The Choice...

[Verdagon]

Hey everyone. Just recently, Photon, my iPaq h4355, died. I pulled him out of my backpack because I needed to use the calculator for some chemistry homework, and it wouldn't turn on. A closer look revealed a thin slice through the LCD's glass; the screen was broken!

I loved the h4355; it seemed to have everything i needed. Here's the things I loved about it...
- Built in keyboard
- Ability to charge an extra battery in the cradle
- Wifi
- Cool look
- Nice and flat

...and there were also a few things I would have liked it to have...
- VGA screen
- Faster turning on/off
- Lower minimum brightness setting

Well, now it's dead. And I need a new PPC. I've been watching the whole pocket pc scene for a long time, and have been drooling over the iPaq 4700. However, it has no hard application buttons, its reported to lock up with a lot of apps loaded on, and its cradle can't charge an extra battery. The Dell x50v looks very good, but people say the battery life isn't that great, and its cradle can't charge an extra battery either.

I would feel very comfortable sticking with Dell or HP because those are the two main companies. I've heard people complain about apps not supporting other companies' PPCs.

So what should I get? The 4700, x50v, or one of the lesser companies' ones?

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it.

[LWesson]

Hey everyone. Just recently, Photon, my iPaq h4355, died. I pulled him out of my backpack because I needed to use the calculator for some chemistry homework, and it wouldn't turn on. A closer look revealed a thin slice through the LCD's glass; the screen was broken!


You can also repair your system.

http://www.pocketpctechs.com/main~unit~HP_Compaq_iPAQ_h4355-135~area~repairs.htm

[i_spock]

Sorry to hear about the passing of your friend :( I would try talking to ppctechs about it, maybe it could be repaired. But if you want a newer device with VGA, then I can say I really like my X50v. And you *can* charge an extra battery in the cradle. I do it all the time.

[Jason Dunn]

The Dell x50v looks very good, but people say the battery life isn't that great, and its cradle can't charge an extra battery either.

Actually, yes, it can. :-) There's a horizontal slot behind the main charging point that allows for a second battery to be connected. Works nicely.

[rediss01]

I received my new Axim 50v last week, and so far have been very impressed with it.
You can charge an extra battery in the cradle.
So far the battery life has not been a problem, the only thing I have noticed is that with wifi turned on, it does burn through the power a lot quicker, but because the majority of the time I have wifi turned off it hasn't caused any problems for me yet.

[PetiteFlower]

I haven't been impressed by my X50v's battery life, but I also haven't been disappointed by it. Glad I have the extra battery in case I want to take a long trip though.

[JPD6825]

Before Christmas this site will probably be renamed X50V Thoughts...

I haven't found the battery to be a big problem. I have tried to get in the habit of putting in on to charge first thing in the morning while I eat breakfast and get ready for work. (It usually needs it since I was probably using WiFi browsing the web right before hitting the sack)

My advice: go to ebay, find one of those guys selling Dell discount coupons (i.e. 25% off Axim X50V etc.) Buy the X50V as soon as you can -- right now you can get it for ~$280 this way. (I just did - we are soon to be a 2 X50V household). It's all good.
ps : buy Celeris Virtual Pool for X50V as soon as it comes out.

[Sven Johannsen]

I have an X50v and would recommend that. I have a problem with the 4700's shape and it's touch pad, but have never had any complaints on the build quality of the HP devices I've owned.

FWIW, if you buy a second battery for the 4700, it comes with a little charging base. In some respects that is very convenient. If you travel, the charger and base would take up very little room (certainly less than a cradle) and you could charge the second battery in your room, while using the first during the day. With a power splitter cable you could charge both the second battery and the 4700 at the same time as well.

Without the cradle, there is no option to charge the second X50 battery, without putting it in the X50.

[ctmagnus]

If I may, side-by-side comparisons between the X50v and iPaq 4700 screens indicate that the 4700 has a much brighter screen. Just my $0.02 and something to consider.

[Patrick Y.]

If I may, side-by-side comparisons between the X50v and iPaq 4700 screens indicate that the 4700 has a much brighter screen. Just my $0.02 and something to consider.

Really? I believe it is the opposite. Most people said 4700 has richer color but darker screen. I compared my x50v directly with 4700 (both in maximum brightness) in CompUSA and I notice that x50v's screen is a LOT brighter than 4700. Though, the color of 4700 is deeper and richer. In opinion, it is just the screen brightness and the contrast setting that make x50v's screen look less richer than 4700's. Anyway, I prefer x50v for the following reasons:

1. Dell always offer GREAT deals. Got my with 2200mah battery and 3 years exchange warranty,+free 5.0 upgrade, etc. for only $398.

2. HP's bigger battery, bigger screen, and annoying touchpad don't worth the extra $200 dollars. The bigger battery makes the device gigantic and expensive, the bigger screen makes the device gigantic and expensive, and the annoying touchpad makes the device gigantic and expensive. 4700 may offer better performance, but x50v is sufficient for most users already. As some previous poster mentioned, the battery life isn't very bad.

3 Dell has better design and size. A "Pocket PC" should be able to fit in the pocket nicely. Gigantic 4700 will probably tear pocket. I'm not biased, but x50v looks a lot better than 4700, which is far uglier than the previous iPAQs. To me, look is really important. After all, you can hardly show-off a device like 4700. The first thing my friends and I thought of when we saw the picture of 4700 is how, well, ugly and "squarely" it is. (sorry)

In conclusion, I like x50v much better. However, it's only my personal opinion.

[ctmagnus]

In conclusion, I like x50v much better. However, it's only my personal opinion.

Yeah, I'm kind of with you on that. However, there has yet to be a device released that will sway me from my iPaq 5550.

[timcolling]

In conclusion, I like x50v much better. However, it's only my personal opinion.

Yeah, I'm kind of with you on that. However, there has yet to be a device released that will sway me from my iPaq 5550.

I felt that way about my 5555...until I got my i730. I really, really like the i730.

- Tim