IPAQ - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This article is about the iPAQ PDA
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...

; for the iPAQ Desktop Personal Computer, see iPAQ (desktop computer)
IPAQ (desktop computer)
The iPAQ Desktop Personal Computer in its various incarnations was a Legacy-free PC produced by the Compaq Computer Corporation around the year 2000....

.

iPAQ presently refers to a Pocket PC

Pocket PC

A Pocket PC is also known by Microsoft as a 'Windows Mobile Classic device'. It is a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer, personal digital assistant , that runs the Microsoft 'Windows Mobile Classic' operating system...

and personal digital assistant

Personal digital assistant

A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...

first unveiled by Compaq

Compaq

Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....

in April 2000; the name was borrowed from Compaq's earlier iPAQ Desktop Personal Computer

IPAQ (desktop computer)

The iPAQ Desktop Personal Computer in its various incarnations was a Legacy-free PC produced by the Compaq Computer Corporation around the year 2000....

s. Since Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard

Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...

's acquisition of Compaq, the product has been marketed by HP. The devices use a Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...

interface. In addition to this, there are several Linux distribution

Linux distribution

A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...

s 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.
HP's current line-up of iPAQ devices includes PDA

PDA

A PDA is most commonly a Personal digital assistant, also known as a Personal data assistant, a mobile electronic device.PDA may also refer to:In science, medicine and technology:...

-devices, Smartphones and GPS-navigators. A substantial number of current and past devices are outsourced from Taiwanese HTC corporation.

History

The iPAQ was developed by Compaq based on the SA-1110 "Assabet" and SA-1111 "Neponset" reference boards that were engineered by a StrongARM development group located at Digital Equipment Corporation's Hudson Massachusetts facility. At the time when these boards were in development, this facility was acquired by Intel. When the "Assabet" board is combined with the "Neponset" companion processor board they provide support for 32 megabytes of SDRAM in addition to CompactFlash and PCMCIA slots along with an I2S or AC-Link serial audio bus, PS/2 mouse and trackpad interfaces, a USB host controller and 18 additional GPIO pins. Software drivers for a CompactFlash ethernet device, IDE storage devices such as the IBM Microdrive and the Lucent WaveLAN/IEEE 802.11 Wifi device were also available. An earlier StrongARM SA-1100 based research handheld device call the "Itsy" had been developed at Digital Equipment Corporation's Western Research Laboratory (later to become the Compaq Western Research Laboratory). With the acquisition of Compaq by Hewlett-Packard, HP discontinued the Jornada line of Microsoft Windows powered Pocket PCs, moving development and marketing of Pocket PCs to the iPAQ line.

The first iPAQ to be released was the H3100. It had a four-bit grayscale display, running on Pocket PC 2000. The H3100 was succeeded by the similarly-designed H3600. Changes included a colour display and a chrome coloured directional pad compared to the monochrome display and gunmetal grey d-pad of its predecessor. The H3600 was succeeded by the H3800 and H3900, which retained the same form factor, but had a different button layout.

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 August 2004, HP released the rz17xx and rx3xxx series of Mobile Media Companions. These devices were aimed at consumers, rather than the traditional corporate audience. Emphasis was placed on media features, like NEVO TV Remote and Mobile Media. They ran on Windows Mobile 2003SE.

In February 2005 the iPAQ Mobile Messenger hw6500 series was introduced to selected media at the 3GSM conference in Cannes

Cannes

Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. It was replaced a year later by the hw6900 series, running on Windows Mobile 5.

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 possesses a numeric pad and the 900 series features a full QWERTY keyboard.

In December 2009, HP released the iPAQ Glisten, running on Windows Mobile 6.5.

As of April 2011, no new models have been announced. HP continues to advertise the 111 series and the Glisten on its website, however. As such, the status and fate of the iPAQ line is unclear.

In mid-August 2011, HP announced that they are discontinuing all webOS devices, and possibly mobile devices.It is unclear if this move will affect the iPAQ line.

Jacket-compatible

These older models are compatible with the iPAQ Jacket which can accept 1 CompactFlash

CompactFlash

CompactFlash is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Most CompactFlash devices contain flash memory in a standardized enclosure. The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994...

, 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)

Model	RAM (MiB Mebibyte The mebibyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The binary prefix mebi means 220, therefore 1 mebibyte is . The unit symbol for the mebibyte is MiB. The unit was established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000 and has been accepted for use by all major... )	ROM (MiB Mebibyte The mebibyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The binary prefix mebi means 220, therefore 1 mebibyte is . The unit symbol for the mebibyte is MiB. The unit was established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000 and has been accepted for use by all major... )	Slots	CPU	CPU Clock(MHz)	OS	WiFi WIFI WIFI is a radio station broadcasting a brokered format. Licensed to Florence, New Jersey, USA, the station is currently operated by Florence Broadcasting Partners, LLC.This station was previously owned by Real Life Broadcasting...	Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...	IrDA IRDA IRDA may refer to:* Infrared Data Association, in information and communications technology , a standard for communication between devices over short distances using infrared signals...	PN 173396-001	Special Feature
H3100	16	16	None	SA-1110	206	PPC2000			Yes		4-bit gray scale display
H3630	32	16	None	SA-1110	206	PPC2000			Yes	Yes
H3660	64	16	None	SA-1110	206	PPC2000			Yes	Yes
H3760	64	32	None	SA-1110	206	PPC2002
H3830 (Rosella)	32	32	1SD	SA-1110	206	PPC2002 Premium			Yes
H3850	64	32	1SD	SA-1110	206	PPC2002
H3870	64	32	1SD	SA-1110	206	PPC2002		BT1.1	Yes	Yes
H3950	64	32	1SD/IO	PXA250	400	PPC2002 Premium			Yes		NEVO TV Remote Software
H3970	64	48	1SD	PXA250	400	PPC2002 Premium		BT1.1	Yes	Yes	NEVO TV Remote Software
H5150	64	32	1SD	PXA255	400	WM2003		BT1.1	Yes	Yes	NEVO TV Remote Software
H5400	64	48	1SD	PXA250	400	WM2003	802.11b	BT1.1	Yes	Yes	NEVO TV Remote Software, Biometric Fingerprint reader
H5500	128	48	1SD	PXA255	400	WM2003	802.11b	BT1.1	Yes	Yes	Biometric Fingerprint reader

