Windows Phone Thoughts: StyriteUSA LLC Products for iPAQ 2200 review

Imagine, if you will, the following scenario (sounds of Twilight Zone in the background). You're away for the weekend, checking your email on the Web, and your beloved iPAQ 2215 tells you that there is less than 10% battery power left. The cradle is sitting peacefully on your desk at work, about 50 miles away and you don't have after-hours access. What do you do? First, take a backup! :wink: Then, you pull out your trusty Combopack from StyriteUSA LLC and hook up to an available USB port, or create one!

StyriteUSA LLC is the licensed North American dealer for Styrite products which are produced in Taiwan. Styrite has been in business for a couple of years, producing quality PDA styli, cases, and travel packs for other PDAs, most recently, the Dell Axim. Now, they have just released a version of their well-known Combopack, specifically for the iPAQ2200. The Styrite Combopack includes a number of interesting goodies such as a retractable USB/Hot Sync cable, which makes it a must have travel companion for your PDA. StyriteUSA also sent along samples of other products which are available from their website.

The Combopack
The Combopack for the iPAQ2200 consists of:

• One StyFilm self-adhesive protective cover for the iPAQ2200 screen;
  
• A Squeeze Card which is used to help remove bubbles while applying the StyFilm;
  
• A High Performance Cleaning Cloth;
  
• One retractable USB/HotSync Charging Cable and;
  
• One P-Arno 661 multi-function stylus pen.

Figure 1: StyriteUSA Combo Pack Contents

I suspect this package is essentially the same as the iPAQ 3600/3800 pack (since they have the same connectors as the iPAQ 2200) with the addition of an iPAQ 2200-sized version of the StyFilm. All the pieces come in a reusable plastic container, approximately 17 x 7.5 x 3 cm (6.5 x 3 x 1.25 inches) It's a good, sturdy plastic box, with a clip-over clasp on one side that you could easily through into your travel case or emergency kit. While there's lots of extra room in the Combopack container, it's not quite enough to fit the accessory Wall Adapter or Car Adapter. It's a shame StyriteUSA doesn't have the more stylish packages available from Taiwan (see picture below). Maybe later?


Figure 2: TravelPack (only from Styrite.com parent and not specifically for the iPAQ2200)

StyFilm Protective Film
I should say that I am not a regular user of protective films on my screen. I don't write on the screen all that often, since I prefer to use a keyboard for input when I can. Trying to apply the StyFilm was actually my first attempt ever at attaching a protective film to my screen. So, take my comments as one who is a neophyte in these things. The instructions provided by Styrite were clear and straightforward. I used the High Performance Cleaning Cloth to get all the crud off the edges of the screen, and followed the suggestion to strip the backing off only a small portion of the film first. Try as I might, I couldn't get the film lined up straight with the edges of my screen for the first couple of times. By the time I did get a version that was not too lop-sided, I had trapped dirt under the film! I had now removed and replaced the StyFilm about five or six times, and I was starting to lose adhesion at the top and bottom. So, I left the film on for a couple of days, just so I could review how it actually works!

Generally, once applied (properly), the film becomes practically invisible to the user. Although I noticed a very slight milkiness to the screen looking through the film, I attributed this mostly to repeated attempts to properly mount the film. The sensitivity of the screen to the stylus is unaffected by the film -- I didn't have to press any harder or differently to make the screen respond. Generally, the feel of the film is a little less slick than the glass of the screen, but it didn't cause any drag as I wrote on the screen. Sorry, I'm not able to give any long term wear and tear data on the use of the StyFilm since I took it off after a couple of days. I was worried about the trapped dirt under the film causing scratches.

The StyFilm protective film has a lot of competitors in North America and I think most people who use screen protectors have their favorites. Generally, I found this one fairly simple to use and I'm sure it would be cinch for those used to the tricks of the trade around installing them.

Styrite High Performance Cleaning Cloth
This is a 15 x 12 cm (6 x 4.75 inch) piece of blue microfibre cloth which has been hemmed around the edge to prevent fraying. There aren't a lot of instructions included on how to use the cloth, but judging from the nap of the cloth, I would assume the top side (with the Styrite label attached) is the one to be used in cleaning. I also assumed the cloth should be used without cleaning solutions, since none were provided in the Combopack. It seems to do a pretty good job of removing fingerprints, dust, etc., from the screen all by itself.

Retractable USB/HotSync Charging Cable
This is really the heart of the package, and one of the most useful gadgets I've seen for my Pocket PC in a while. It consists of two plugs -- an iPAQ sync plug that attaches to the bottom connector of the iPAQ 2200, and a standard USB plug. They are attached via a thin dual cable to a ratchet cable winder in the centre.


Figure 3: Styrite USB/HotSync Cable

This makes it an ideal cable for attaching your iPAQ to a USB port on the laptop or PC to support synchronization, file transfer, and recharging! Retracted, the unit measures about 11 x 2.5 x 1 cm (4.25 x 1 x 0.5 inch), making it a pretty small package and easily stowable in a crevice of the travel bag. The cables extend by pulling on the ends. At full extension, the length is about 72 cm (28 inches). This won't let you comfortably use the iPAQ while connected to the USB port, but it's enough for making sure the unit is safely on a surface while it's charging, etc. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the sync plug end would comfortably plug into the iPAQ even through my Proporta metal case!


Figure 4: USB/HotSync Cable Fully Extended

You retract the cables by gently pulling them at both ends and letting the roller take up the slack. A strain relief is provided at the iPAQ sync plug but not at the USB plug and the cable is pretty thin. I know there needs to be a balance in order to keep the size of the retractor unit small, but I suspect the cables in this unit will not stand up to heavy use. I'd suggest you keep it around for emergencies -- like the time I was at my in-laws and my sons used up most of the battery power playing Crazy Bubbles. By the time I got home, the iPAQ had completely drained both the main and backup batteries and I was forced to rebuild the unit from the resultant hard reset (fortunately, I had taken a backup before we left). It would have been great to have something small I could just throw in the corner of a suitcase and be able to plug in overnight.

P-Arno 661 Multi-Function Stylus Pen
Quite rightly, Styrite bills this as a stylus replacement, rather than a pen/stylus. At just over 11cm (4.5 inches) long, this is a bit short to be comfortably held as a normal pen. One end is an orange-coloured nylon tip which is fairly standard for stylus replacements. By rotating the bottom half of the barrel, a black-ink ballpoint pen is revealed, which can be used to just jot down that number you need. (But why aren't you putting it into your Contacts list, or into a Note????) :D If you pull the stylus half of the barrel off, a blue plastic reset pin is revealed.


Figure 5: P-Arno 661 pen pulled apart to reveal the reset pin

I'm not sure this is really necessary for the iPAQ 2200, since I find the stylus tip works just as well. However, if you have your iPAQ in a case of any kind, the stylus tip might not be long enough to reach through and activate the reset button, so then you can use this reset pin.