Customer Reviews
I've Had This For Over A Year And I Still Love It!!! 
2004-01-11
I looked online for hours to find an affordable PDA that would allow me to do everything I wanted. I'm a full time college student and I find I can take notes, set up appointments and have my schedule on demand. I have my tasks organized and get more accomplished. I can also pull up phone numbers and email addresses of friends, teachers, and even restaurants when my friends and I order out. Plus I can play games while waiting for my next class to start. It also synchronizes perfectly with my desktop computer's version of Microsoft Outlook. I can download maps to my PDA for trips with step-by-step driving directions. The PDA is light and I can carry it in my purse all the time without it weighing me down. The unit has held up great for the year and few months I've had it. I know that newer systems have come out since I bought this back in November of 2002, but if you find a new or used version of this PDA I wouldn't hesitate to buy it. I also bought, and would recommend, a zippered holder that is waterproof (I spill things on my nightstand a lot.) It also helps protect the unit if you drop it. The only other thing you might want is to buy the memory expansion card. It's only about $35 and it triples your memory. You'll find that you can fill up your memory a lot faster than you think. (I buy too many e-books from Amazon!) I really think this is a good PDA for a student or anyone else and I take mine with me everywhere.
Best Business PDA Tool I have used 2003-10-23
I have owned Several Palm Based PDs and one Palm Smart Phone. This is by far the best of the bunch. I never thought I could use a PDA as a palm comuter, but this product does it hands down. I am an oustside sales person and really need to have access to my Act Database and need to be able to access several XL files. Not only does this product provide me the access and editing tools it also allows me to print via IR to a protable printer in my car. Now my lap top stays in the trunk and my PDA travels with me. BIG Thumbs up.
I'm going back to a Palm!! 
2003-10-10
When I originally bought this PDA it had such great reviews and I though it would be a good replacement/upgrade for my old Palm (that never gave me any trouble by the way). I have had it for over 6 months now and I have been so unhappy with its performance. The battery life is horrible!! I travel a lot and need something that I don't need to charge twice a day. I don't play games or read books on it, so I don't use up the battery life that way. The worst thing is that unlike Palms you lose everything if your battery runs out!!!! Who ever heard of that. If you keep backing up to your computer you can restore it, but you really have to be on the ball with that, because if you don't too bad it's gone! I will admit it is a nice looking machine that has some nice features, but I just bought a new Palm because I need something I can rely on.
Nice 
2003-08-28
I got this almost one year ago after my black and white Handspring was stolen.
I have two problems with it. Some time it stop working all of the sudden, and I have the press reset button. It works fine after that and you will not loose any data by doing that. The other problem I have is synchronizing with MS Outlook. I had to update the software which you can get from Microsoft website, three times until it start working fine.
Other than that I love and the colors are clear and crisp. Battery last for a very long time if you don't keep it on all the time. You will get a warning if the battery is low and will shut down automatically so you won't loose data.
Does everything I want, and More! 2003-06-28
The title says it all. This machine does everything I had hoped for with a very intuitive user interface and so far has worked perfectly (been using it about 3 months). What more can one ask for? One feature of this particular model is the ability to add a Secure Memory card in a recepticle located on the top of the iPAC. You don't need an extra "slip on" accessory to add memory with this model. I listen to mp3s that I download a great deal of the time so the extra memory (I use 256MB cards) is a necessity, as the internal memory will only hold half a dozen songs. With a 256MB memory card you can have much more than a CD's worth of tunes right in the iPAC, add a good set of ear phones and you've got great sound along with everything else the iPAC offers. I usually take two or three loaded memory cards with me so I have a huge variety of tunes to fit any mood.
Never having used a PDA before, I don't know how the Note Pad function compares, but the one on this model works wonderfully in all three modes ... audio recorder, typed notes using the soft keyboard, and I use the hand writen notes all the time to jot down a quick reminder, like highway exit numbers when going to places I've never been ... its very easy to grab the iPAC, push the Notes button, having already selected the note with the exit number or other directions, and read the large print while driving.
I know that there are newer models which probably work just as will but don't think they have the memory expansion capability built into the naked unit (I could be wrong about that). The ability to have all the expanded memory you want in the naked iPAC is worth choosing this model, all else being equal.
Common points of repair and how you can fix yourself without paying a repair shop. Diassembly instructions-- 2008-02-10
If you still have a 3800 and plan on using it, you're probably aware that certain aspects stop working, namely the battery or the stylus won't stay attached despite the fact it still clicks when placed into the stylus silo.
The easiest way to address the famous dropping stylus is taking a piece of electrical tape and wrapping around the top portion of the stylus about 1/2 inch below the top point of the stylus that typically fits between your thumb and index finger while writing. Keep wrapping layers of tape until the stylus fits snug again. Be advised that over time you'll have to add more tape, read on and look at my user submitted photos to find out why.
We aren't going to describe how to remove the motherboard or replace the screen, it isn't impossible but we didn't have to repair these components and refrained from fully disassembling the iPaq just for curiosity.
Disassembly:
Required Tools:
Torx screw driver (Home Depot Husky P/N HD-74502U is perfect for this)
Smaller flat head screw driver, typically used for computer and electronics Home Depot Husky P/N HD-74501U is perfect for this)
Needle Nose Pliers (Comp USA P/N 87609-NmP is perfect for this, if you can still find a pair)
Can of compressed air
Rubbing Alcohol
Q-Tips
Phillips screw driver with small bit if removing the circuit /mother board.
Nylon electrical tape
1. On the back of the iPaq are six visible torx head screws, four at the principal corners and two others at the southern points by the reset button and data / charger conduit. REMOVE ONLY THE FOUR AT THE CORNERS and ignore the bottom two, the two bottom screws are only necessary if you're removing the entire circuit board to access the screen.
2. Lay the iPaq face down on a clean surface.
Use your flat head driver here to gain some leverage in the side seam, this iPaq isn't tightly fastened when compared to opening a BlackBerry and hardly tight when compared to an iPod. CAREFULLY, AND WE STRESS ... CAREFULLY SEPARATE THE BACK FROM THE FRONT HALF BECAUSE THE BATTERY CONNECTOR IS A DELICATE RIBBON CABLE THAT ISN'T EASILY REPLACED !!!
3. REFRAIN FROM USING YOUR COMPRESSED AIR UNTIL YOU'VE DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY !!!
Open the back panel towards the head phone jack like opening a book and using the longitudinal side of the headphone jack as the hinge. With your needle nose pliers, unplug the ribbon cable from the battery / back panel , USE THE PLIERS TO PULL STRAIGHT UP AND REFRAIN FROM ROCKING IT OUT SIDE BY SIDE,, ROCKING IT OUT CAN DAMAGE THE CONNECTOR.
4. This is a good opportunity to use your compressed air and blast out any dust and scum, NEVER SHAKE A CAN OF AIR BEFORE USAGE OR HOLD THE CAN AT AN ANGLE GREATER THAN 45 DEGREES BECAUSE YOU CAN SPRAY MOISTURE INSTEAD OF AIR. If you've already sprayed moisture onto the mother board your chance of damage will be much less if you disconnected the battery. You can wait for the moisture to dry out and is often white in appearance until it fully evaporates. If you can't wait, then take a Q-tip and discharge any static before you dry off any moisture marks.
5. Take your Q-Tips and dip in the rubbing alcohol to clean off any plastic components such as the stylus silo, you may notice what seems like black flecks of contamination inside the iPaq. These flecks are the result of rubber / polymer foam deterioration and is why the stylus won't stay put. The stylus silo functions with two major components, a spring ejector at the very bottom which is used to "eject" or pop the stylus up when you press it, and a friction block rubber foam polymer on the back panel that holds the battery. Over time this friction block will break down from wear of removing and inserting the stylus, it breaks down even quicker if you stored the iPaq in a glove box during the summer months. There are two of these blocks on the back panel and the other one acts as a contact buffer to protect the power connector on the motherboard. DON'T ATTEMPT TO STEAL THE PROTECTOR BUFFER because it is thicker and you'll have difficulty trying to glue a flat block of rubber into a semi circle silo. You can use your compressed air to blast out as much of the loose rubber here and if you're a real neat freak, you can use a Q-Tip with the alcohol to remove all the rubber flecks. Chances are the rubber flecks have semi melted to the back panel from whatever summer heat that broke it down in the first place and trying to clean it will only satisfy your obsessive compulsive disorder.
If you're replacing the battery, use your flat head screw driver to pry the battery pack from the back panel, the battery pack is glued and can be gently pried off by starting at the corners, then when all four corners are pried, start the mid points between each corners, again rotating as you go along. IF YOU STILL CAN'T REMOVE THE BATTERY, then pry again this time at the mid points between the corners and the first loosened mid points, continue this process until you've remove the battery pack.
Attach your new battery pack to the back panel, ensure the connector is facing outward and on the bottom (duh). If your replacement battery pack didn't come with a double sided adhesive strip, don't fret because you can simply use a piece of cellophane tape rolled back onto itself make a quick double sided tape while reassembling the 3800, this will be adequate because the battery won't move after the 3800 is put back together.
