pocketnow.com Reviews the iPAQ hx2755

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=reviews&id=550' target='_blank'>http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?...=reviews&id=550</a><br /><br /></div><i>"...up until now each iPAQ model shipped has had more or less one unique strength. Lately, it has been a rarity to see the sort of engineering that went into the iPAQ h4155, which was a marvel in its day for combining both small size and terrific wireless connectivity options. With the rz1715, HP released a slimmed down Pocket PC, but left out any wireless features and kept the price too high. With the iPAQ h6300 Phone Edition device, the battery life and phone capabilities were impressive but the device didn't even include Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition. The rx3715 is the only iPAQ available today to bear the Windows Media 10 player, but its digital camera (the primary selling point of the device) leaves much to be desired. Finally, the hx4700 is a near perfect PDA, offering the best screen I've ever laid eyes on, but on its downside, has a menial 64 mb of system memory. The HP iPAQ hx2755 stands to fill some of the gaps HP is leaving with their most recent products. It has a massive 256 mb of memory (128 mb RAM + 128 mb ROM of which 80 mb is accessible to the user), along with a 624 Mhz Intel PXA270 processor, biometric fingerprint reader, Wi-Fi &amp; Bluetooth, and a small size."</i><br /><br />I got a chance to try out this device the other night, and I have to admit, I was quite impressed - most of the current generation of iPAQs don't appeal to me much, but HP broke the mold a little with the 2700 series devices and they hit upon a great combination of features. Check out pocketnow's full review!

[Typhoon]

Awesome device...heck, I might even get it myself or I might wait for a VGA equivalent.

[Kowalski]

this would be a perfect device for me if it had only one slot hence with a smaller size. memory cards are getting cheeper and very little number of people need CF slots these days.

[shawnc]

this would be a perfect device for me if it had only one slot hence with a smaller size. memory cards are getting cheeper and very little number of people need CF slots these days.

You just described the 4150 :wink: .

[Rob Alexander]

I like having the two slots on my 2215. I use the SD slot for semi-permanent storage and loading applications, and I use the CF slot to review photos from my digital camera. I'd easily trade the extra bit of thickness for that.

What I won't compromise on is screen resolution. My next PPC will have VGA. Until someone puts one out with VGA that I actually want, I'll stick with my old 2215. This was starting to sound like a near-perfect fit for me, tempting me against my will even to consider HP again, until I got to that part of the review. But they're not going to get me back in the fold by charging top dollar for a QVGA screen.

[surur]

I like this device, accept for the major obvious short-coming, the lack of a VGA display. As the reviewer first said, it seems every HP device has a unique feature, and lacks most of the others. In this case it has the memory and biometric scanner, but no VGA. I wonder what kind of marketing genius is working in product design at HP. How does he sleep at night?

In any case, if they make this device with VGA it will be a real contender. There are other more minor niggles, such as the small appearance of the screen with wide margins, lack of jog dial, and no mention of USB host. I could overlook these though, but I could now never give up VGA.

Surur

[Typhoon]

Anyone know that they are on eBay now? With Buy It Now prices of $400. CF slots come in handy for me, because I can never find a 2 GB SD card anyhwere. Microdrives and CF cards go way past 1 GB. I definitely don't understand why they have to make the device so wide...plus, I can go w/out a biometric finger print scanner...

[Deemo]

I wonder what kind of marketing genius is working in product design at HP. How does he sleep at night?

Surur
If he is kept awake at night it is probably due to high levels of frustration with peoples lack of understanding over the battery draining impact of VGA and the lack of common sense that VGA means diddley on a screen that size.

If that isn't bugging him then I am sure he sleeps soundly with the astounding and truly outstanding benchmark numbers that the unit has shown.

I know I am getting tired of all this VGA crap and people displaying spreadsheets with text so small you can't even read it without a magifying glass. Gawd! :evil:

[Typhoon]

I wonder what kind of marketing genius is working in product design at HP. How does he sleep at night?

Surur
If he is kept awake at night it is probably due to high levels of frustration with peoples lack of understanding over the battery draining impact of VGA and the lack of common sense that VGA means diddley on a screen that size.

If that isn't bugging him then I am sure he sleeps soundly with the astounding and truly outstanding benchmark numbers that the unit has shown.

I know I am getting tired of all this VGA crap and people displaying spreadsheets with text so small you can't even read it without a magifying glass. Gawd! :evil:

I definitely understand, and I have thought partially the same thing...but VGA does have high resolution pictures which is pretty nice. But I think 240 x 320 is perfectly fine too.

[Take1]

Since I read alot on the PPC, the razor sharp fonts on my e800 are much appreciated! I'd love to upgrade to a newer VGA device and won't go back to low-res QVGA ever, ever again. I don't care if there is an impact on performance as long as the screen is razor sharp.

This model is for the corporate market and would have sold very well to the consumer market as well if they didn't go cheapo on the screen. I don't think the corporate market cares what the resolution is, as long as it's secure and has enough power to do the job.

[Typhoon]

Since I read alot on the PPC, the razor sharp fonts on my e800 are much appreciated! I'd love to upgrade to a newer VGA device and won't go back to low-res QVGA ever, ever again. I don't care if there is an impact on performance as long as the screen is razor sharp.

This model is for the corporate market and would have sold very well to the consumer market as well if they didn't go cheapo on the screen. I don't think the corporate market cares what the resolution is, as long as it's secure and has enough power to do the job.

I here ya...VGA rocks.

[mr_Ray]

Well, it's clearly the best looking iPAQ for a long time (although I'm undecided about the whole black border thing it has going on) but again with that "one fatal flaw" of QVGA. Sure there are a few other features I'd miss if I had one of these like a jog dial, but after experiencing a VGA screen I can't go back to QVGA without finding myself going "pixel spotting".

When I use my Loox720, it has a 3.5" display, when I use my 2210 it has a 3.5" pixel grid. Seriously, when I use my 2210 I find myself subconciously going "1 pixel, 2 pixels, 3 pixels..."

I'll agree with others here - if this had a nice sexy VGA screen it'd stand a chance of being the best PPC released in a while. As it is, it seems a bit, well, average.

[surur]

I know I am getting tired of all this VGA crap and people displaying spreadsheets with text so small you can't even read it without a magifying glass. Gawd! :evil:

VGA is brilliant ! Its like going from Palm to pocketpc. Or from bluetooth networking to Wifi. Or from dial-up to broadband. Sure you can get the same things done, but with the right technology 'it just works better'(tm). This is especially true if you are pushing the limits.

Trust me, in two years when you finally join the VGA bandwagon (because QVGA has been phased out) you'll wonder why you waited so long ;)

Surur

[JimPAQ]

I liked this iPAQ so much that I upgraded from the 2215 in December to the 2750. I can honestly say that I have not been disappointed. I think it's just about the best PDA on the market right now. Of course, I haven’t looked at any of the VGA devices, so I may not know what I'm missing. But I figured since I don't use my device for viewing photos or watching movies, I probably wouldn't miss it much.

I absolutely love the flip cover. So much so that I got rid of my leather case that I was using for my 2215. I started carrying my PDA in my pocket like I used to do with my old Jornada. I also like the rubber along the outside edge of the device. You don't feel like you're going to drop it, and it actually makes it a little more stylish IMO. The device it's self is very responsive when you tap an icon the application is just there on the screen with very little delay. Also, in the review the author mentioned that he did not like the fact that when the cover was flipped open, it covered the styles silo, but I haven't really found that to be a problem. I always take the styles out before I flip it open. It could be just because I'm now used to doing this, but I can't really remember ever not doing it.

I laughed while reading the review when I cam across the comment about the star trek communicator, because I think of that every time I flip it open. I really get the desire, while standing in line at the grocery store, to flip it open and say "Scotty, beam me up, this person in front of me is just taking to dang long".

After using the unit for about a month, I still think this is just about the best PDA on the market. The form factor of the unit is very nice, and the responsiveness of the unit is great. I love having CF and SD because I use the CF just for maps for my GPS. Also, having CF and SD allows me to swap files even with older PDAs and cameras. Of course, as I said, I haven't looked at any of the VGA units, and maybe I shouldn't, less I start lusting after another unit. But I can honestly say that I have not been disappointed with the 2750.

-Jim

[Typhoon]

Wouldn't it be possible the decrease the thickness by taking out the CF slot and using 2 SD slots instead?

[Warwick]

I would have got this one if it had a VGA screen, instead I ordered a 19' LCD monitor. Shame HP shame.

[BugDude10]

Ya know, I'm less surprised &amp; disappointed with the absence of VGA than I am with the missing OS features like WMP 10. (I've never used a VGA device, so I don't know what I might be missing.) I can understand, somewhat, the differentiation HP may be shooting for: the 4-series may be for gadget-freak casual users, the 2-series may be for work-only business users, the 1-series may be for newbies, etc.. But, with all the tweaks and updates that come down the road for Pocket PC devices as it is, why not make sure that each new device is at least as current in OS as it can be when released?

For me, this looks like the top candidate to replace my h2215. I want two slots (SD for programs, CF for digicam cards, video files, FM-radio card, etc.) and I need the speed and memory (for large reference e-books and PDF files). I'm annoyed, however, at the absence of the latest features of the OS (and Nevo, which is way cool, even on a "business" device!).

Just my $0.02.

[Typhoon]

Jog dial + VGA screen + less width = Perfect

[Warwick]

To those who have said that the havent used a VGA screen so they think they can go without it, I recently went to see if the local PC shop had the 2700 in so I could have a play. I thought the same, I can live without VGA, but I hadent seen one live. They didnt have the 2700 on display, but they did have a 4700 with VGA. To tell the truth I was dumbfounded, speechless, amazed, and awestruck. There is nothing more amazing for any Pocket PC lover to see and I will never ever buy a qVGA sceen again.
I can only imagine the dissapointment you would face if you bought a 2700 before you saw a VGA screen live. There would be resentment toward your new device untill your subconcience took care of it for you by making you drop it, or leave it in a taxi.

[Typhoon]

To those who have said that the havent used a VGA screen so they think they can go without it, I recently went to see if the local PC shop had the 2700 in so I could have a play. I thought the same, I can live without VGA, but I hadent seen one live. They didnt have the 2700 on display, but they did have a 4700 with VGA. To tell the truth I was dumbfounded, speechless, amazed, and awestruck. There is nothing more amazing for any Pocket PC lover to see and I will never ever buy a qVGA sceen again.
I can only imagine the dissapointment you would face if you bought a 2700 before you saw a VGA screen live. There would be resentment toward your new device untill your subconcience took care of it for you by making you drop it, or leave it in a taxi.

Yea, it's unbelievable huh? Hi-res pictures look so much better...so far I have owned (and sold) 4 different VGA PDAs and many QVGAs, and I know the difference.

[KH]

Yesterday I had my annual vision check. My optometrist asked how many hours I spent in front of a monitor, and that led to a discussion about reading books on my Ipaq. This year's model is the 4700 - and he was blown away by the readability. I extended the color scheme from piXel's Black Neon theme ( http://members.chello.nl/ddelug/skin.htm ) to eReader and used Real VGA. It is amazing how many words you can get on a page and still avoid eye-strain.

I really liked my 2215 and would have considered this model a real win - for non-VGA I have read that it has an outstanding screen - if I hadn't come across the 4705 first. I just love this 4 inch VGA screen and just can't see giving it up. It does have its draw backs: big screen = bigger device (although I love the thin-ness even with CF, which is also a critical requirement for me), battery (but I haven't noticed a problem here yet) and some graphics speed. But I am absolutely in the 'VGA rules' camp - and now, so is my optometrist!

[amin]

General consensus here is that once you go VGA, you never go back. My experience has been different. I've speent a fair amount of time with the 4700. I swapped my 4155 for a friend's 4700 for a week and played with it quite a bit. Text and photos on the 4700 are amazing, but tiny web pages and spreadsheets were not appealing to me. Overall, I'd much rather have my 4155, for it's size, than the 4700 for it's display. Similarly, I'd rather have a 2755 than a 4700. Then again, sometimes I even take an m500 out for the day when my 4155 is feeling heavy :).

[Typhoon]

General consensus here is that once you go VGA, you never go back. My experience has been different. I've speent a fair amount of time with the 4700. I swapped my 4155 for a friend's 4700 for a week and played with it quite a bit. Text and photos on the 4700 are amazing, but tiny web pages and spreadsheets were not appealing to me. Overall, I'd much rather have my 4155, for it's size, than the 4700 for it's display. Similarly, I'd rather have a 2755 than a 4700. Then again, sometimes I even take an m500 out for the day when my 4155 is feeling heavy :).

You're right there. I still consider the H4155 one of the best...too bad it doesn't have Win Mobile SE. It's got great speed and everything in that tiny form factor. HP would have a winner if they just went back to it.