Going from a 2215 to a 4705

[Hyperluminal]

Right now I have an iPaq 2215, and I'm seriously thinking about getting a 4705. I noticed there seem to be many other 221x owners who are going to upgrade to a 4705, and I was wondering how you guys felt about something.

The 2215 is pretty small. The 19- and 4100s are smaller, but not by a real lot. So I was wondering how you felt about going to a larger device? The 4705 is about as wide as the 2215, and about the same thickness (it's actually slightly thinner). But it is about 3/4" longer and 1.5 oz heavier. Do you think that'll make a lot of difference? That makes it pretty close to the 36/38/3900 iPaqs, which are noticibly bigger.

I'm thinking the bigger screen (considering its sheer size as compared to the 2215's 3.5" display) is enough to justify it, but I'm not sure. Do you think it is?

Also, with the slip case, my 2215 gets to be about an inch thick, and it becomes about 1/4" longer. If the 4705's flip cover isn't too big, it could actually make it smaller in some dimensions than the 2215 (at least when it's in my pocket).

But it still is some extra size to get re-accustomed to.

So what are your thoughts on this? Do you think the extra size is justified, and that it won't be annoying to go back to something that big?

[dignow96]

I'm not sure that its going to make much of a difference to me. I carried my 2215 in a Vaja Wallet case which added substantial bulk and weight. I didn't mind due to the fact that it meant I didn't have to carry another wallet. Unfortunately, my wallet (and 2215) were stolen almost three weeks ago and I've been forced to revert to using my old HP Jornado 568. After more than a month (it should be at least a month before I can place the order for my 4700) of carrying around this brick & a wallet I don't think the added bulk will seem anything but smaller. Once Vaja comes out with a case for it I may change my mind but I'm still of the mindset now that this device will remain very pocketable.

[jpjehu]

the only reason i'm considering upgrading to the 4700 instead of the a730 is b/c of battery, 624mhz, first to market, and wifi - otherwise I'm amazed at how large it is! i'm especially disturbed by how jornada-esque it seems - did hp fire all of the real innovators that put ppc on the map?!? why is it that ALL of the new ipaqs are rectangular? if the asus hits the us market first there's NO WAY i'm going with the 4700 simply on principle alone. to answer the original question - the size is ridiculous considering that everyone else is able to make theirs with much more reasonable dimensions. i'll probably try the 4700 until i see first hand one of the more reasonably sized ppcs - then it's straight to ebay!

[Kati Compton]

the size is ridiculous considering that everyone else is able to make theirs with much more reasonable dimensions. i'll probably try the 4700 until i see first hand one of the more reasonably sized ppcs - then it's straight to ebay!
Whether or not the 4700 is bigger than it needs to be, I cannot say. But keep in mind for this comparison that the other units you're talking about have smaller screens.

[Hyperluminal]

the size is ridiculous considering that everyone else is able to make theirs with much more reasonable dimensions. i'll probably try the 4700 until i see first hand one of the more reasonably sized ppcs - then it's straight to ebay!
Whether or not the 4700 is bigger than it needs to be, I cannot say. But keep in mind for this comparison that the other units you're talking about have smaller screens.
Yup, I was about to mention that. The 4700 is similar in width to the other VGA ones, about the same thickness as the LOOX and 0.05" thinner than the Asus. It's also lighter than the Asus, but heavier than the LOOX. It's just the length.. the Asus and the LOOX are both about 4.5", while the 4705 is about 5 2/8". But like Kati said, the 4705 has a 4" screen, compared to 3.7" on the Asus and 3.6" on the LOOX. Admittedly, the LOOX and Asus do have cameras, but still, I don't think the 4705's dimensions are ridiculous...

[Hx4700]

Maybe someone can unconfuse me here......
I ordered a Hx4705 from eCost on Tuesday ($563+s&h). Last call to them today said delivery in mid-Aug - just to confirm what others have said.
Now to my confusion ... I've seen a couple of comments about a flip cover -- but I have seen no pictures of the 4700/4705 showing a flip cover.
Does it have one? and if so, can someone post a picture showing it?
Thanks... Ron...

[Kati Compton]

But like Kati said, the 4705 has a 4" screen, compared to 3.6" on the Asus and 3.7" on the LOOX. Admittedly, the LOOX and Asus do have cameras, but still, I don't think the 4705's dimensions are ridiculous...
I think it's 3.7" on the Asus and 3.6" on the Loox...

[jpjehu]

I disagree - the sizing seems significant. I had a e805 for a few months and the shift to the 2215 is very noticeable. I will readily admit that the 3.5 screen is too small, but the full 4 inches seems to cause the casing to get a bit oversized. I mostly dislike the layout - it seems that the screen isn't really the design flaw - it just looks like wasted space when I look at it (even though I know that under the hood the space isn't wasted). I say this as someone who will probably get the 4700 because of the reasons I listed (plus b/c of all of the hp accessories I own), but I just can't believe HP is losing the once-great form factor. I find it very irksome as a true ipaq-ian!

