I hope you find this review useful, it is based on extensive experience of several iPAQ 4700s bought for business use in the last 2 years, and a wide range of other PocketPCs. I have concentrated on the particular factors that make the iPAQ 4700 different to other PDAs - all PDAs are similar in a lot of ways, and this is not covered. At the end is a little discussion on decision making between a few VGA PDAs. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will get back to you, or incorporate the answer into the review.
In the box
The PDA, a standard-life battery (see below) a cradle USB connection cable instruction manual CD with ActiveSync and MS Outlook 2002 (not essential for use)
Installation
You will first need to charge the battery. The instructions state that it needs to be fully charged before you can start using the PDA, but you should be able to use it provided the PDA is being charged at the time.
You don't need a PC to be able to use the PDA - only if you want to transfer data from a PC, especially Outlook emails, calendar items, contacts and tasks.
If you don't already have ActiveSync installed on your PC, this is provided on the CD. Alternatively download version 3.8 from Microsoft's website. This is applicable for any PDA - you do not need to install any HP-specific
software on your PC. The CD also contains a full licensed version of Microsoft Outlook 2002, again if you already have Outlook 2002 or 2003 you don't need this.
That screen...
The stand-out feature of this PDA, and the real reason to buy it instead of other iPAQs, is its screen. Most PocketPCs have a "QVGA" resolution of 240x320 pixels. The iPAQ 4700 has a VGA resolution of 480x640 pixels. Not so long ago this was the resolution of a 14" PC monitor - having this much detail on a 4" screen is therefore rather impressive. In practice, this makes text appear at the same size as other PDAs, but much sharper and clearly defined (especially with "Cleartype" switched on). A lot of software will make use of the resolution to show increased detail, particularly graphics and some mapping software. Put this PDA next to a standard QVGA-resolution PDA and the choice really is obvious.
The screen is covered by a plastic flap. This quickly gets annoying when you are using the PDA as it will tend to flap back over the screen, so it is worth being aware from the outset that the flap can be easily removed and put back.
Expansion
Like most other iPAQs, but unlike many other PDAs, the 4700 has slots for a CompactFlash and SD card. These provide very low cost extra storage space for photographs, music, etc. Using cards in these slots you can turn your iPAQ into a multi-function music player, or a viewer for your digital photos (did I mention this PDA has a nice screen to view them on?) - just plug in a CF or SD memory card from your camera.
This Pocket PC currently comes with "Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition", but will shortly be sold 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 to view a reasonable representation of Word documents on the PDA. Otherwise it is little more than Notepad with some formatting capability. Excel is quite usable, but cut-down compared to the desktop version. It is probably equivalent to the spreadsheet that comes with MS Works. Word and Excel documents will be converted by ActiveSync to a special format when you transfer them to the PDA. When transferred back, they are converted back to the desktop format - but do not overwrite your original document - doing the conversion from Word/Excel to Pocket Word/Excel will lose a lot of formatting and other features - this will not be put back when you convert it back to the desktop format! Excel particularly benefits from the higher resolution screen.
Additional Pocket PC standard software includes Media Player, a few simple games and a few other utilities (the sort of thing you will find in "Accessories" on your PC).
The iPAQ 4700 also comes with a Powerpoint-compatible presentation viewing program, a photo viewer and Pocket Informant - an excellent alternative for viewing and editing your Outlook data.
The screen does take its toll on the battery life. The standard battery will last for around 2-3 hours of constant usage (ie with the backlight constantly on). Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are also particular drains on the battery, so should be turned off if not being used.
The battery will last a bit longer with the PDA switched on but with the backlight off (ie non-constant use - the standard settings will cause the backlight to switch on automatically when you tap the screen, and switch off automatically 30 seconds later). It will also run for a couple of days switched off, but after then may lose the contents of its internal memory (non-standard software will need to be reinstalled, along with Outlook synced info, and any files not in the secure "iPAQ File Store" 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 feature we have found is that if you have any Outlook appointments with reminders, these can cause the PDA to switch on and not turn back off again, leading to a potentially unexpected drain of the battery.
Also, note that there is a small switch on the bottom to lock and unlock the battery casing from the PDA. This is easily moved accidentally, and when it is in the "unlocked" position, the PDA will not switch on. So if you find that the PDA doesn't switch on, check that this switch hasn't been moved!
