Compaq iPAQ H3600 Upgrade CD

INTRODUCTION
    I've been one impatient guy.  Over the last few months, I've been sitting at my computer, drooling, and checking like an impatient parent to be, wondering when, oh when would the Compaq H3600 Pocket PC 2002 Upgrade CD would be released.  If I remember correctly, it was originally supposed to be October 19th.  But, no!  We had to wait some more.  Then, it was supposed to be, like, the end of October; but no!  We were teased yet again.  The release of the upgrade CD was pushed off until November 30, 2001. From what I can see from the Compaq Upgrade Center, the upgrade is apparently now shipping. As to whether all orders have been fulfilled, I have little idea.

    Well, in the mean time, while the rest of the world waits, some of us have been able to obtain through legal channels what is supposed to be the final CD from Compaq.  I've installed the upgrade and some of the extra programs that come with it.  I thought it would be a good idea to actually take a close look at what the CD has to offer H3600 customers, and give everyone the lowdown on the CD. 

    It is not my intention to go in to anything Pocket PC 2002 related.  We've got a few other articles and reviews related to Pocket PC 2002.  We have a complete review written by our Editor-in-Chief, Jared Miniman, located here. If you're looking for Pocket PC 2002 specific information, you should look to there.  My focus is a little different.  I'm concerned about the CD as a purchased product.  

    A lot of people are curious about the new operating system and about the contents of the CD.  Is it worth my money to order the upgrade if I don't qualify for a free upgrade?  If I qualify for a free upgrade, or if I purchase one, is it going to be worth my time to dump the entire contents of my device and install al new operating system?  These are questions that we'll explore as we explore the CD.

WHAT'S HOT
   First of all, you should know that, at least in my opinion, the Compaq iPAQ H3600 Upgrade CD is probably one of the hottest new products available today.  I've been perched on a fence, longing for this thing for months; and now that I appear to have a little time on my hands, I've been looking at the whole upgrade package, gathering information and impressions and stuff so that I could relate them all to you.

    In fact, I thought this was so important, I've suspended my Apples & Oranges column so that I could knock out this important review.  But don't worry, I'll have another edition up before too long.  

    Any who, you'll notice from the list below, that the following can be found on the upgrade CD:

• ActiveSync 3.5
  It's new and improved, and even if you don't upgrade to Pocket PC 2002, you should grab a copy from Microsoft here.
• H3600 Pocket PC 2002 Upgrade
  Ah, at last, the new OS!
• Microsoft Connection Manager Set UP Wizard
  Pocket PC 2002 has enhanced connectivity and your connection options have grown exponentially.  This is the applet that helps you set everything up.
• Microsoft Money
  Keep track of your finances.
• Microsoft Reader 2.0 with Clear Type for Pocket PC
  Take your eBooks on the road.
• Microsoft Reader Activation Pack
  Yep, seems like EVERYTHING from MS will require activation.
• Microsoft Reader eBooks
  Some of these titles are pretty cool, but in my opinion, you have to be into literature to enjoy titles like Little Women, The Scarlet Letter, and the Secret Garden; but there are 22 titles to choose from, including Bram Stoker's Dracula.
• Microsoft Reader 2.0 with Clear Type for the PC
  The desktop component, rounding out the whole eBook deal.
• iPresentation Converter LE
  You can use this 30 day trial app to view PowerPoint presentations on your device.
• Compaq Dashboard
  The most popular Pocket PC application comes to your upgraded H3600 and includes an exclusive bonus!
• Microsoft Pocket Streets
  Travel with confidence.
• AvantGo
  Browse your favorite websites on your Pocket PC 2002 device.
• MSN Mobile
  Take your Hotmail e-mail to your device.  Now you can access Hotmail with a wireless connection from your device.
• Pocket PC Games
  Hearts, Minesweeper, and Reversi, round out Solitaire quite nicely.
• Windows Media Player 8 for Pocket PC 2002
  Tuneage! 'Nuff said.
• Windows Media Player 7.1 for Windows
  For those of you who don't have the desktop player.
• Microsoft Transcriber 1.5
  Handwriting recognition on your device.
• IE 6.0
  Microsoft's latest version of their great browser.
• StarTap
  Enhance iTask with a trial version of this award winning tool.

    There's a lot here, kids.  If you were to install absolutely everything, you could really be busy for a while. I'm going to take a few moments and go through nearly everything here and give you the straight poop on some of the newer things you've noticed in the above list.  However, before we get going, you should know that there are some rather large graphics here.  I've tried to resize everything so that you can see them in their original size.  However, I have resized the larger images to a more reasonable size.  The original image is available for your viewing pleasure by clicking on the smaller image.

    Now, as I was saying, this may take a while, so make yourselves comfortable.  If you need to take a break, do it now.  I'll wait for you... we'll just pick it up when you're ready.

SETUP
   The Compaq iPAQ H3600 Upgrade CD is a flash enabled product (uses the same building blocks as all Pocket PC 2002 setup CD-ROMs) that brings up a cool animated screen in the center of your PC's screen.  It is from this screen that you kick everything off.  I'm going to take you through most of the CD screens and the ROM upgrade here.  I'll get to all of the add-ons in the next section.

The CD Screens

Getting Started 

Start Here

Your Pocket PC Upgrade Adventure Starts Here! Click the Image. Click the image to read more...

Enhance Your Pocket PC

This is where the Good Stuff is.  Click the image to read more...

Learn More

Find out about some Important Pocket PC 2002 Resources.  Click the image to read more...

