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HP iPAQ hx4705 Reviewed

Tong writes "PDA Buyer's Guide has published an in-depth review of the HP iPAQ hx4605. 'This has been the month of the iPAQ with so many new models released! The hx4705 is one of the most anticipated because it features a fantastic VGA display and a super-fast 624MHz processor. Heap on plenty of memory, Bluetooth, WiFi, both CF and SD slots and a touch pad navigator and you've got the 4705. It's one of only two Pocket PCs with a VGA display sold in the US.' Read the full review on the buyer's guide."

6 of 147 comments (clear)

  1. Re:So... by PaintyThePirate · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Handhelds.org is where most of the Pocket PC -> Linux action is these days. They are still working on getting Familiar (the main Pocket PC linux distro) on previous generation devices, such as the Dell X3 and the Ipaq 4100, so it could be a while before there is support for the 4705.

    BTW, I have Familiar Linux with the Opie GUI on my Ipaq 3650, and its actually quite good.

  2. Re:Forgive a curmudgeon, but... by jomas1 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you are never more than 15 feet away from a computer, you will probably never understand the benefit of a pda. My current job requires me to constantly be in the field and at someone else's mercy for electricity and computer/internet access. A pda allows you to take lots of files/documents/passwords etc with you without requireing you carry a laptop with you.

    Once again this means nothing if you are never too far from you computer and are immobile.

  3. Re:Beware of HP by GoofyBoy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    > after which you have a paper weight.

    No, you still have a PocketPC. It doesn't stop working just because a company doesn't provide upgrades to it.

    --
    The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
  4. Re:Not for long by timeOday · · Score: 4, Insightful
    That is a bummer, but look at what they were doing for those 3 hours and 20 minutes: "PIM access, working with Pocket Word and Excel documents, viewing photos, watching 30 minutes of videos and surfing the web using WiFi for an hour."

    That's a very laptop-like workload! Maybe it would have more traditional PDA battery life if it were tested on more traditional PDA tasks, like sitting in your pocket turned off most of the time until you fire it up for 10 seconds to look up an address.

  5. Re:Beware of HP by timeOday · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Releasing something newer and better, even ceasing to sell the old model is NOT the same as end-of-lifing! A decent company will continue to support products after it stops selling them for long enough to support most customers.

    Imagine if Ford stopped making spare parts next week for the 2004 F150 because this year's model is all new. Nobody expects them to stop innovating, that's not the problem.

  6. Re:Forgive a curmudgeon, but... by DoubleD · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Palm Tungsten T3 performs several functions a cell phone would not allow me to do as well or at all.

    Current uses:
    • Calender + audible reminders
    • Contacts (instant access to anyone in the company's contact info is nice)
    • Ebooks (great free sci fi library)
    • freehand idea sketches
    • Secure/portable password storage
    • calculator (TI/HP emulators)
    • quick excel spreadsheets.

    Future/Dream Uses:
    • remote control for my digial camera
    • photo album
    • wikipedia on a 1GB SD for casual reading/reference
    • tv remote
    • synced movie listings, tvguide
    • mp3 player
    • if you can get power from the airplane divx movies are a possibility.
    • anything else a computer that fits in your pocket might be usefull for.

    Cell phones are limited by input method and screen resolution (currently at least). Laptops take time to boot, dont fit in pockets, and cost more. For some tasks and situations the PDA ends up perfectly in between. That said PDAs are not for everyone and take some effort to make use of. They also have lots of room for improvement, and or convergence with cell phones.

    Final thoughts: I had a dell axim x5 and despised it. The user interface seemed to fight me every step of the way and the size was above my convenience threshold. From my experience using Windows Mobile is like trying to give someone a fullsized piano and only letting them play it through a fist sized hole, underneath it, surrounded with barbed wire, ah well you get the point. Whereas PalmOS consistenly surprises me with well thought features and usable functionality. Also, I would be using a much cheaper pda if I did not get the Tungsten T3 for free.
    --
    "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose."