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Photograph: Rick Rizner
HP Ipaq Hx4705
| Ease of use | Good |
| Features | Outstanding |
| Input method | Stylus, touchpad |
| Resolution | 640 by 480 pixels |
| Weight | 6.6 ounces |
| Battery type | Removable lithium polymer |
| Internal memory | 64MB RAM |
| Expansion slots | SD/SDIO/MMC, CompactFlash II card slots |
| Wireless communications | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
| Processor | 624-MHz Intel PXA 270 processor |
| Dimensions (length by width by depth), weight | 5.2 by 3.0 by 0.6 inches, 6.6 ounces |
| Audio | Built-in speaker and microphone, headphone port |
| Camera | No |
| Bundled software extras: Applications in addition to the standard PIM apps included with Palm OS or the Windows Mobile OS. | HP Image Zone, HP Mobile Printing, IPaq Backup, IPaq File Store, ITask Utilities and self test, IPaq Audio, HP ProtectTools, Clearvue PowerPoint and PDF viewers, Pocket Informant, Solitaire, Jawbreaker, MSN Messenger |
| Bundled hardware extras | USB sync cradle, flip cover |
| Support policy score | Very Good |
| Support policy details | One-year warranty, 24-hour daily toll-free support |
HP IPaq Hx4705
Ipaq Hx4705 Review, by Yardena Arar October 22, 2004
The IPaq Hx4700 series of Windows Mobile 2003-based Pocket PCs sport a touchpad in place of the navigation button that most IPaqs have. It also accepts stylus-based input. Trapezoidal in shape, the touchpad on the Hx4705 occupies the central inch or so at the bottom of this charcoal-gray-and-black PDA. The touchpad's matte surface is punctuated by four slightly raised points--called Tap Zones--laid out in a diamond pattern measuring about 0.75 inch wide by 0.25 inch high.
Surrounding the touchpad is a larger and wider shiny black trapezoid with tiny white icons at each corner. If you press these icons, you feel a button click beneath the surface: These are the Hx4705's version of the application launch buttons on more-traditional PDAs. You can program these buttons to perform various tasks, but by default they launch the calendar, the contact list, the e-mail application, and ITask, a custom menu that affords quick access to frequently used applications.
The Hx4705's installation CD includes a Macromedia Flash tutorial by Synaptics, and it's a good idea to take advantage of it. Trying to use the touchpad without help left me puzzled. From the tutorial, I learned that the touchpad's default mode is a navigation mode in which you scroll around by tapping or swiping the touchpad. For me, this was an exercise in frustration--sometimes getting me where I wanted to go, and sometimes not. In contrast, the touchpad's cursor mode, which produces a small cursor on the screen, always let me know where I was on the screen, and generally behaved like a cursor on a notebook with a touchpad. When I swiped, the cursor moved; when I tapped, it highlighted and selected a menu item or icon.
In many respects, the Hx4705 is a fine PDA. Its built-in Wi-Fi adapter was easy to set up; and the Bluetooth adapter looked to be equally user-friendly, though I didn't try it. Other impressive hardware specs include SD and CompactFlash II slots, Intel's 624-MHz Bulverde processor for handhelds (the fastest available), and a roomy 4-inch LCD that easily toggles between landscape and portrait modes. The unit I tested had 128MB of ROM and 92MB of SDRAM (135MB of the combined memory is available to users), and the business-oriented software bundle includes trial versions of several useful apps.
But at $649, the Hx4705 commands top dollar for a handheld. And even diehard touchpad fans might balk at paying such a premium to get their favorite technology on this type of device. I'd save my PDA big bucks for something more useful, such as HP's IPaq H6315, which delivers a phone, a camera, and a snap-on keyboard as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity--and works just fine with a simple stylus.
Upshot: Fast, capable PDA with many outstanding features is undercut by a frustrating touchpad control.
Yardena Arar
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User Reviews
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User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: rbus
Strengths: Full VGA screen, choice of portrait or landscape view, built-in wi-fi and bluetooth
Weaknesses: Touchpad vs rocker button for navigation, 90-day warranty
Overall: Display really looks good and landscape photos are a lot larger and easier to view in landscape mode. Wi-fi works well even with WEP turned on and broadcast mode turned off (i.e, wi-fi system does not broadcast its name). Only drawback is the 90-day warranty, an insult to have such a short period of protection for a device this expensive.
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Reviewed by: Linda_Hemmes
Strengths: Screen resolution & color, memory, battery life, installed programs
Weaknesses: Availability of accessories - not nearly as available as Palm products.
Overall: My first PDA was a Compaq iPAQ and I loved it. Following its demise, I moved to a competitor and was not nearly as impressed with the performance or the product quality. When it came time to replace that unit, I moved back to the iPAQ and I very happy that I did. It is a quality unit in almost every way.
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Reviewed by: zimbricd
Strengths: Fast processor and the screen is big and bright.
Weaknesses: Internal memory is a little light, but has CF and SD slots. Accessories are not real easy to find just yet.
Overall: This is a great unit with great features. The CF and SD slots make storing a variety of info a snap. The screen is big and bright and can be reconfigured lanscape or portrait. Battery seems to last a long time, so far. I looked at the Dell Axiom which has a litle more base memory, but my history with HP made this an easy decesion for me.
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Reviewed by: natakho
Strengths: great clear image
Weaknesses: didn't find any yet
Overall: Overall it is a great PDA. It was a little hard to use the touch pad, but I have gotten used to it now. I think it may be because this is my first PDA and I wasn't used to it. But I use it all the time now for both work and entertainment (have tons of music downloaded already). Love this PDA!
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Reviewed by: Funkytown
Strengths: The screen is incredibly clear, even in bright daylight...best I've seen. Both compact flash and SD memory slots built-in... no bulky add-on necessary. Both Wi-Fi AND Bluetooth wireless!!!
Weaknesses: Just a touch on the heavy side.
Overall: I've had a number of pocket pc's... from the palm pilot to the HP jornada to the iPAQ, and this is by far the best one out there. I was a bit concerned over negative reviews I had read concerning the touch pad, but I have found it quite easy to use and love it. It allows you to actually be able to use it with it's protective cover on. Besides, there's always the stylus for when you prefer to use it. The wireless compatibility is great... and it makes it easy by walking you through setting it up to communicate with other devises. It is a bit heavier than other PDAs, but that's what you get for having a machine that does it all!
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