iPaq

The iPaq is an entire line of computers from Compaq, not only the one mentioned above, but also a small form-factor desktop line. They are very nice looking machines, and the handhelds are very popular, despite the materials shortage that make the all but impossible to find.

The iPaq is unique from other Windows CE handhelds because of its device extensions. To add a device, you must tack on a "jacket", which adds wieght, size, and in the case of the PCMCIA jacket, battery life for the peripheral. This somewhat increases the clumsiness of the unit, but it extends the device greatly.

When i first heard the naming convention (based obviously on the iMac), I was quite turned off, but then i realised that it is great for marketing to associate items with a unique form factor. The iPaqs have enough of their own look and feel that makes the borrowing of the name convention alright in my opinion.

The original handheld line was officially the iPAQ H3600 series; individual models differed in size of the (flash) ROM and RAM as well as he display (monochrome vs. 4096 colors). Newer models have a higher color resolution, built-in SD card slot and Bluetooth support.

The iPAQ is famous for being the first PDA capable of running Linux, and it does so quite well; there are several distributions to choose from.

Unfortunately, although the Linux capability was planned for and is strategically supported by the maker, installing Linux in the device's ROM is a rather scary process that can potentially render it unusable. Furthermore, it requires a serial synch cable that doesn't even come with the device.

I'll probably stay with WindowsCE, cuz I got a Japanese model which has ultra-cool kanji handwriting recognition built in.