One of the major flaws in the Pocket PC OS is that applications can’t easily be turned off. The operating system is supposed to shut down applications as needed in order to keep the device moving quickly. However, all of the Pocket PCs we’ve tried, including the iPaq, slow to a crawl after opening just a few apps. To combat this problem, Compaq includes a dedicated button, dubbed the QMenu, that allows you to turn off applications quickly and easily; this keeps the iPaq speeding right along.
And the iPaq is fast. Its processor runs at a brisk 206 MHz, about 70 MHz faster than the HP Jornada 545 or the Casio Cassiopeia E-115. The difference is remarkable, especially when you have several applications running. We found that switching between Pocket Excel and Notes was effortless, and menus popped up as fast as we could use them.
This brawny machine is a beauty, too. Rather than being backlit like other color LCDs, the iPaq instead has small lights around its edge, which reflect off the screen and make it brilliantly bright, even when outdoors in direct sunlight. However, the screen doesn’t display as many colors as the Cassiopeia E-115, so the subtle shading in images is lost.
The one thing missing from the iPaq is a slot for a CompactFlash card, but since it already comes with 32MB of built-in RAM, most users should have enough memory as it is.
We still think $499 is too much to spend on a handheld, but HP and Casio are charging $100 more than that for their Pocket PCs with 32MB of memory. So, with its sharp, silver looks and butt-kicking performance, the iPaq is the way to go.