add it via the SDIO slot, but why bother? If you want Bluetooth, go with one of the other iPAQ models that has it built in.
To my mind, the greatest compromise was limiting the flash ROM to 16 MB. That meant HP didn't have room for all of the Microsoft Pocket PC applications, which didn't bother me that much. However, it also meant that there was no flash ROM available to the end user, to store data or files. It's great to have flash ROM available for backing up data.
I suppose you could consider the 203 MHz Samsung a compromise, but performance is snappy. Opening and closing applications, as well as loading large document, video, and music files, is quick and painless. All in all, the HP iPAQ h1935 is an attractive little device that performs well and is light enough to truly go anywhere. The introductory price of the h1935 is $199 ($249 minus a $50 mail-in rebate), and the h1935 is available from HP dealers or online directly from HP (www.shopping.hp.com).
Axim or iPAQ: Which is best?
I love the size and styling of the new iPAQ. It easily fits into a coat pocket, or even the pocket of a shirt. It's easy to hold, even if your hand is small, and it looks nice in your hand. It opens and closes applications quickly, and with an SDIO slot, it's a reasonably expandable device. But if you're planning on adding Wi-Fi capability and storage memory, you'd be better off with a dual card-slot device such as the iPAQ h2200. Finally, I'm impressed with the variety of add-on programs HP included on the companion CD. With an introductory price of $199 (offer good through January 31, 2004), this one's a bargain.
The Dell Axim X3 is not as stylish as the h1935, but even the basic model is more powerful. I like the fact that both the basic and advanced Axim X3s have user-accessible flash ROM (missing on the h1935). It's very handy for data backup and security. The consumer-grade IrDA port is a plus, since it allows the Axim to double as a TV/VCR remote control (with the appropriate software). The Axim X3 has a nice variety of add-on programs on the companion CD, but quite a few of them are trial versions.
Dell Data Backup (above)
I'm very impressed with the Wi-Fi capability of the advanced model—it was very easy to use—and the $379 price tag makes it one of the more affordable solutions. The built-in Wi-Fi leaves the SDIO slot free for adding file storage and other features.
A final point: All Pocket PCs with flash ROM are theoretically upgradeable to the next version of the Pocket PC software. However, in the past HP has not offered upgrades for Pocket PCs with less than 32 MB of flash ROM. Potential upgrades are far in the future, and I can offer no guarantees or inside information about them. But I think it is more likely that Dell will offer upgrades for the Axim X3s than HP for the h1900 series Pocket PCs.
In terms of bargain Pocket PCs, I think the HP h1935 has the edge on price, style, and add-on software. The basic version of the Dell Axim X3 has the edge on processor power, memory, and hardware features.
Which one is best for you? You will have to make that decision.
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Spec Sheet
HP iPAQ h1935 Pocket PC
$199 ($249 minus $50 mail-in rebate)
Contact: www.hp.com
HARDWARE
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CPU: 203 MHz Samsung 2410 processor
Display: 240x320 pixel 3.5 inch-diagonal, 65K-color transflective TFT touchscreen
Memory (RAM/flashROM): 64 MB SDRAM (56 MB main memory) / 16MB flash ROM
Input: Pen entry with handwriting recognition, soft keyboard, 4 application launch buttons, voice memo record button, 4-way navigation pad with center "select" button, microphone for voice recording; no scroll dial
Built-in Communications: IrDA infrared port
External i/o ports: USB client, 2.5 mm stereo earphone jack (ships with 3.5 mm adapter)
Card slots: One SDIO-compatible SD card slot
Battery/ continuous use on fully charged
battery: Removable, rechargeable 900 mAh / up to 8 hr (mfg. est.); built-in rechargeable backup battery
Dimensions/weight: 4.46 x 2.75 x 0.5 in (1133 x 69.8 x 12.8 mm) / 4.37 oz (124 g)
Other Features: Brightness with multi-level adjustment, built-in microphone and speaker, LED indicators
In the Package: Pocket PC with battery and stylus, USB synchronization cable, battery, AC power adapter, 2.5-3.5 mm stereo earphone jack adapter, companion CD, quick-start guide
Optional accessories from manufacturer: USB sync cradle/charger with slot for charging spare battery, replacement/spare rechargeable battery, automobile power adapter, carrying case, replacement stylus pack, SD storage cards, 3-year extended warranty
SOFTWARE
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Microsoft Software: Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC
Operating System: Windows CE 4.2
Built-in applications: Windows Mobile OS v 4.2, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Inbox, Pocket Internet Explorer, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Notes, File Explorer, Windows Media Player 9.0, text and character entry software (soft keyboard, Transcriber, single-character handwriting recognition software), Solitaire, Jaw breaker, Calculator, Voice Recorder, Asset Viewer, MSN Messenger, various setup and configuration utilities, VPN Client, Server Sync client, Infrared Beaming, built-in support for external keyboard functions
User-Installable (on CD or links to download): ActiveSync 3.7 (desktop PC software for device synchronization), Outlook (desktop PC version), Windows Media Player 9.0 for desktop PCs running Windows, Microsoft Reader eBooks
Mfg and 3rd party apps: BUILT-IN: HP utilities: Self-Test, Audio, Power.