Newer models

Model	RAM (MiB Mebibyte The mebibyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The binary prefix mebi means 220, therefore 1 mebibyte is . The unit symbol for the mebibyte is MiB. The unit was established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000 and has been accepted for use by all major... )	ROM (MiB Mebibyte The mebibyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The binary prefix mebi means 220, therefore 1 mebibyte is . The unit symbol for the mebibyte is MiB. The unit was established by the International Electrotechnical Commission in 2000 and has been accepted for use by all major... )	Slots	CPU	CPU Clock(MHz)	OS	WiFi WIFI WIFI is a radio station broadcasting a brokered format. Licensed to Florence, New Jersey, USA, the station is currently operated by Florence Broadcasting Partners, LLC.This station was previously owned by Real Life Broadcasting...	Bluetooth Bluetooth Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...	More
H1910	64	16	1SD	PXA250	200	PPC2002	No	No	No RS232 Support
H1915	64	16	1SD	PXA255	200	PPC2002	No	No	No RS232 Support
H1930	64	16	1SDIO SDIO SDIO may refer to:* Secure Digital Input Output, a type of Secure Digital card interface.* Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, an organization set up to oversee the Strategic Defense Initiative; now known as the Missile Defense Agency....	S3C2410	203	WM2003	No	No	No RS232 Support
H1940	64	32	1SDIO	S3C2410	266	WM2003	No	BT1.1	No RS232 Support
rx1950	32	64	1SDIO	S3C2442	300	WM5	802.11b	No
rx1950 Navigator	32	64	1SDIO	S3C2442	300	WM5	802.11b	No	GPS
H2100	64	64	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	312	WM2003	802.11b	No
H2110	64	64	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	312	WM2003SE	No	Yes
H2210	64	32	1CF 1SDIO	PXA250	400	WM2003	No	BT1.1	NEVO TV Remote Software v2.0
H4150	64	32	1SDIO	PXA255	400	WM2003	802.11b	BT1.1
H4350	64	32	1SDIO	PXA255	400	WM2003	802.11b	BT1.1
hx2100	64	64	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	312	WM5	No	BT	IrDA, USB2.0
hx2110	64	64	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	312	WM2003SE	No	BT1.2	IrDA, USB1.1
hx2190b	64	192	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	312	WM5	No	BT1.2	IrDA, USB2.0
hx2200	64	??	1CF 1SDIO	PXA250	400	PPC2003 Premium	Yes	No
hx2410	64	64	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	520	WM2003SE	802.11b	BT1.2
hx2415	64	64	1CF 1SDIO 1MMC	PXA270	520	WM2003SE	802.11b	BT1.2
hx2490b	64	192	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	520	WM5 Premium	802.11b	BT	IrDA, USB2.0
hx2495b	64	192	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	520	WM5	802.11b	BT1.7.1
hx2750	128	128	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	624	WM2003SE	802.11b	BT1.2
hx2790	64	192	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	624	WM5	802.11b	BT1.7.1
hx2790b	64	320	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	624	WM5	802.11b	BT1.7.1
hx2790c	64	512	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	624	WM5	802.11b	BT1.7.1
hx4700	64	128	1CF 1SDIO	PXA270	624	WM2003SE	802.11b	BT1.2	VGA, may be unofficially upgraded to WM 6.5
rz1700	32	32	1SDIO	S3C2410	203	WM2003SE	No	No
rz1710	25	??	1SDIO 1SD/MMC	S3C2410	203	WM2003SE	No	No	Full RS 232, IrDA
rx1950	64	32	1SIO 1SD/MMC	SC32442	300	WM5.0	802.11b	unknown	May be unofficially upgraded to WM 6.1
rx3100	64	32	1SDIO	S3C2440	300	WM2003SE	802.11b	BT1.2	NEVO TV Remote Software v2.0
rx3115	64	32	1SDIO	S3C2440	300	WM2003SE	802.11b	BT1.2	NEVO TV Remote Software v2.0
rx3415	64	32	1SDIO	S3C2440	400	WM2003SE	802.11b	BT1.2	NEVO TV Remote Software v2.0
rx3417	64	64	1SDIO	S3C2440	400	WM2003SE	802.11b	BT1.2	NEVO TV Remote Software v2.0
rx3700	64	128	1SDIO	S3C2440	400	WM2003SE	802.11b	BT1.2	Camera
rx3715	64	128	1SDIO	S3C2440	400	WM2003SE	802.11b	BT1.2	IrDA, 1.2 MP Camera, NEVO TV Remote Software v2.0
h6300	64	64	1SDIO	TI OMAP	168	WM2003	802.11b	BT1.1	GPRS/Camera
h6310	64	64	1SDIO	TI OMAP 1510	168	WM2003	802.11b	BT1.1	GPRS
hw6500	64	64	1SDIO 1miniSD	PXA270	312	WM2003SE		BT1.2	GPRS/EDGE, GPS
hw6900 (Sable)	64	64	1miniSD	PXA270	416	WM5.0	802.11b	BT1.2	GPRS/EDGE, GPS
rw6800	64	128	1miniSD	PXA270	416	WM5.0	802.11b	BT1.2	GPRS/EDGE
110	64	256	1SDHC/SDIO	PXA310	624	WM6.0	802.11b/g	BT2.0 w/ EDR
210/211/214	128	256	1CF 1SDHC/SDIO	PXA310	624	WM6.0	802.11b/g	BT2.0 w/ EDR	VGA
614c	128	256	1SDHC/SDIO	PXA270	520	WM6.0	802.11b/g	BT2.0 w/ EDR	QVGA, GPRS/EDGE/3G, GPS
910c	128	256	1microSDHC	PXA270	416	WM6.1	802.11b/g	BT2.0 w/ EDR	QVGA, GPRS/EDGE/3G, GPS
Glisten	?	?	?	?	?	WM6.5	?	?	3G

Familiar Linux

An alternative Linux

Linux

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...

-based OS is available for the iPAQ, called Familiar

Familiar Linux

Familiar Linux is a Linux distribution for iPAQ machines and other personal digital assistants , intended as a replacement for Windows CE on these machines. It can use OPIE or GPE Palmtop Environment as graphical user interface...

. It is available with the Opie or GPE

GPE Palmtop Environment

GPE is a graphical user interface environment for handheld computers, such as palmtops and personal digital assistants , running the Linux operating system...

GUI environment, or as a base Linux system with no GUI if preferred.

Both Opie and GPE provide the usual PIM

Personal information management

Personal information management refers to the practice and the study of the activities people perform in order to acquire, organize, maintain, retrieve and use information items such as documents , web pages and email messages for everyday use to complete tasks and fulfill a person’s various...

suite (calendar, contacts, to do list, and notes) as well as a long list of other applications. Support for handwriting recognition, on-screen keyboard, bluetooth

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...

, IrDA

IRDA

IRDA may refer to:* Infrared Data Association, in information and communications technology , a standard for communication between devices over short distances using infrared signals...

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.

Plan 9 from Bell Labs

Plan 9 from Bell Labs is a distributed operating system. It was developed primarily for research purposes as the successor to Unix by the Computing Sciences Research Center at Bell Labs between the mid-1980s and 2002...

runs on the iPAQ. The nickname of the architecture is "bitsy," after the name of the ARM

ARM architecture

ARM is a 32-bit reduced instruction set computer instruction set architecture developed by ARM Holdings. It was named the Advanced RISC Machine, and before that, the Acorn RISC Machine. The ARM architecture is the most widely used 32-bit ISA in numbers produced...

-based chipsets used in many of the machines.

Upgrades

The hx2000 series and some later models are upgradeable to newer versions of Windows Mobile. Upgrades could be purchased from HP. Windows Mobile 2003 could be installed on the H3970 and possibly other models of the H3xxx series with sufficient ROM capacity. Other "cooked" roms have been provided by the group known as xda-developers

Xda-developers

xda-developers is a community of over 4 million users worldwide, started in 2003. The site's main purpose is discussion of Windows Phone, Android, and WebOS phones. They are also one of the first places that Windows Mobile and Android users come for general information of the device, ROM upgrades...

and are available for the hx2000 series, the hx4700 and others. These include Windows Mobile 6.0, 6.1 and 6.5.

Internal Li-ion battery

iPAQ models 3100 - 3700 are fitted with internal Li-ion battery PN 167648 3.7v 1500mAh which can be replaced with a 2200mAh unit. The same battery is used in the iPAQ jacket PN 173396-001 PCMCIA (PC port), which may also be upgraded to a 2200mAh unit. The 3800/3900 series are fitted with a 1700mAh cell as standard, also upgradeable to 2200mAh. Compaq presumably upgraded the battery to cope with the faster CPU's power requirements.

RAM Upgrade

It is possible to have the internal RAM of an iPAQ H3970 and hx4700 upgraded to 128MB by using a specialist service which replaces the surface-mount BGA

Ball grid array

A ball grid array is a type of surface-mount packaging used for integrated circuits.- Description :The BGA is descended from the pin grid array , which is a package with one face covered with pins in a grid pattern. These pins conduct electrical signals from the integrated circuit to the printed...

RAM chips.

History

Jacket-compatible

Newer models

Familiar Linux

Plan 9 from Bell Labs

Upgrades

Internal Li-ion battery

RAM Upgrade

See also