The Beanster Blog

My friend Chinang gave this to me a few weeks back and I've been meaning to post about it but managed to put it off for some reason. Here is the 1st PDA I've ever owned a Compaq iPAQ h3870 [IIRC the last iPAQ before hp bought Compaq]. It's a beast of a device compared to today's relatively tiny PDA phones. It brings back a lot of memories of fiddling with the Windows Mobile Classic OS [formerly Pocket PC], this actually got me hooked on WM and was pretty high tech for it's time. Alas this old fossil's battery which is both internal and non user replaceable is now dead. It still works if I plug it into AC power though. These old devices didn't have NVFS [non volatile file store] and lost data when you lost power, a definite bummer for sure but I've learned to do power management and the importance of backups through this early limitation. I'd like to point out however that today's devices do have NVFS which is great, modern devices also have swapp...

Let this be a lesson to your my fellow gadget fiends [yes we are fiends, admit it!] -- DO NOT FRIGGIN' WATCH UNBOXINGS AND VIDEO REVIEWS OF HIGH END DEVICES THAT ARE NOT IN THE MARKET YET. -- That being said if you still want to salivate over HTC's latest top of the line slider... Head on over to mobilitysite's video unboxing and review HERE -- I had previously put this device in the 'DO NOT BUY' section of my list... I keep a mental list of devices that can replace my current 6 months into owning it [if it lasts that long that is] well the TyTN2 is well over the 6 month period and I had resigned myself to getting back into the QWERTY bar herd with either A) a palm Treo Pro or B) an hp iPAQ 914c with the Treo Pro inching out on a slim lead because it is just plain sexy!  -- That all changed a few minutes ago when I saw the video I linked to above.  -- The screen is just... drool worthy and the response time on the Touch Pro is really impressive. My graphics driver l...

It is that time of the year again when devices are being announced and are coming to market. But at the moment I don't have a whole lot of choices. So far it's neck to neck for the hp iPAQ 900 series and the palm Treo Pro both devices have impressive specifications but these specifications are almost identical to my current device the HTC TyTN2. We can interpret this 2 ways. 1 the TyTN2 is an awesome device which is hard to replace. 2 device makers are resting on their rumps and not innovating. I think it will be a mix of both trains of thought. So why am I even considering plunking down the moohlah to buy a new device if the specs are not so different from my current device? Well the answer is in the form factor... and because I like new and shiny toys [errr... tools]. With my TyTN2 I had a bigger keyboard but it definitely required 2 hands to operate efficiently. I do love the tilting screen and use it on a daily basis. I would like to report that after close to 10 months of ...

HTC Taiwanese super company HTC has the following devices either in the stores or in the works: HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Diamond Pro, HTC S740. These are all updates to their devices. I am not too sold on the square and hard edge fingerprint magnet finish of these new devices. I am curious if they will be updating the Shift line. HTC is a really aggressive Windows Mobile device maker so their devices will be a part of their total business. It is interesting to see that they have been selected to make the Google Android powered T-mobile device codename: HTC Dream. palm palm is coming out with a shiny new Treo for GSM markets in the Treo Pro [Treo 850] and the web is a buzz with this newest Treo. While this device has shined the limelight albeit momentarily on the palm camp I don't think this is enough for them to be competitive again. I really think they should put out their next OS and get ODMs to license it, if not may be they should close the OS part of the business and start...

hp is trying to regain lost glory with this entry into the WM world... Check it out! -- Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional [read: POCKET PC PHONE EDITION] Marvell PXA270 processor 416 MHz 128Mb RAM / 256Mb ROM miniUSB microSD Expansion 2.46-inch Transflective color TFT 320 x 240 pixel touch screen with LED backlight 3 Megapixel, CMOS sensor, auto focus, 4X digital zoom WiFi b/g 4band GSM/GPRS/EDGE 3band UMTS w/ HSDPA A-GPS Removable, rechargeable 1940 mAh Li-Poly battery Dimensions (w x d x h) = 2.5 x 0.6 x 4.5 in (64 x 15 x 114 mm) Weight = 5.4 oz (15.4 g) QWERTY bar form factor. -- ultra similar specs to my current TyTN II except of course for the glaring form factor difference [which also lends to the dimensions] and battery [which would lend to weight and uptime]. Very very tempting... much more tempting than the Samsung SGH-i780 with it's not so standard 320x320 resolution. I'd pick low-res over application compatibility any time... still I am hesitant to change d...