USER-INSTALLABLE (on CD or links to download): FULL VERSIONS: iPAQ Image Viewer, HP Mobile Printing, Adobe Acrobat Reader for Pocket PC, Westtek ClearVue Office Suite, Real Player for Pocket PC, Resco File Explorer and Picture Viewer, iPAQ User Guide (.pdf format), SingleTap Pocket PC software catalog (catalog only is free). TRIAL VERSIONS: Lotus Cadenza; Sprite Pocket Backup, PocketMON (resource monitor), and Space Detective (file storage analysis); Ilium Software eWallet and List Pro; Audible Player (content player free; must subscribe to service); Vindigo (navigation software free; must subscribe to service)
Comments: Small, stylish device with snappy performance and a great price
Is Windows Mobile 2003 Really Faster Than Previous Versions of the Pocket PC Operating System?
by Jason Dunn
[Thanks to Jason Dunn of Pocket PC Thoughts for allowing us to run an edited version of his benchmark article.
The complete version appears on the Pocket PC Thoughts Web site (www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,16788).]
I had the rare opportunity to run Spb Benchmark (www.spbsoftwarehouse.com) on HP iPAQ 3600 series Pocket PCs running three generations of Microsoft's Mobile operating systems: Pocket PC 2000, Pocket PC 2002, and Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC. (I received a special testing-only version of the latest software from Microsoft. Unfortunately, it won't be released to the public for the h3600 series.) The Pocket PC 2002 and Windows Mobile 2003 tests were performed on an iPAQ h3650; the Pocket PC 2000 tests were performed on an h3600. These are virtually identical devices.
This series of benchmarks gave me the data I needed to make this definitive statement: Windows Mobile 2003, the first operating system based on Windows CE.NET 4.2, is the fastest all-around Pocket PC operating system we've seen so far. The results of the benchmark tests discussed in this article show you where you pick up speed, and where you lose it. The following summarizes the results:
Overall, Windows Mobile 2003 is 15% faster than previous versions of the OS..
The CPU performance of the 206 MHz StrongARM processor that powers the h3600 series is 25% faster under Windows Mobile 2003 than under Pocket PC 2000.
The file system is slightly slower on the new Windows Mobile 2003 OS (0.3%) than previous versions..
Graphics performance on the new Windows Mobile 2003 is a whopping 40% faster than 2000 and 2002.
ActiveSync has the most dramatic improvements, with an incredible 103% boost in speed over Pocket PC 2000.
I think you'll be surprised at how much of a speed drop occurred moving from Pocket PC 2000 to 2002, as well as the dramatic improvement moving to the 2003 OS. Microsoft invested a lot moving to a new core OS for the Pocket PC—Windows CE.Net 4.2. Clearly, it was worth it.
The screen shots below do not represent every possible test that Spb Benchmark is capable of performing. I included the ones that I felt were more relevant and that showed the most dramatic performance differences. The OS version and processor speed are indicated to the left of the bars; the speed index (a measure of the relative speed) is to the right. Again, because I'm using the same hardware for the tests, any differences in the speed index relate to the efficiency of the operating system.
Improvements in graphics, CPU, and overall performance
In these tests, there was not much difference between the Pocket PC 2000 and 2002 operating system. But there was a significant improvement in all three measures with Windows Mobile 2003.
Screen 1: Overall Performance: This test gives an overall indication of the performance of the Pocket PC, factoring in the CPU, memory, file, and video systems. As you can see, we lost a little speed with Pocket PC 2002 (bottom), but gained a lot with Windows Mobile 2003 (top).
Screen 2: CPU Performance: This test focuses on the performance of the Pocket PC processor. Again, note the significant difference in the 2003 OS (top) as compared to 2000 (middle) and 2002 (bottom). Microsoft made a conscious decision to optimize the OS for all ARM-compatible processors, instead of specializing on the later versions of the processor, which incorporate XScale technology. That decision is reflected in the speed of the h3650 running Windows Mobile 2003.
Screen 3: Graphics performance: This test reflects the performance of the iPAQs' video systems under the different operating systems. Again, note that 2000 and 2002 are almost identical, while 2003 scores considerably higher.
Screen 4: Overall ActiveSync Performance: As you can see, ActiveSync performance actually decreased a little with Pocket PC 2002 (bottom). However, this test shows an over-100% performance gain with Windows Mobile 2003.
Screen 5: ActiveSync File Upload: Moving data from your desktop PC to a Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC is 139% faster than moving it to a Pocket PC 2002 device. Because of sluggish ActiveSync performance in the past, music lovers would transfer MP3s to their Pocket PCs using memory card readers. It looks like ActiveSync is finally fast enough to do the job if via a cabled connection. Well done, Microsoft!
Screen 6: ActiveSync File Download: Moving data from your Pocket PC to your desktop PC is also faster using a Windows Mobile 2003 device, although the difference is not as dramatic as for uploading.
