HP iPAQ Pocket PC Hx4700

Advantages: Fast, High spec, Sharp Screen, many accessories, CF and SD card slots, Looks great.
Disadvantages: Expensive price tag, less RAM than older model, Touch Pad

HX4700 The HP iPAQ HX4700 is a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). In other words, it's a handheld computer. One would be able to use it as an organiser, word processor, MP3 player, gaming device, etc. Basically, most of the things a current PC or laptop would be capable of. The American version is the HX4705 but is identical in every way as far as I know. WHY I CHOSE THE HX4700? I had previously owned a HP iPAQ H5550 PDA, so stuck with the HP brand ...
...you can't go wrong with HP on build quality. Another option would have been to go for a PDA running the PALM operating system (OS) but the programs I want to use may not be compatible. The HX4700 runs the Pocket PC OS rather than PALM (Think Microsoft Windows vs. Linux). The new iPAQs that HP have been releasing all seem to have mobile phone capabilities and I just did not want this as I'd rather use my phone for phone calls and not have another ... Read review

Advantages: Great Size Screem, True VGA, Bluetooth & WiFi, 2 expansion slots!!
Disadvantages: Screen scuffs quite easily, Screen cover can be annoying. No case!

...most is reasonable priced. HP put a voucher in the box for credits on their web site. These credits let you choose what softwrae you would like. This is great as it means you can pick what you will use, not what some guy in a suit thinks is cheap! The unit is increadable well built. It uses some kind of metal alloy, which sound very advanced. What it really means is that it's very strong and a nice grey colour! The unit is the first Ipaq I'm aware ...
...it was awful. Finally HP have managed to get something reasonable in this model though! The battery can last me a weekend with no real problems, which is something the older models had never managed to do before. Also, unlike the older models, there is an internal battery which means that if the main power dies, you haven't instantly lost all your data. To give an expample, i forgot to charge the unit before I went off on holiday for a MONTH! Come ... Read review

Advantages: Fantastic screen, fast, one of the best PDAs available
Disadvantages: High-res screen can slow it down; expensive; short standard battery life; relatively bulky

...with "Windows Mobile v5.0", and HP will sell an upgrade. All Pocket PCs come with "Pocket" versions of Outlook, Word and Excel. Outlook is sufficient for reading and writing simple emails and managing contacts, tasks and calendar items - these can be synced with your desktop PC. You can prepare emails on the PDA, and then next time you sync it with your desktop PC, the emails will be sent. Word is extremely cut-down, but will at least allow you ...
...or on memory card). HP sell an extended battery for around £80, which will nearly quadruple the running time, but increase the size and weight of the device. The 4700 is already a bit chunkier than most PDAs (as the screen is 4" instead of 3.5") so this won't help matters - I believe the advantages of the screen outweigh this, but if you really want a compact PDA you may want to look elsewhere, perhaps at the Acer n300/n311. A slightly annoying ... Read review

Advantages: Great screen, all the connectivity you could possible need
Disadvantages: Looks and size

...I have noticed though that HP seem to be getting more and more stingy on the "included" accessories. No more slip on case, spare pens nothing! With the 4700 all you get is the one stylus, a docking cradle and a plastic flap/cover for the screen. Hmmmm not looking too good so far then. Once charged - and this was quick about 3hrs! I powered up and immediately saq where the money I spent all went. The screen was awesome, you have never seen anything ...
...this the ability to flip the screen from portrait to landscape (nice touch), and the memory - oodles of it. On board you get access to 192mb of memory - of which only 135mb is actually available to the user but this is split out in such a way where you'll never be sort for your active programs or storage. Moving onto storage its also nice to see both a SD card slot and a CF slot. Very useful. Although I did notice when using my IBM microdrive CF ... Read review

Advantages: Brilliant screen, plenty of power, excellent value.
Disadvantages: It did physically break but was covered in the warranty.

...is readily available on the HP website and other places that sell them online. This is intended as a 'what's is it really like to live with' review. I have had my 4700 for over 2 years now, which is longer than I have kept any similar device (I usually trade them in every year). The reason I have kept this one so long is that it still does everything I want it to do. I remember when I got it I was amazed at the clarity of the large 4In TFT screen ...
...I have owned. It has all the features I personally need (wifi - great for internet use, big clear screen, bluetooth for my keyboard & GPS and both an SD and Compact Flash slot for extra memory). I have bought a lot of software for the 4700 including SatNav (Navman) MP3 software, a better diary / address book and a few games and other applications. I use my 4700 every day and it very rarely lets me down. The battery life is good, but I have a charger ... Read review