mini IPAQ review

[me2]

I bought that new model IPAQ 1935 (< $200 after rebate) to see how well it worked with snapstream recorded video files. By golly, it works well. The playback is smooth, and it's very convenient. There's an option to play video at full screen (320x240) if you tilt the IPAQ sideways. You can watch a video, put the IPAQ in standby, and resume later where you left off. I've used it to watch TV while waiting in line at the post office or the jiffy lube. I only wish Windows Media Player mobile had FF/REW buttons.

With a fully charged internal battery, I measured about 4.5 hours of playback time. My recorded shows are ~ 50 MB/hr, so with a 256 MB SD card, i can have well over 5 hours of TV ready and waiting. I also have a 5 Ah multi-use external battery from n-charge. With this I can play back video for 72 hours straight on one charge. This is a godsend for those 24 hour long flights.

So if you find yourself getting bored often, away from a tv or computer, filling this IPAQ gadget with TV shows is a fantastic solution.

[dragin33]

Do you use the default POCKETPC transcoding settings or personal ones? If personal, would you mind sharing? Also, how do you load the files on? Just sync them on? Have you had much luck streaming them?

[me2]

I use the "Dual ISDN" setting for the WMV files. I have snapstream 3 and windows media 9.

I keep the video files on an SD card, which I put into a USB flash card reader and attach to my computer for simple file transfer. If you try to sync files over the IPAQs USB cable, it takes forever. Just make sure your files end in .wmv.

The 1935 doesn't have networking built in, so I have not tried streaming. You can buy SDIO cards to add networking, but if you want that, you might as well buy a higher end pocket pc.