Screen 7: Overall performance of five Pocket PCs. Incredibly, even the blazing iPAQ h2215 trails the original iPAQ 3650 slightly. What kind of nitro did Compaq put into the h3600 series? I find it somewhat sad that, over three years after the first iPAQ came out, we can't completely trump it with brand new devices.
Over 100% improvement in ActiveSync performance
Perhaps the most dramatic increase in performance related to the use of ActiveSync to communicate with a desktop PC. All three devices were tested using ActiveSync 3.7 on the desktop PC. The Pocket PCs were connected to the desktop PC via a USB 2.0 port. On all three of these ActiveSync tests, note the small but relatively significant decrease in performance from the Pocket PC 2000 to Pocket PC 2002 OS.
Other measures of improvement
Windows Mobile 2003 makes Pocket PCs faster in other ways.
Internal database speeds were one of the few things that got faster going from Pocket PC 2000 to Pocket PC 2002; that trend continued going to Windows Mobile 2003.
The DDB BitBlt graphics test measures how quickly the Pocket PC can draw an image to the screen using GDI functions. Windows Mobile 2003 shows a tremendous speed boost over previous operating systems. This performance measure relates to normal graphics operations such as displaying pictures and simple games like Solitaire. This test does not measure the performance of graphics-intensive games that use the GAPI.
The Pocket Word document open test shows that Windows Mobile 2003 is capable of opening a 240 KB Pocket Word document nearly 300% faster than Pocket PC 2000 or 2002.
The Pocket Internet Explorer JPEG load test showed that JPEG images display somewhat faster in PIE with the new Windows Mobile 2003 OS.
The File Explorer large folder listtest indicates that Windows Mobile 2003 opens a folder with a large number of files in it almost twice as fast as Pocket PC 2002.
The compressing ZIP files test indicates that Windows Mobile 2003 compresses a file well over 100% faster than the earlier operating systems.
A few things slowed down with Windows Mobile 2003
The Windows Mobile 2003 OS caused performance to decrease in a few areas.
There's a dramatic percentage increase in the amount of time it takes Windows Mobile 2003 to list a directory of 2000 files. However, it's not as grim as it looks. Windows Mobile 2003 takes 0.06 seconds to do it, while the Pocket PC 2002 takes 0.015 seconds. Both are still pretty fast.
Also, the Pocket Internet Explorer HTML load test shows that Windows Mobile 2003 takes longer to load a 200 Kb HTML page in PIE. One of the reasons for this is that earlier versions of PIE are simpler and support fewer HTML functions than the Windows Mobile 2003 version of PIE. Still, I feel there's a lot of room for improvement with Pocket Internet Explorer—Windows Mobile 2003 didn't meet my expectations in this regard.
Comparing iPAQ h3600 performance to more recent Pocket PCs
I couldn't resist comparing the h3600 to a couple of the newer Pocket PCs on the market. Screen 7 shows the overall performance benchmarks for the three h3600s with different operating systems, for an iPAQ h2215 running Windows Mobile 2003, and for a Dell Axim X5 running Pocket PC 2002. Again, this measurement factors in CPU, memory, file, and video systems performance.
I continue to have my doubts about CPUs with XScale technology like the Intel PXA250 and PXA255 processors found in most of the newer Pocket PCs. You would expect these newer 400 MHz processors to perform almost twice as fast as the older 206 MHz StrongARM found on the h3600. But when I performed the CPU benchmark test, it rated the h3600's StrongARM at 1251 and the h2215's PXA255 at 1784. That's less than a 50% performance boost at nearly 100% more clock speed. I hope Intel's next-generation XScale processor offers more impressive performance.
&n
bsp; The h2215 and Axim X5 were rated very slow in the graphics benchmark test, especially when compared to the h3650 running Windows Mobile 2003. However, it has been speculated that the Spb Benchmark tests don't tap into the MediaQ chip used on the h2200 series. These results shouldn't be taken as a true measure of the h2200's graphics performance. Hopefully future versions of Spb Benchmark will have a more comprehensive test of graphics power.
Further indication of what a big difference the operating system makes can be seen in ActiveSync speeds. The ActiveSync index shows that the iPAQ h2215 is significantly faster than an Axim X5 with a similar 400 MHz Intel PXA processor but using the older Pocket PC 2002 operating system. The same test showed that the iPAQ h3650 with its 206 MHz StrongARM processor, but running Windows Mobile 2003 was almost as fast as the iPAQ h2215.
If your OEM gives you the option to upgrade your device to Windows Mobile 2003, take it. Regardless of what type of Pocket PC you have, you should see a noticeable improvement in performance when you upgrade your device, and it will extend the useful life of your Pocket PC.
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Jason Dunn is the executive editor of Pocket PC Thoughts, Smartphone Thoughts, and soon Digital Media Thoughts (coming in December 2003). He's also the owner of Thoughts Media, the parent company for all three sites, and a freelance writer and editor. He's the VP of Marketing for Spb Software House, and helps local SOHO clients as Kensai Consulting. He dabbles in video editing, digital photography, and trying out new software for Windows Mobile devices. You can reach Jason at jason@pocketpcthoughts.com.