Reconnect the battery connector, this can be easily accomplished with your thumb and ensure you press straight down while supporting the back panel and battery on a solid surface or by holding the back securely in the palm of your other hand.
An iPaq is tighter than a ducks butt when assembled and nothing will come loose inside even an unfastened battery pack as long you can keep it positioned during the reassembly.
You can test the successful battery replacement by turning the 3800 on before the reassembly, be careful not to touch the motherboard when doing so with your skin or anything metal.
Replace the screws and don't overtighten, a good rule of thumb is tighten an electronic fastening screw just as tight as you would a tube of toothpaste, overtightening metal onto plastic will just strip the plastic threads or you'll just end up breaking torque and your screw driver will strip the screw after it breaks out and you'll have a much harder time removing that screw in the future.
Tightening screws is like driving in snow, the objective is traction and avoid spinning out !
Used can be just as good as new. 2007-05-12
It took a while to receive the used iPAQ 3835 via mail. Although any packing materials that should have been used to protect the contents was missing from the roomy package, the PDA survived the trip. For a used PDA, the system works quite well and made the recipient a happy camper on his birthday. The device continues to work well as expected.
Good unit, but poor battery, and no backup battery.. 2005-12-25
A nice upgrade to the 1550 Aero PDA, but the battery has very short life, and the unit has no internal memory save battery - so it loses *everything* if the battery runs dowmn.
This is a major design flaw to me. If you are on the road and the battery runs down, you cannot just plug into the charger when you arrive, you have to have a computer with a full backup to restore all data. And even then you lose all new data.
A major issue, especially since my battery only lasted 4-5 days fully charged...
Dissapointing 2005-07-19
I bought this product January last year and just throw it to the garbage bin yesterday.
It worked on me for two months before it continuously crashed.
It is also very difficult to listen to Windows media. I feel as if even though windows media is there, it really wasn't suppose to be there, because it's very difficult to get it to work.
I got this thing for 349$ at Best Buy and it's really lame.
Plus, all my phone directories in the internal drives are deleted when the battery is gone.
At first I tried to input all the data again only to be deleted on the next battery depletion.
I hope the faulty is only from machine to machine and not a systematic one, because if it does I feel sorry for all the users.
I don't know if other PDAs are better than this, but I think I am through with PDAs.
Palm is but a distant memory 2005-07-09
After about 6 months of having a refurbished Handspring Treo 90 (check out that review of mine too) I decided to try something new. I desperately wanted to an iPAQ which has windows built into it. How cool can you get by practically having a computer built right into your hands? Most of the ones that had just come out were much too expensive, and the newest one was a cell phone which didn't get too good of reviews on Amazon, not to mention, I already have a cell phone. Then I saw the Compaq iPAQ 3835, which immediately kicked my PDA lust up a notch.
After recieving it, it appeared to be exactly like the image. Looked large and was large. I'd say the Compaq iPAQ 3835 should be classified as a brick, but for people with big hands, it's probably the perfect fit. As for it's physical features, it may seem as if it's a little bulky, but is in fact pretty thin in width. The black hump at the top has a relocated speaker and SD card slot, unlike the older model 3650, which has the speaker at the bottom, but has no SD card slot. There are two slashes at the top that include one that flashes amber when charging, and the other flashes if you have bluetooth, but that's for the 3975 version. I wonder why I can't get it for the 3835.
Applications such as Word Perfect and Excel would seem a little strange for something you have to use a writing recognition with, but it's actually really easy with the iPAQ because you have a choice between a keyboard, and the handwriting recognition. I despise graffiti because of it's rediculous characters (mainly why I got the Treo 90 which has a built in keyboard) so I prefer the keyboard, but you still have to be constantly tapping at the screen with the stylus, but is so problem. This new stylus, which has a sort of hourglass shape goes into it's silo with no problem. When you want it to come out, you simply push on it, and it pops out. Now that's pretty cool.
Other applications you're used to like the Calender, Notes, To do list (aka Tasks), Calculator, and Today, all have the feel of you using it as a computer. Of course it's windows, but it doesn't feel cheesy using it at all. If you plan to pay for internet, you'll probably get your money's worth there, but don't plan on using it 24/7, because the battery life isn't awesome, but it's not bad either. That's the only flaw. You're getting your money's worth with the Compaq anyway. I'll recommend it to anyone on the go for long periods at a time. You're going to need it. I know I do.
