IPAQ

modified Hewlett-Packard iPAQ 2210

Hewlett-Packard iPAQ 3630

Hewlett-Packard iPaq 4700

This article is about the iPAQ PDA; for the iPAQ Desktop Personal Computer, see iPAQ (desktop computer).

iPAQ presently refers to a Pocket PC and personal digital assistant first unveiled by Compaq in April 2000; the name was borrowed from Compaq's earlier iPAQ Desktop Personal Computers. Since Hewlett-Packard's acquisition of Compaq, the product has been marketed by HP. The device is the main competition to the Palm, but provides more multimedia capabilities using a Microsoft Windows interface. In addition to this, there are several Linux distributions that will also operate on some of these devices. Earlier, units were modular. "Sleeve" accessories, technically called jackets, which slide around the unit and add functionality such as a card reader, wireless networking, GPS, and even extra batteries were used. Current iPAQs have most of these features integrated into the base device itself.

Hewlett-Packard introduced the first SmartPhone iPaq Pocket PC that looks like a regular cell phone and has VoIP capability. The series is the HP iPAQ 500 Series Voice Messenger.^[1]

History and development of iPAQ models

The iPaq was developed by Digital Equipment Corporation Western Research Laboratory (WRL), the internal code name for it was Itsy. The name was used by Compaq to continue their Compaq Aero handheld line. With the acquisition of Compaq by Hewlett-Packard, HP stopped producing their Jornada line of Microsoft Windows powered Pocket PCs and continued developing and marketing Pocket PCs in the iPAQ line.

In June 2003, HP retired the h3xxx line of iPAQs and introduced the h1xxx line of iPAQs targeted at price conscious buyers, the h2xxx consumer line, and the h5xxx line, targeted at business customers. They were sold pre-installed with the Windows Mobile for Pocket PC 2003 Operating System. The h63xx series of iPAQs running the Phone Edition of Windows Mobile 2003, the hx47xx series and the rz17xx series, both running the Second Edition of Windows Mobile 2003 were introduced in August 2004. In February 2005 the iPAQ Mobile Messenger hw6500 series was introduced to selected media at the 3GSM conference in Cannes, France.

In 2007 the iPAQ rx4000 Mobile Media Companion PDA/media devices and rx5000 Travel Companion PDA/GPS devices were released. Both series of iPAQs work on the Windows Mobile 5 Operating System (WM5), as do the hx2000 and hw6900 series. The first HP Windows Mobile 6 device, the iPAQ 500 Series Voice Messenger, with the Windows Mobile 6 Standard Operating System WM6) , and numeric pad, was released in the same year.

The entire iPAQ line was completely revamped by the introduction of five new iPAQ series to complement the introduction of the iPAQ 500 Series Voice Messenger earlier in the year. The models announced were the 100 Series Classic Handheld, the 200 Series Enterprise Handheld, the 300 Series Travel Companion, the 600 Series Business Navigator and the 900 Series Business Messenger. The 100 and 200 Series are regular touchscreen PDAs without phone functionality running WM6. The 300 Series Travel Companion is not a PDA; marketed as a Personal Navigation Device, it is a handheld GPS unit operating on the Windows CE 5.0 core Operating System with a custom user interface. The 600 and 900 series are phones with integrated GPS and 3G capabilities, running the WM6 Professional. The 600 series featuring a numeric pad and the 900 series features a full QWERTY keyboard.

Quick reference chart

Jacket-compatible

These older models are compatible with the iPAQ Jacket which can have 1 CompactFlash, 1 PC Card or 2 PC Card slots.

iPAQ jacket PN 173396-001 PCMCIA (PC port) x1 internal Li-ion battery PN 167648 3.7v 1500mAh (upgradable)

(1) In the about info is mentioned that Windows CE 3.0 is installed. The Microsoft sticker on the back side states that Poceket PC 2002 Premium is installed. Pocket PC 2002 is an upgrade of Windows CE 3.0

Newer models

Alternative operating systems for the iPAQ

NetBSD

NetBSD will install and run on iPAQ.

Familiar Linux

An alternative Linux-based OS is available for the iPAQ, called Familiar. It is available with the Opie or GPE GUI environment, or as a base Linux system with no GUI if preferred.

Both Opie and GPE provide the usual PIM suite (calendar, contacts, todo list, and notes) as well as a long list of other applications. Support for handwriting recognition, on-screen keyboard, bluetooth, IrDA and add-on hardware such as keyboards are standard in both environments.

The v0.8.4 (2006-08-20) version supports HP iPAQ H3xxx and H5xxx series of handhelds, and introduces initial support for the HP iPAQ H2200, Hx4700, and H6300 series.

about linux un h36** see http://www.elinux.org/Flameman/ipaq/status

Plan 9 from Bell Labs

Plan 9 from Bell Labs runs on the iPAQ. The nickname of the architecture is "bitsy," after the name of the ARM-based chipsets used in many of the machines.

Ångström distribution

See Ångström Distribution

Upgrades

The hx2000 series and some later models are upgradeable to newer versions of Windows Mobile. Upgrades can be purchased from HP.

Internal Li-ion battery

iPAQ model 3100 - 3700 are fitted with internal Li-ion battery PN 167648 3.7v 1500mAh which can be replaced with a 2200mAh upgrade. The same battery is used in the iPAQ jacket PN 173396-001 PCMCIA (PC port), which can also be upgraded to 2200mAh.

RAM Upgrade

It is possible to have the internal RAM of an iPAQ H3970 upgraded to 128Mb by using a specialist service which replaces the surface-mount BGA RAM chips.

See also

• Personal digital assistant
• Windows Mobile
• Hewlett-Packard
• Jornada (PDA)
• SuperWaba: Free and open software development kit for Pocket PC and Linux iPAQs.
• Pocket PC

References

External links

• Unboxing HP iPAQ Voice Messenger at BestBoyZ.de
• iPAQ Choice - Website for purchasing iPAQ software
• iPAQ Models and Accessories - dedicated website for Legacy IPAQ Models and Accessories
• iPAQ Repair and Parts Website dedicated to iPAQ Repairs in UK
• iPAQ Accessories & Repair Parts - dedicated website for IPAQ Accessories & Spare Parts
• NetBSD on iPAQ
• Plan 9 from Bell Labs on iPAQ (referred to as Bitsy)