This PDA can connect to wireless networks, right?

[yankeejeep]

ATi has not released a driver for WM2003SE. So, the video memory that made display so responsive on the e800 running WM2003 is not accessed under SE and the video performance dropped noticably. Most devices have opted for Intel's display scheme and that is what is harnessed best by the WM2003SE and WM5 OS natively. The lack of an ATi-updated driver for SE has slowed down the e800 video performance. I have kept the SE update on mine because screen rotation on the fly and some other OS enhancements are more important to me than the raw video benchmark. It's just unfortunate when a device takes on some cutting-edge features (like the e800 adopting the ATi Imageon for video) only to have that same feature not have support available for an OS update. The third-party driver issue is what will be postponing the WM5 update for the hx4700 until spring where the other updating HP models will see their's appearing this fall.

[yankeejeep]

ATi has not released a driver for WM2003SE. So, the video memory that made display so responsive on the e800 running WM2003 is not accessed under SE and the video performance dropped noticably. Most devices have opted for Intel's display scheme and that is what is harnessed best by the WM2003SE and WM5 OS natively. The lack of an ATi-updated driver for SE has slowed down the e800 video performance. I have kept the SE update on mine because screen rotation on the fly and some other OS enhancements are more important to me than the raw video benchmark. It's just unfortunate when a device takes on some cutting-edge features (like the e800 adopting the ATi Imageon for video) only to have that same feature not have support available for an OS update. The third-party driver issue is what will be postponing the WM5 update for the hx4700 until spring where the other updating HP models will see their's appearing this fall.

[chees]

Thats too bad. . Maybe when I get it I shouldn't upgrade to wm2003 se. Is there really a big advantage of wm2003se over wm2003? Or does it just add in more crap software like AOL.

[yankeejeep]

There are two things you will notice immediately with SE. One is that its video runs slower, but the other is the incredible clarity of the display. While MS did not use true VGA (that is, allow the screen to natively display four times the screen real estate by continuing to address single pixels), the screen is fully addressed. There is no comparison between WM2003 and WM2003SE when it comes to displaying apps; SE is incredibly vibrant and crisp on the e800 screen. Apps that are not VGA-aware may need the 'hi-res hack' in order to display properly. Being able to rotate the display on-the-fly (no soft reset required) is major for me, because I do this type of switching frequently through the course of the day.

There are some minor enhancements to other apps (like Messaging - the new name for Inbox), but nothing stellar. I rarely go into trueVGA display (which is possible in WM2003 with the addition of myVGA), so that is not a major deal for me, but I appreciate the much sharper display and the screen rotation without reset. If you add an app like Tweaks2k2, it will be easier to apply the hi-res hack to apps that need it for proper display as well as a number of other helpful hacks.

[chees]

Wow! That sounds like quite an enhanchment. So do you think it is worth upgrading to wm2003 SE when I get it? Is the video playback still good at all? On my old Casio e115 I was pretty impressed with the frame rate I would get after I used the pocket divx encoder to encode a movie and play it in betaplayer. But of cource those were only low action movies like eurotrip. Does the e800 still kill the casio e115 video playback really bad with the SE update? And can it play a divx encoded action movie such as spider man 2 nicely with wm2003se? I really like the idea of switching to landscape mode whenever I want.

[chees]

Well?

[yankeejeep]

If video playback is something you use often, then I would say stick with FE on your e800. This is a very minor use for me, so I don't mind the hit with SE, but it sounds as though this would be an issue for you. You will find a greater incidence of dropped frames with SE. Though for the small amount of time I watch video playback on mine (I use TCPMP, the replacement for BetaPlayer), this is not so bad as to make it unusable. But it is not as smooth as FE and I attribute this to the lack of complete support for the ATi chip in SE.

Like I said before, if video is going to be a critical use for you, then stick with FE and load MyVGA. The new version of Nyditot Virtual Display was not available before I switched to SE, so I can't tell you if that would be an acceptable substitute for MyVGA or not. If you can download MyVGA and the Undead hack, that is a definite addition to get the maximum out of your VGA display with FE.

[chees]

It turns out the site I ordered the e800 from screwed up and accidently said it had both bluetooth and wifi but fixed it after I ordered the PDA. So that counts as a wrong product shipment and I can return it with a full refund on the product and shipping. I would rather get a device without so many problems. I was looking at the HP rx2410 which seems to be pretty good used. Do you know if video playback is any good on this device?