I wrote hp support yesterday inquiring about the hp 2133 mini-Note PC, it was appearing in some local blogs as being available locally. hp just sent me a response saying that the mini-Note is not yet available. Hmmm I wonder if the units being sold are paralleled in or are really for the local market. I'm still planning on looking for the hp 2133 maybe tomorrow [if I wake up early and beat the traffic].

Still lusting over this ultra portable... :P~

-- HP 2133 Mini-Note PC Genuine Windows Vista® Business (note) w/MS Office (Trial) VIA C7™-M processor (1.6 GHz, 800 MHz FSB) 8.9-inch diagonal, scratch-resistant, WXGA (1280 x 800 resolution) Via Chrome 9 UMA VGA camera included 2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (1 DIMM) 120GB 7200rpm Hard Drive Broadcom 4311AG 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi Adapter HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth® Wireless Technology 92% full-size, user-friendly QWERTY keyboard ExpressCard/54 slot Integrated Secure Digital Reader Touchpad with scroll zone 6 cell Li-Ion battery Limited 1 year standard parts and labor warranty -- I want one! Too bad this model is only available in the US for now... I hope they start selling this to the ROW soon!

[HTC TyTN II] [hp iPAQ 900 Business Messenger] -- At first when the HTC TyTN II was announced I thought I wanted it, now I think I might hold off on getting one for myself and wait for the iPAQ 900 series. They have almost identical specs but differ dramatically in form factor. I've been using a QWERTY bar for almost 10 months now and it seems that I don't want to go back to a slider device. The iPAQ is supposed to be out by the end of the year [add some delays and we'll probably see it shipping by Q1 2008] while the TyTN II is out now [Euro versions are in stores now for a hefty 49,500 PhP]. -- I'm finally cutting my Globe line [after 10 years with them] by November. So my reliable Nokia 3120 might go to my sister, for her spare Smart SIM. I'm keeping my cheapo Nokia 1112 for my Sun SIM. My aging Treo 750v is definitely due for a replacement and I'm thinking of getting a TyTN II while waiting for the iPAQ 900.

I've sold my hp iPAQ rw6828, reason well the Exec's screen and keyboard combo have become a better alternative than the stylus/finger driven data entry on the iPAQ. It was a fun 3 weeks and I would recommend the PDA phone to anyone who is looking at the ATOM the hp iPAQ simply put has a better sales package IMO, and of course you have hp Philippines to go to once you hit a speed bump or even a major problem with the device. I am seeing/reading a lot about the HTC TyTn lately [aka dopod CHT 9000 for Asia and it's various Euro names], I saw that it might retail for 46K PhP not bad really for the specs [about the Wizard's size, faster processor, jog dial, 3G only downside really is a diff flash card format microSD or transFlash; hey I just switched from SD to miniSD bastards!]. Maybe that would be my Birthday gift to myself come October, that's a big [make that HUGE; kudos to the "Donald"] maybe. I've really fallen in love with my Exec's VGA screen an...

[Meet JediPAQ_v2: the FORCE is Strong in this one...] My first Pocket PC was the Compaq iPAQ h3870, I replaced it with another iPAQ [this time it was hp iPAQ] the h2210, as much as I wanted to continue using iPAQs the next offerings from hp were not as interesting eventhough I was itching for convergence [i.e. h63xx] it wasn't the right size for me, so I switched to an i-mate JAM, then a dopod 838 this January, I got an O2 XDA Exec last month, but when I saw that the rw6828 already in store the other day, I was so tempted that I got it. It's nice to be back with an iPAQ... the brand that started my addiction to PocketPCs :-D So here I am with a brand spanking new 6828 :-) Special thanks to Charles Paw of Digital Walker for the great deal! -- Actually the rw6828 is manufactured by the same factory who makes the O2 ATOM [Quanta from Taiwan] . Most Cases Fit [Alum and Leather] Silicone ones fit but the button placements are not exact. ATOM Accessories will probably work with the ...

Ahoy there Beanster Blog Visitors! I got a new PocketPC Phone the hp iPAQ rw6828 Mobile Messenger . A REVIEW TO FOLLOW [HOPEFULLY SOON] AS I AM SO F*CKIN' BUSY... ARGHHH!!!