Thursday, July 4, 2002
Pocket PC Passion reviews the iPAQ 3900 series Pocket PC
Posted by Jason Dunn in "ARTICLE" @ 09:00 AM
http://www.pocketpcpassion.com/iPAQ/3900/3900-1.htm
Finally! Dale Coffing takes the iPAQ 3900 series out for a spin and reveals the goodies under the hood - there's more to this unit than meets the eye, because Compaq has done some significant software reworking (much more so than from the 3600 series to the 3800 series). I think it's extremely cool that you can now adjust the battery warning feature - it pops up far too early now, and on the 3900 you can control how far you want to drive the battery down. Is the 3900 series worth the price? Depends - I'd say that if you're a 3800 owner, it's not. But if you're new to the Pocket PC world, and don't mind spending a few bucks, the 3900 series is a compelling Pocket PC. You can now order the 3950. (affiliate)
"Let's start off with the most eye-catching feature which is the new screen. A 65,536 (64K, 16-bit) color "transflective" active-matrix screens that dramatically improves the brightness of their display. These Sony displays are simply show stoppers. You can't get a feel for how great these displays are until you see it for yourself. My photographic skill sorely lack what it takes to bring out the real quality improvement that was done. No longer is the inefficiency of the side lighting being lost on the diffuser now as can be seen by looking at the existing technology screens when viewed from its sides. The new screen has a brightness level today indoors that is unmatched in screens readable outdoors. The outdoor viewing slipped a little but it is more than adequate. The screen alone is a feature that will set this apart from crowd. I thought I may be disappointed since the screen wasn't the new larger 4" screen that Toshiba uses on the e550g. Well I set this side by side with the e550g and even though the screen is slightly smaller the quality of this new color screen still made me smile in relief. Remember this screen is still larger than all other leading Pocket PC's out there. Of course the concern has always been when you get such a beautifully bright screen what is the penalty one pays for battery life?"
Finally! Dale Coffing takes the iPAQ 3900 series out for a spin and reveals the goodies under the hood - there's more to this unit than meets the eye, because Compaq has done some significant software reworking (much more so than from the 3600 series to the 3800 series). I think it's extremely cool that you can now adjust the battery warning feature - it pops up far too early now, and on the 3900 you can control how far you want to drive the battery down. Is the 3900 series worth the price? Depends - I'd say that if you're a 3800 owner, it's not. But if you're new to the Pocket PC world, and don't mind spending a few bucks, the 3900 series is a compelling Pocket PC. You can now order the 3950. (affiliate)
"Let's start off with the most eye-catching feature which is the new screen. A 65,536 (64K, 16-bit) color "transflective" active-matrix screens that dramatically improves the brightness of their display. These Sony displays are simply show stoppers. You can't get a feel for how great these displays are until you see it for yourself. My photographic skill sorely lack what it takes to bring out the real quality improvement that was done. No longer is the inefficiency of the side lighting being lost on the diffuser now as can be seen by looking at the existing technology screens when viewed from its sides. The new screen has a brightness level today indoors that is unmatched in screens readable outdoors. The outdoor viewing slipped a little but it is more than adequate. The screen alone is a feature that will set this apart from crowd. I thought I may be disappointed since the screen wasn't the new larger 4" screen that Toshiba uses on the e550g. Well I set this side by side with the e550g and even though the screen is slightly smaller the quality of this new color screen still made me smile in relief. Remember this screen is still larger than all other leading Pocket PC's out there. Of course the concern has always been when you get such a beautifully bright screen what is the penalty one pays for battery life?"
