I already had an NEC monitor with x-rite puck and software, so I don't use, never even tried to use APS to calibrate a monitor. Works great for making profiles of paper, though, both on the z3100 and my Canon ipf8300. I just downloaded the software and on a lark, tried to activate and it did. I figured they were just doing the right thing since it's old and outdated and I don't even think one has been able to buy a z3100 new for a few years now.
UPDATE: But, hey, I just selected monitor profiling and it detects my existing NEC x-rite puck, so I guess it would work. Probably won't use it as I doubt it's better than the existing Spectraview software, but I never even tried it before.
I wonder whether updates of APS are still available from X-rite or HP sites. For a Windows system switch I wanted the latest version but could not access pages there. Not with the original CD and not with a search for APS. I still had V 1.31 and V 1.40 archived but only a rudimentary V 1.41 available. By loading the installed data from the old system on top of 1.40 on the new system the 1.41 worked. Anyone having a compressed V1.41 archived?
You are lucky that it accepted the NEC version Display II, AFAIK both the NEC and the HP APS version have firmware installed that differs from the normal Display II. It could be that the HP Dreamcolor puck acts the same then. Wonder whether HP or X-Rite made a shortcut on the coding for three versions. Here I use the original APS puck only as a key. The Display Pro is much better at monitor calibration + profiling.
I think that APS creates better printer profiles on the Z3100 than Color Center profile does but the difference is minimal on the Z3200 where CC has been improved.
Based on the data in the saved measurement files of APS it would not be impossible to use APS stand alone I think, if you alter the spectral measurement files made with another spectrometer. Preferably an UV-cut one then to get closer to the Z's spectrometer properties. So even without a Z printer it could be used. No trials done though.
Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst
http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htmDecember 2014 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots