HP iPAQ Pocket PC Hx4700 > Reviews (12)

I have had several Palm based PDA's over the last 10+ years, and this is now my 3rd iPaq. I am not going to list all the technical data for this PDA as it 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 - it was a revelation compared to the other PDA's 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 in my car so it is always got plenty of juice. It is a nice size to carry about and is quite light. I have looked at replacing this iPaq several times but I just can't justify a newer one because this one is still so good.

This is the first PDA I have owned that you can rotate the screen to get a landscape view. This is good for spreadsheets and viewing photos on the excellent screen. The sound is good enough for alarms and reminders but I use external speakers for GPS and headphones when listening to MP3's.

The only thing that has ever gone wrong with this brilliant device is that the battery retainer (basically a physical lock that stops the device coming on if it is flicked over) broke leaving me unable to turn it on. This was a nightmare - my whole life is on this thing and it was dead. It was still in it's 2 year warranty at the time so I called HP. I have to say they were very good. A courier was sent round to my house next day to collect the PDA. Less than 2 weeks later I received back a fixed PDA with a new screen and motherboard as well!! 2 weeks without my PDA was bad but you can't argue with that level of service.

One day I will replace this, but nothing yet has arrived on the scene to beat it in my opinion. I suppose if you want a phone built in or a camera then you need to look elsewhere, but for a truely useful business tool go no further than the 4700.