About This CD

Learn about this CD. Click the image to see more...

PROGRAM FEATURES
    The above pictures provide hyperlinks to the bulk of the review; please click on each picture go review detailed information about each portion of the Compaq iPAQ H3600 Upgrade CD.  It's quite a read, and there's a lot of information here, so roll up your sleeves and get ready.

HELP SUPPORT
    There really isn't a lot of help for the Compaq iPAQ H3600 Upgrade CD.  As you can see from the screen shots below, its really kinda lame...

Link to Lame Help

Lame Help

It's always a great idea to head to the Compaq support forums for direct help.

OPTIONS
    Compaq has manufactured an iPAQ upgrade for its H3100 and H3600 iPAQ Pocket PC's.  The upgrades are effectively identical except for the difference between the two series devices.  I've ordered both, but as of this writing, I haven't received the upgrade for my H3150 Pocket PC, so I can't give you any specifics on it.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
    In order to qualify for the Compaq iPAQ H3XXX upgrade CD you must be running a Compaq iPAQ H3100 or H3600 Series Pocket PC.  There are separate upgrade CD's for each series device.

BUGS AND WISHES
     Ok, don't get me started.  If I start I'm not gonna stop.  Ok...too late.  If you don't want to hear this brief rant, scroll down and skip this part; but I gotta say this. 

    Which dork decided to pull the Spell Checker from Pocket Word?  This guy should be found and shot...and I'm not kidding.  That's right kids, as of this writing, if you upgrade your iPAQ 3600 device, you will NEVER have spell check in Pocket Word.  THIS HAS TO CHANGE!

    The lack of spell check in Pocket Word (and Inbox) is a major hole that gets filled in native Pocket PC 2002 devices like the iPAQ 3850 and Jornada 568.  However, it's still a hole in upgraded Pocket PC 2002 devices.  I spent money to buy this upgrade.  Why should I be penalized?  This pisses me off to no end.  Handwriting recognition isn't 100%, even with Calligrapher 6.x (the upgraded version of Transcriber 1.5), and I still get misrecognized words.

    The only way to correct spelling errors is to synchronize all of your Pocket Word documents to your PC and run spell check in Word 2000/2002.  This is the same work around that I've been using with my Pocket PC devices, and it's still unacceptable.  The introduction of spell check in Pocket Word was a HUGE draw for me and other Pocket PC 2002 upgrade customers.  I NEED spell check in Pocket Word.  The guy who made the decision to pull it from the Compaq H3600 Upgrade ROM is a jerk, and in my opinion, doesn't have a fricking clue about what upgrade customers want from Compaq and Microsoft.

    The same can be said for Windows Media Player 8; but at least we had the opportunity to install it into RAM.  And that's a big deal, too.  I'm not as upset about that one, because I have access to the software, even if it is in RAM and not ROM.  The spell check utility in Pocket Word can't be that big.  Why the heck would you pull it? Windows Media Player 8 has to be about 1.5 MB or so in size.  That's a lot of space in this Pocket OS.  If the dictionary for the spell checker was big, and took up a lot of space, you could have installed it into main RAM or on to a storage card, ya know...  Think about this one, guys... The Pocket Word spell checker is just too important of a utility to leave entirely out. 

    If you're going to penalize me like this, then at least give it to me as a download so that I can install it into RAM.  I don't care if you think it's too big, or that its too complicated... You guys get paid to create software solutions that solve these problems.  Do your bloody job... This was just laziness, plain and simple.

PURCHASING
    The Compaq iPAQ H3600 Upgrade CD is available on line here.  The upgrade is free for those individuals who purchased their iPAQ Pocket PC between September 6 and November 30, 2001.  To qualify for the free upgrade, you must show adequate proof of purchase; but Compaq will still hit you for shipping and handling via FedEx Ground.  If you don't qualify for the free upgrade, you can still upgrade your device, but it's going to cost you $29.95, or approximately $44 after taxes and shipping and handling via FedEx Ground.

PROS

• Compaq Dashboard for Pocket PC with Exclusive Contacts Module
• Pocket PC 2002 Operating System
• Gobs o' Additional Software

CONS

• Compaq Dashboard slows down your device
• Incomplete ROM Image (vs. native Pocket PC 2002 Devices)
• No Spell Check for You!
• Additional Software MUST be installed in RAM (vs. native Pocket PC 2002 Devices)
• It took FOREVER for Compaq to release this, and then FOREVER for it to arrive.
• Upgrade CD is NOT available as a download.

OVERALL IMPRESSION
   I love my upgraded H3635 Pocket PC.  It's even better than my original H3635.  However, the absence of the Spell Check feature in Pocket Word, and the complete absence of WMP8 in ROM is a noticeable hole.  I'd much rather have all of Pocket Word and WMP8 in ROM than some of the add-on applets and utilities included in the OS.  I don't know about you, but I've NEVER used the CF backup tool or iTask, included with Pocket PC.  I use ActiveSync to backup my device, and then I use some hard drive space to hold a copy of the data and program files I have on my storage card.

    Bottom line, is the upgrade worth the money, and the wait? Oh yeah.  The added functionality, even with the absence of Spell Check in Pocket Word, is still worth it.  However, don't expect it to part the clouds and answer your questions to the meaning of life.  Contrary to popular belief, while the answer to that is still 42, you won't find it hidden in the Upgrade somewhere; and as a result, the Compaq iPAQ H3600 Upgrade CD leaves me wanting...somethign.

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