[Hyperluminal]

I think it's 3.7" on the Asus and 3.6" on the Loox...
Whaddaya know? You're right. Let me edit that... :)

[Rob Alexander]

It seems like the discussion has changed focus to whether the size of the 4705 is reasonable given the features, but I think Hyperluminal posed an interesting question. Regardless of whether it could be smaller or not, how difficult is it to go from a smaller PPC to a larger?

I recall when I bought my current PPC (HP 2215), it was the size that did it for me. I went in intending to buy a 55xx and as I was looking, I picked up the 2215. After just holding it in the store, I knew I couldn't buy the 55xx after all. The small size, nice design and the way it fit in my hand just made it work for me.

So that makes me wonder, if I did fork over way too much money and get a 4705, would I end up hating it just for the size no matter how good it is otherwise? Has anyone here ever gone from a significantly smaller PPC to larger who could tell us how easy the transition was?

[Kati Compton]

So that makes me wonder, if I did fork over way too much money and get a 4705, would I end up hating it just for the size no matter how good it is otherwise? Has anyone here ever gone from a significantly smaller PPC to larger who could tell us how easy the transition was?
This is why I feel strongly that PDA manufacturers need a Brick&Mortar presence. So that the users can hold the device before buying it, whether at that store or online. If the customers know what they're getting, they'll be happier customers. And they'll get *quicker* sales because I think there'd be less agonizing over "is this going to be small enough, but is the screen going to be big enough?"

[Dazbot]

So that makes me wonder, if I did fork over way too much money and get a 4705, would I end up hating it just for the size no matter how good it is otherwise? Has anyone here ever gone from a significantly smaller PPC to larger who could tell us how easy the transition was?
This is why I feel strongly that PDA manufacturers need a Brick&Mortar presence. So that the users can hold the device before buying it, whether at that store or online. If the customers know what they're getting, they'll be happier customers. And they'll get *quicker* sales because I think there'd be less agonizing over "is this going to be small enough, but is the screen going to be big enough?"

I agree, before I bought my 2210 I looked at it in Dixons to see if I liked it enough to buy, then I ordered online and saved £30! I'll do the same for the 47xx.

[Kowalski]

i dont care if the screen is 3.5" or 4" , i want my device be as compact as possible, so i can carry my device in my jeans pocket. 2215 has the maximum size for me. i dont want a bigger machine but unfortunately all the new devices are bigger in size because they have 4" screens and more they are more complex :(

[chunkymonkey75]

So that makes me wonder, if I did fork over way too much money and get a 4705, would I end up hating it just for the size no matter how good it is otherwise? Has anyone here ever gone from a significantly smaller PPC to larger who could tell us how easy the transition was?
This is why I feel strongly that PDA manufacturers need a Brick&Mortar presence. So that the users can hold the device before buying it, whether at that store or online. If the customers know what they're getting, they'll be happier customers. And they'll get *quicker* sales because I think there'd be less agonizing over "is this going to be small enough, but is the screen going to be big enough?"

I agree, before I bought my 2210 I looked at it in Dixons to see if I liked it enough to buy, then I ordered online and saved £30! I'll do the same for the 47xx.

I'm not trying to pick on you. But, one of the reasons they don't like to carry them in the stores of people like you and I. We go to the store to check them out, then go online to buy it cheaper.

[Kati Compton]

i dont care if the screen is 3.5" or 4" , i want my device be as compact as possible, so i can carry my device in my jeans pocket. 2215 has the maximum size for me. i dont want a bigger machine but unfortunately all the new devices are bigger in size because they have 4" screens and more they are more complex :(
To my knowledge, only the 4700 and the e800 have 4" screens.

[Kati Compton]

I'm not trying to pick on you. But, one of the reasons they don't like to carry them in the stores of people like you and I. We go to the store to check them out, then go online to buy it cheaper.
Well, that's a reason for the STORE to not carry it. However, I was saying from a MANUFACTURER'S point of view, it'd be better to have the devices somewhere where people could see them and play with them.

[CapFelix007]

Hi,

I think we should remind ourselves that for 4" display, besides getting a bigger screen (larger real estate), we don't get any other additional information. Remember that the number of pixel is still 640x480 whether you use 4", 3.7" or 3.5" LCD display. With smaller screen size (3.5"), the details will be smaller, finer (due to the smaller pixel size) and sharper, and larger screen will be coarsier and bigger.

Depends on what you want for your display preference. For me, Fujitsu-Siemens Loox 720 will be my choice. Sharper screen, 1.3MP camera, more SDRAM memory, plus IP phone application. Best of all, it has USB 1.1 host capability, which allows me to use a cheaper standard USB keyboard to type thing on it. I wonder how much would it cost :)