Significant ROM Update For iPAQ hx4700 Series?

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://brighthand.com/article/HP_Preparing_ROM_Update_for_hx4700">http://brighthand.com/article/HP_Preparing_ROM_Update_for_hx4700</a><br /><br /><i>"HP technical support personnel are telling users that a major ROM update for the iPAQ hx4700 series will be available soon. This should be welcome news to users of this handheld, as many of them feel their complaints about this model have gone unanswered by HP. "</i><br /><br />The biggest change may be the addition of Windows Media Player 10. Enhancements to WiFi and CompactFlash driver are also expected.

[OSUKid7]

Yes! I'm incredibly glad they decided to do this. WMP10 full speed ahead! :D (Now the only problem is the hissing sound...but I can't ask for everything in one day. ;))

[alabij]

WOW. WMP 10. I wonder when that will come to th H6315.

[BUMP THAT]

Oh my, I cant wait. :D

[Kevin Daly]

I hope there is substance to this. I'm currently relying on BetaPlayer and PocketTV: on a VGA device WMP 9 is all but useless for playing movies (unless you want to use it to enhance your creative powers, as you try to imagine what that postage stamp sized area in the centre of the screen might be displaying)

Of course, including an upgrade to the next version of Windows Mobile would be even better, but everyone I talk to assures me that for technical reasons It Ain't Gonna Happen.

I haven't had any particular problems with Bluetooth on the 4700...I assume that the relatively feeble WiFi range is constrained by hardware, so I don't anticipate much improvement there. Still, I'd say it's worth it just for WMP10.

[Sully]

That is good news.

[Darius Wey]

I hope there is substance to this.

It's funny how a lot of hype can be generated over a ROM update. One of the reasons why I'd happily choose Dell over HP now is because of Dell's responsiveness to user wishes and its ability to release updates at a respectable rate. HP, on the other hand, seem to take a millennium to produce an update. That lag has got to the point where even a brief "HP Will Release An Update" rumour/inside discussion can get everyone talking and websites buzzing. You can call me harsh if you wish, but I wish HP, for once, would get something right in the "Drivers" department. It's sad when actual substance is generated at a snail's pace.

[stevelam]

HP, on the other hand, seem to take a millennium to produce an update.

Yeh the last h2210 update (ROM) was released on 30 Apr 04

[SHC]

I'll believe it when I see it.
These rumours have been flying around for a couple of weeks now. I had a similar e-mail from Hp and mentioned it on a post at "another place" and got toasted.
I'll just wait and see.

[lorettaboy]

Hp is also supposed to be releasing a major rom update for the hx2xxx series sometime this month. It was originally to be released in March but was later delayed till May. Let's see which one comes out first.

[delfuhd]

Hp is also supposed to be releasing a major rom update for the hx2xxx series sometime this month. It was originally to be released in March but was later delayed till May. Let's see which one comes out first.

I read that and, having an h2215, thought you were talking about HP releasing a ROM for that ppc, and I got all excited. Then I realized you were talking about the hx2XXX :oops: . I got all excited and then i got brought back down again...

My oh my wouldnt that be a pleasant surprise if hp released wm2003se and wmp10 for 2215? not that it would ever enter the little minds of hp execs, but oh well I can dream...

[Peter Traugot]

Kevin, What information have you heard about not being able to upgrade the system to '05 because of hardware? This is news to me...Not that I would expect any more upgrades from HP after this one of course.

[whydidnt]

I would much rather have them hold off another month and offer up WM2005 instead of this. It obviously takes them quite a bit of effort to put together a ROM update anyway. How about just spending that time on the the new OS and making many more of your customers happy?

I would think Hardware wise the HX47XX will run WM2005 without issue, it's got the faster processor available, a Large ROM area for program storage, and sufficient RAM to run all you apps at once. What more do we need from the hardware?

[Kevin Daly]

Kevin, What information have you heard about not being able to upgrade the system to '05 because of hardware? This is news to me...Not that I would expect any more upgrades from HP after this one of course.

I wouldn't want to give the impression that I have inside knowledge (I don't), but I based that impression on remarks made by various people who work for major vendors at the local user group meeting a few nights ago - the consensus among them was that Windows Mobile 5 makes specific demands (including on RAM) for which the current generation of devices were not designed, and that it's therefore unlikely that many vendors will be offering upgrades.

Admittedly I still hold out some small hope for the hx4700 being upgradable (whether or not HP chooses to make an upgrade available) because of its unusual preponderance of memory allocated to ROM rather than RAM.

Another point that someone made (hopefully not violating their NDA) was that the new OS has certain functionality most readily available from additional reprogrammable hardware buttons planned for new devices, and that in the absence of such buttons user interaction can actually be somewhat more awkward than on the current version.

I would like to have the new versions of the Office applications that are finally going to be delivered. An additional consideration is that some of the new APIs to be made available with the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 when it is released later in the year are if I recall correctly dependent on new OS features, and therefore presumably won't be available on WM2003SE (I think this would be the PIM stuff, which is seriously cool).

[Kevin Daly]

One of the reasons why I'd happily choose Dell over HP now is because of Dell's responsiveness to user wishes and its ability to release updates at a respectable rate. HP, on the other hand, seem to take a millennium to produce an update.

Point taken, although I'd personally avoid Dell if possible for political reasons (but that discussion doesn't belong here).
It definitely seems that HP now offer updates grudgingly if at all. It wasn't always this bad: back when they were making Jornadas, they were actually pretty good in that regard - and unlike the situation with Compaq and the old iPAQs, there was little chance of an update making you the proud owner of an expensive paperweight.

I believe part of the problem is HP's fixation on the vaunted "Enterprise" market: corporate IT infrastructure is not usually geared up to support mobile devices, so they don't apply updates - instead they just buy new machines every year or two. I think HP count on that, and as far as consumers go they don't really give a stuff.

[Fuego]

I hope they are going to fix some of the annoying bugs like the failure of certain controls (listboxes, etc.) to appear, disappearing icons and such.

As for Bluetooth, I still can't believe that from time to time I get "The Bluetooth Radio failed to initialise". I thought I had left that all behind on my 3870. From time to time, the Wifi adapter also fails to initialise, although less frequently.

Support for true VGA in some (all?) of the basic utilities would be nice too, like the password screen, calculator and iPAQ Wireless screen.

What I really want is better PIE support, like multi-tabs, javascript and perhaps even Java applets and native PDF support, but I know we probably won't even see that in WM5.

Whilst we're dreaming, an update of PI would be a nice present.

At least WMP10 will provide some consolation for the tired office suite apps - and I include Pocket Outlook in those. Add Messenger, MS Reader and File Explorer to the tired apps list.

[Darius Wey]

Support for true VGA in some (all?) of the basic utilities would be nice too, like the password screen, calculator and iPAQ Wireless screen.

Unfortunately, this limitation is due to the OS and not the bundle of enhancements that HP may or may not provide in a ROM update. We'll see how the next version of Windows Mobile handles it.

[MadBison]

I have been told by HP support than this ROM update would be released "next month" every single month since October.

The hx4700 cannot renew its IP address from my Wireless AP when WPA is enabled. All other devices are fine with this AP and WPA, including 3 laptops, and a h5550 iPAQ.

HP said hey were aware of this issue back in October, and assured me they had the problem sorted by end Nov.

I will not hold my breath...

D

[lanwarrior]

HP website shows 2 ROM upgrade:

May 09: 1.0
May 10: 1.1

Do I have to install 1.0 first before installing 1.1?

[Darius Wey]

Do I have to install 1.0 first before installing 1.1?

No. Simply install 1.10 if you want the latest.