Note that if you install the extended battery, you do need to visit HP's site to install the "firmware update for ROM v1.1" - this fixes a problem introduced with ROM v1.1 where only half the extended battery's capacity is available. The ROM version is shown in the bottom right of the display if you reset the PDA. Newly bought 4700s will be 1.1 already, but some I have bought for my business have needed the firmware update. Older 4700s may be 1.0 - you should do the ROM update to 1.1 first, then the firmware update. (The v1.1 ROM does fix other problems so is worth getting, again for free from HP's website.)
Alternative VGA PDA buys
There are few other PDAs with a VGA resolution screen. The best alternative is probably the Dell Axim x51v, which costs around £250-£300 depending on Dell's current offers. The basic features are broadly equivalent to the iPAQ 4700, although the Dell now comes with Windows Mobile 5, which is not yet being supplied on this particular iPAQ. Like the iPAQ 4700, this Dell also has both a CF and SD card slot. The Dell can also output a VGA signal, for example to a projector, making it particularly viable to run a presentation from the Dell.
Acer's n300 is quite a bit cheaper at about £200, and is much lighter than the iPAQ 4700; however, it's processor is only 300MHz compared with the 624MHz processor in the Dell and iPAQ. Their n311 model has a 400MHz processor, but costs about £300 and is still considerably slower than the iPAQ or Dell.
Personally, I would prefer to have a faster PDA than the lightest - I would be happy with either the iPAQ or Dell.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Handheld - 64 MB RAM - Screen: 3.5 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA310 - Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi - Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Classic
Handheld - 64 MB RAM - Screen: 3.5 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA270 - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Infrared - Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Premium Edition
Handheld - 128 MB RAM - Screen: 4 in inch - Display: TFT active matrix - CPU: XScale PXA310 - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi - Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0, Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.0 Classic
Hi - as a well-peased user, I agree with all you say. I have hankered after photo and phone capability in true convergence style - but reckon the Ipaq would be too bulky then - Trevor
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Add a clear protective shield to your HP iPAQ hx4700 PDA handhelds most fragile ... more
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with regards to the shape!The BRANDO Protector Plus Ultra Clear SCREEN PROTECTOR is a first-class protection of highest quality and is against scratches on your display.strong protection, incredibly clear, removable and reusableit sticks to the screen using static, no glue, washable, anti scratch, dust preventionanti light reflection, better writtingabsolutely wear-resistant and scratch-resistant, protects and usable a whole equipment lifeeasy and quick fixing without using any liquidsoptimum screen protectors - best maintenance of value for your equipment, thus increases the resale pricelightning dispatch, competent servicedetailed, illustrated and easily coherent instructions
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No more scoping out airport waiting rooms for AC plugs. No more sweating in the parking ... more
lot waiting for your HP iPAQ hx4700 / hx 4700 to charge. Keep the family plugged in on camping trips or the office wondering how you so utterly available. Small; Lightweight; and extremely durable; The Gomadic High Capacity Battery Pack; is the perfect addition to any nomads road arsenal. Whether you need an extra boost to squeeze some extra hours out of your device; or youre resurrecting it from the dead; the High Capacity Battery keeps you mobile; agile; and free. Consider yourself an independent and free-moving provider of energy!
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BRANDO Protector Plus Ultra Clear SCREEN PROTECTOR.This protector100% fits and is exact ... more
with regards to the shape!The BRANDO Protector Plus Ultra Clear SCREEN PROTECTOR is a first-class protection of highest quality and is against scratches on your display.strong protection, incredibly clear, removable and reusableit sticks to the screen using static, no glue, washable, anti scratch, dust preventionanti light reflection, better writtingabsolutely wear-resistant and scratch-resistant, protects and usable a whole equipment lifeeasy and quick fixing without using any liquidsoptimum screen protectors - best maintenance of value for your equipment, thus increases the resale pricelightning dispatch, competent servicedetailed, illustrated and easily coherent instructions
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Advantages: Great Size Screem, True VGA, Bluetooth & WiFi, 2 expansion slots!! Disadvantages: Screen scuffs quite easily, Screen cover can be annoying. No case!
Advantages: Great Size Screem, True VGA, Bluetooth & WiFi, 2 expansion slots!! Disadvantages: Screen scuffs quite easily, Screen cover can be annoying. No case!
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
Advantages: The Screen!! Smaller than it's specifications suggest. Range of software and accessories Disadvantages: Possibly won't get an upgrade to newest software, buggy WiFi connectivity
Mar 11th, 2006
very helpful by (100%):
