iPAQabilities Digs Up iPAQ Hx4700 Specs and Image

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.ipaqabilities.com/reviews_articles/articles/0504-coming_attractions_vgaipaq.php' target='_blank'>http://www.ipaqabilities.com/review...ons_vgaipaq.php</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040517_hx4700.jpg" /> <br /><br />"Further to Brighthand's article yesterday, we have received additional information on the Hx4700 series iPAQ Pocket PC. Thanks to our anonymous source, we are able to tell you that the upcoming Hx4700 series iPAQ Pocket PC will be the only new iPAQ to have a VGA display (all other models will be QVGA). The Hx4700 is said to feature...<br /><br />• 4" VGA display<br />• Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition<br />• Wireless connectivity: Infrared Port (SIR), Wi-Fi 802.11b, Bluetooth v1.2 <br />• Intel Bulverde 624MHz processor <br />• Memory will consist of 128 RAM / 64 ROM <br />• CompactFlash AND Secure Digital Input Output card slots<br />• D-Pad will apparently be replaced with a touchpad navigation system <br />• New casing material unlike any of the current models <br />• Powered by a 1800mAh lithium Ion battery with an option for a 3600mAh <br />• Dimensions would be 129 X 77 X 14.7 mm"<br /><br />iPaqabilities is careful to note that the image above is NOT the final product image, but is "a computer designed mockup of the actual Hx4700 series iPAQ Pocket PC". I'm curious about several things that I'm reading here. What's the "new casing material", will the touchpad navigation system be a good replacement for the traditional D-Pad, and <b>is that a mini-USB port on the bottom left?</b> 8O <br /><br />VGA, WiFi, Bluetooth, mini-USB, dual slots and high capacity battery in a package that's just a bit taller than a 221x? For those specs, I think I'd be willing to overlook the fact that it has a CF slot. :mrgreen: What do you think? Worth the wait?<br /><br /><b>UPDATE: </b><a href="http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/index.php">Mobile Gadget News</a> has some additional information, some of it contrary to what we've already heard. The details below are broken down by model number or code name:<br /><br /><b>Hx4700 (Morpheus):</b> 3.5" VGA screen (not 4"), 624mhz, BT, WiFi, CF/SDIO, 128mb RAM AND ROM, 1440mAh battery, availability in July or August, $550.<br /><b>Hx2700:</b> 3.5" VGA, BT, 64mb RAM/ROM, fingerprint scanner, available late this year, $350.<br /><b>Rz1700:</b> 3.5 QVGA, 203mhz, 48mb NAND ROM, 32mb RAM, SDIO.<br /><b>Explorers:</b> Ruggedized, 624mhz, 128 RAM/64mb ROM, 4" display, BT, WiFi, 1800 mAh battery, $650.<br /><b>Gable &amp; Monroe:</b> Landscape orientation home automation or home theater control devices. Both feature 64mb RAM/ROM, BT, SDIO, and 1.3 megapixel cameras, while Monroe apparently features WiFi. Gable's battery is 970mAh and Monroe's battery is 1440 mAh. They are expected to sell for $400 and $500 respectively.

[David Prahl]

VERY cool! I'd be even more suprised if Toshiba hadn't released an almost identical device nine months ago!

e805, anyone? :lol:
http://www.brighthand.com/images/Toshina_e805_FCC.jpg

[Jonathan1]

Is it just me or does that mockup look speciously like a hybrid Jornada 54x?!??!

[thunderck]

I like mini-usb but I'm not sure about driver support just yet. However it is that whole cart and horse thing. :wink:

[Jonathan1]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00004TDL2.01.PT03.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

+


http://hpshopping.speedera.net/www.shopping.hp.com/shopping/images/products/264493_400.jpg

=


http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040517_hx4700.jpg

[Zack Mahdavi]

The device looks like, and the touchpad is very unique. But I'm wondering if this device will suffer from the battery life issues of say, the iPod.

The reason why the iPod's battery dies so quickly when you don't put it in hold is because the device has to be able to recognize touch pad presses.

A Pocket PC is slightly different, since it's basically always on. So correct me if I'm wrong, but adding a touch pad wouldn't effect the battery life of a Pocket PC.

Anyway, these specs are amazing. 624Mhz processor? mini-USB port? VGA screen? Wow, it sounds great. I wonder how much the thing will cost.

[huangzhinong]

Is it just me or does that mockup look speciously like a hybrid Jornada 54x?!??!

Exactly, this device is a Jornada reloaded.
But I think it looks more like Jornada 565.

[ignar]

I don't know about the touchpad. It could be too sensitive for PDA.
Specs looks good, but it seems a little big and I wonder how much it will weigh. Make it smaller, thinner, remove CF slot, and add a flip cover. Then I will buy. :wink:

[Felix Torres]

Is it just me or does that mockup look speciously like a hybrid Jornada 54x?!??!

Exactly, this device is a Jornada reloaded.
But I think it looks more like Jornada 565.

Flip cover! Flip Cover! We want flip cover!
(The ol' 568 is still going strong but a replacement would be welcome...)

[huangzhinong]

I don't know about the touchpad. It could be too sensitive for PDA.
Specs looks good, but it seems a little big and I wonder how much it will weigh. Make it smaller, thinner, remove CF slot, and add a flip cover. Then I will buy. :wink:

It won't be any thinner. 4700 is already 0.7mm thinner than h2210.
It can be a little bit shorter considering a lot of space on the top of screen.
CF is must have.
Flip cover, yes or not, maybe make it optional.
A lot of people found TH55 flipcover is difficult to use and just remove it, so flipcover is not welcome for everybody. At least I don't need it.

[KH]

CF+SD, Faster, more memory, AND (especially!) more Pixels - I'll need 2 of them!!

[Jonathan1]

Flip cover! Flip Cover! We want flip cover!
(The ol' 568 is still going strong but a replacement would be welcome...)


Its going strong but, IMHO, mine is getting WAY long in the tooth. If they put a flip cover on that sucker I would pick up a new Pocket PC the day that sucker came out.

[R K]

Well, if the specs are correct, I guess HP does it again.

• Wireless connectivity: Infrared Port (SIR), Wi-Fi 802.11b, Bluetooth v1.2

If Toshiba does fail to release the E830, then HP's new Pocket PC will be the first VGA Pocket PC to have dual expansion plus dual wireless capabilities.

• Intel Bulverde 624MHz processor

Good news, when all the other manufacturers are planning to release Pocket PCs with a 520MHz Bulverde.

• Powered by a 1800mAh lithium Ion battery with an option for a 3600mAh

This will almost surely give the hx4700 the same amount of runtime as the iPAQ H4350 which has been known to run from 4-6 hours with WiFi turned on, and 8-10 hours with just the backlight on.

• Dimensions would be 129 X 77 X 14.7 mm"

That's about 5.08" x 3.03" x 0.58", which is much smaller than the iPAQ H3xxx/H5xxx series.

• D-Pad will apparently be replaced with a touchpad navigation system
• New casing material unlike any of the current models

The new casing might be nice, but I'm not too sure on how good the touchpad will be. This will make the Asus A730 the only good VGA gaming Pocket PC around. I'd have to say that I'm a little disappointed.

I guess we gamers are the niche market in the PDA world.

[jonathanchoo]

This thing would be huge (compared to h4150) with its 4" screen, CF and SD slot and 1800mAh battery. I know the big battery is needed for the fast processor but I hope HP will release a VGA PDA in the same form factor as the h4150. I am not looking forward to touch pad though but we see how it goes. Hopefully we could use it as an input area (ala square PalmOS grafitti area). As for case material, I do hope they use magnesium or even aluminium. iPAQs has always been made of plastics which is a downside in my opinion. A textured matte case (like the TH55) will be cool.

[Perry Reed]

Looks pretty sweet! Throw in GPRS and it'd be perfect. :D

[jonathanchoo]

I guess we gamers are the niche market in the PDA world.

What we need are gamepads that use the sync or USB port. I remember that we used to have lots of 3rd party gamepads for PalmOS for Palm III and Visors.

http://www.palminfocenter.com/images/pegagc10.jpg

[Toshi]

Any info on the avaliability of this device?

[mangochutneyman]

Well, if the specs are correct, I guess HP does it again.


Well didn't Asus ALREADY do it with the A730? IMO the two very comparable. Assuming the rumors are correct the advantages of the Hx4700 will be the larger screen, larger battery, slightly faster proc, and perhaps mini-usb. On the other hand, the Asus A730 will have integrated camera, and D-pad (much better for gaming imo). The both will eventually support dual wireless, dual expansion, and VGA...

[Birdman]

As tempted as I may be from many of these devices, ever since I have been using a PPCPE device, I don't think I could ever go back to carrying 2 items with me.

[kosmicki]

>droool&lt; oh MAN this thing looks good! If this comes out around $400 (yeah right, it won't cause I want it to) I would chuck the 2210 idea out the window.

And I am a fan of CF, I want a gig of CF for various files, SD is way to pricy for that type of space (and too fragile IMO)

:mrgreen:

[Mitch D]

Well Hp has done it again, just when I thought I knew what I was going to replace my X3i with they come out with something better (ok so it's just a rumor but HP has never been able to keep secrets). I guess I can hold off for a while to see if this is indeed real...

[Pat Logsdon]

FYI, there's some additional information available on this device and a few others, which I posted on the front page and I'll quote here:

UPDATE: Mobile Gadget News (http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/index.php) has some additional information, some of it contrary to what we've already heard. The details below are broken down by model number or code name:

Hx4700 (Morpheus): 3.5" VGA screen (not 4"), 624mhz, BT, WiFi, CF/SDIO, 128mb RAM AND ROM, 1440mAh battery, availability in July or August, $550.
Hx2700: 3.5" VGA, BT, 64mb RAM/ROM, fingerprint scanner, available late this year, $350.
Rz1700: 3.5 QVGA, 203mhz, 48mb NAND ROM, 32mb RAM, SDIO.
Explorers: Ruggedized, 624mhz, 128 RAM/64mb ROM, 4" display, BT, WiFi, 1800 mAh battery, $650.
Gable & Monroe: Landscape orientation home automation or home theater control devices. Both feature 64mb RAM/ROM, BT, SDIO, and 1.3 megapixel cameras, while Monroe apparently features WiFi. Gable's battery is 970mAh and Monroe's battery is 1440 mAh. They are expected to sell for $400 and $500 respectively.
I'm kind of confused by the claim of a 3.5" screen vs a 4" screen. The dimensions of the Hx4700 are reported to be 129 x 77 x 14.7mm. The dimensions of the 221x are 115.4 x 76.4 x 15.4 mm. The difference in height is just a hair over 1/2 an inch. Until I see different dimensions, I don't see any reason for the height to increase unless the device has a 4" screen.

[Jonathan1]

SD is way to pricy for that type of space (and too fragile IMO)

:mrgreen:


Anything that can survive the washer and the dryer and still work is pretty dang solid, IMHO. :D

[disconnected]

I don't want anything with a 3.5" screen. :cry:
I've had four iPAQs, but now I guess I have to hope that the Toshiba makes it to the US.

[OSUKid7]

8O OK, that's it, I'm getting this iPaq. 8) Now just don't shock me with a huge pricetag. Now to decide if I should really get the Canon Powershot S60 that should be out in June, or wait and get this iPaq. (or sucker my parents into paying for part of one ;))

[rpommier]

Good and bad news for me... I'm excited about all the integration going on there, but the perfect Pocket PC for me would be my 2210 with VGA.

The 2210 is priced right too... I wonder what this thing will come in at? If it's around $450 I'm there, anything more than that and I'll have to do some thinking.

[arnage2]

$*!*


hp is still number 1.these new ppcs are magical

[popabawa]

Sorry if some of you guys don't like the CF slot but this thing is ABSOLUTELY perfect for me :mrgreen:

Can't wait!

[Jeff Rutledge]

As tempted as I may be from many of these devices, ever since I have been using a PPCPE device, I don't think I could ever go back to carrying 2 items with me.

I feel exactly the same way. I only used a PPCPE device for two weeks, but it sold me on the concept. I am impatiently waiting for the iPAQ 6350 to come out. These new devices are a nice distraction though.

Really though, the 6350 is perfect for me other than being QVGA.

[Godsongz]

Me too.. the CF slot might add a little bulk to these units, but there are an awful lot of people out here who still depend on them. The ability to pull the CF card from my digital camera and slap it into my iPaq for some quick photo edits in the field, or even just for viewing the pics on a larger screen than my camera's is key for me. Not having a CF slot is a deal-breaker.

[Deslock]

If the Hx4700 rendering is accurate, then I think it's a 4" screen for two reasons. The first is that it has a thin edge around the sides of the screen like the 4155. But its dimensions indicate it's wider by 6 mm:
4155: 114 x 71 x 13.5 mm
4700: 129 x 77 x 14.7 mm

Here are the reported screen sizes:
3.5" screen = 53 x 71 mm
4.0" screen = 61 x 81 mm

The 4155 has ~9 mm of extra space on each side. The 4700 would have ~12 mm extra space with a 3.5" screen and ~8 mm with a 4.0" screen. Its border looks as thin if not slightly thinner than the 4155.

The second reason is the height. I rotated the image to the right so the centerline was vertical (by lining up the HP emblem at the top and the two center dots at the bottom). I measured the ratio between total height and screen height and found it to be 0.64. If device height is 129 mm, then screen height is ~82 mm, which is almost spot on with a 4" screen.

Of course since this is all based on an unconfirmed rendering, I could be wrong. For reference:

4155:
http://www.brighthand.com/images/ipaq4155_main.jpg

Hx4700:
http://www.ipaqabilities.com/images/articles/vgaipaq/vgaipaq.jpg

[Palmguy]

Nice detective work Deslock!

[huangzhinong]

Explorers: Ruggedized, 624mhz, 128 RAM/64mb ROM, 4" display, BT, WiFi, 1800 mAh battery, $650.


I highly doubt the information accuracy. $650 for a Ruggedized PPC with so high spec? Are you crazy, this baby cost more than $1500 even with much lower spec.

Hx4700 is more than 1.5cm longer than h2210, if the spec is correct. I believe the LCD won't be same as H2210.

[Shadowcat]

From informal measurements using a ruler and my H3600, it appears that the H3600 and new hx4700 are virtually identical in dimensions.

Yes, it looks very much like a cross between a H3900 with a e800 or HP Jornada...

[arnage2]

dell is going to announce a wmmx wm2003se 312mhz and 624mhz axim x30 very soom with dual wireless.

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28086

[Jonathon Watkins]

We have a winner. Now the only issue is price......... :?

[disconnected]

I really hope Deslock's surmise about screen size turns out to be right; if so, I definitely want one.

[devhen]

VERY cool! I'd be even more suprised if Toshiba hadn't released an almost identical device nine months ago!

e805, anyone? :lol:
http://www.brighthand.com/images/Toshina_e805_FCC.jpg

I don't know if I'd say 'identical' but yes, the e805 was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the picture of the new hx4700... all in all I think it looks pretty slick, but I don't know if I like the blue/black color. I've liked the way iPAQs have been shiny and silver... yeah, I think I'd prefer silver. Nonetheless, this looks like an AWESOME device.

The iPAQ line never lets us down...

[Jonathon Watkins]

8O OK, that's it, I'm getting this iPaq. 8) Now just don't shock me with a huge pricetag. Now to decide if I should really get the Canon Powershot S60 that should be out in June, or wait and get this iPaq. (or sucker my parents into paying for part of one ;))

Both - always. :wink: Hey you only need one of those kidneys right! :lol:

It also depends if you want to hang out more at PPCT or DMT. :wink:

[powder2000]

I'll take one of the rugged four inchers!

[huangzhinong]

I'll take one of the rugged four inchers!
me too. I will take 1000 at that price and sell in ebay and make $1000,000 easily.

I guess the 18000mAh battary itself may cost more than $1000.

[SeanH]

If the Hx4700 rendering is accurate, then I think it's a 4" screen for two reasons. The first is that it has a thin edge around the sides of the screen like the 4155. But its dimensions indicate it's wider by 6 mm:
4155: 114 x 71 x 13.5 mm
4700: 129 x 77 x 14.7 mm

Here are the reported screen sizes:
3.5" screen = 53 x 71 mm
4.0" screen = 61 x 81 mm
It would be great if HP kept the form factor of the 4150 but added a 4” VGA display. The following can work:
(Top to bottom)
114mm tall with 10mm of plastic at the top, 81mm of screen and 23mm at the bottom for the buttons and pad/joystick.
(Side to side)
71mm wide with 5mm on each side.
(Thickness)
Make it thinner then 13.5mm, 7-10mm would be great.

This is very feasible.

I think HP should market two types of PDA’s. A PDA with all the features of the Hx4700 in a form factor as small as the 4150. Then a big bulky PDA for those that need a CF card, USB/Firewire ports, and put a DB15 port on the side for those that use there PDA to drive a monitor or a LCD projector.

I would take the first small PDA, get rid of my CF Microdrive for a 1GB SDIO card and go with all Bluetooth peripherals (GPS, Keyboard, Joystick, Barcode reader, Internet access over the cell phone using GPRS/EDGE and the may others)

Sean

[ricksfiona]

I guess HP has been listening to me! The HX4700 is EXACTLY what I wanted AND they've thrown in a CF Slot? More battery life? And it's smaller than my iPAQ 5550? 8O

If I can get it for $550, I'll be there at the front of the line.

[Raynne]

I would actually consider this as my first IPAQ (I think I've had everything but: Casio, Dell, and Asus) if it wasn't for the touch pad. I think that the touch pad may make gaming a tad irritating. Everything else sounds great, though.

[bbarker]

Is it just me or does that mockup look speciously like a hybrid Jornada 54x?!??!

Exactly, this device is a Jornada reloaded.
But I think it looks more like Jornada 565.
I am writing this on a 568. I see no more resemblance than to other models.

[bbarker]

Its going strong but, IMHO, mine is getting WAY long in the tooth. If they put a flip cover on that sucker I would pick up a new Pocket PC the day that sucker came out.
Same here. The only device that really can replace a Jornada will be one with a flip cover.

[jake080]

yummy!!!
i want one with the 4" and yet $550!!!!!!
this is the first ever model by HP ive ever even considered, and as it should have mini-usb and maybe 4" vga and the highest end bulverde, the Asus MyPal a730 may not keep my attention much longer, all depends on final specs and price i guess :)

~Jake

[heyya]

All is great but darn it, I think the touch pad is a major flaw, not just for games but also for normal day use.

I think hardware button positive feedback is very important. I can press the contacts hard button while taking it out of the bag confident that by the time I have it out, it'll be displaying the contacts list (and my thumb would already be on the down d-pad if I intend to search in the lower alphabets). Along the same lines, on other software, I can just remember the hard button sequence presses and get to where I want without looking (like while driving).

[jake080]

oh, i forgot something...



:jawdrop: :werenotworthy: :werenotworthy: :werenotworthy:
and i cant find the 'drool-cool' smiley, but insert him here ___ ;)

[americaneagle]

The only thing I really want that this will have is true vga and a 128mb of ram.... I can't imagine what I would do with a Pocket PC that has 624MHz. :wink:

I own a HP 4155

[Falstaff]

Can anyone tell from that rendering if the Hx4700 has a scroll wheel and record button on the side? To me that is a pretty important thing, as I use it whenever I'm driving (playing music through my car speakers) and other times when I'm listening. I know some other iPaqs don't have the scroll wheel, but all Toshibas do :P , which is one thing I am very happy about with my e755. If this device has that and a 4" screen (I think 3.5" is too small for QVGA, it wouldn't cut it at all for VGA), I'm definately going to buy it...when I have money that is.... I'm about to become a poor college student, so I may have to put it on hold, unless anyone wants to buy a kidney from me?

[CEONelson]

Flip cover! Flip Cover! We want flip cover!
(The ol' 568 is still going strong but a replacement would be welcome...)

YES! I loved the flip cover on my Visor Edge! That thing was one sexy piece of aluminum pda. For being so slow and grayscale I mean.

[bbarker]

Can anyone tell from that rendering if the Hx4700 has a scroll wheel and record button on the side? To me that is a pretty important thing
Yes, I forgot the scroll wheel. I do a lot of reading on my PPC and I use the scroll wheel a lot.

Perfect specs: All the specs discussed above, except:
h4150 or h221x size
Jornada-style flip cover
Jornada-style left-side scroll wheel & record button
Jornada-style hardware buttons (hold in the 4 primary buttons for secondary functions)
Exceptional battery lifeAs I said before, I think the 4700 rendering bears no more resemblance to the Jornada than to half a dozen other models.

[Pony99CA]

Hx2700: 3.5" VGA, BT, 64mb RAM/ROM, fingerprint scanner, available late this year, $350.
As Pat brought the hx2700 up here, I'll comment on it here. :-) If those specs are correct, I can't believe anyone would claim this will be a replacement for the iPAQ 5550. The 5550 is much more than just a Pocket PC with a fingerprint scanner; it has a 3.7" screen, 128 MB RAM, WiFi and, of course, sleeve compatibility.

Granted, the 5550 costs a lot more than $350, but anybody claiming the hx2700 "replaces" an iPAQ 5550 should seriously consider a lobotomy reversal. :lol:

Steve

[Stephen Beesley]

Well I guess that by now it has pretty much all been said, but I feel compelled to add some observations of my own.

Firstly as another Jornada 56x holdout I would have to say that it is a device like this or the Asus MyPal 730 that will probably convince me to part with my cash and my Jornada. A VGA screen is pretty much a must have for my next PDA. As far as looks go I really like the dark finish (reminds me of my ol' Jornada 545 - now sadly long departed) much better than the purple look of the Toshiba e800.

I really have a lot of reservations about the whole touch pad thing. I hate touch pads on laptops, much prefering the rubber eraser/joystick approach. Like others have mentioned I can not see it being very handy for gaming.

[Kacey Green]

Hx2700: 3.5" VGA, BT, 64mb RAM/ROM, fingerprint scanner, available late this year, $350.
As Pat brought the hx2700 up here, I'll comment on it here. :-) If those specs are correct, I can't believe anyone would claim this will be a replacement for the iPAQ 5550. The 5550 is much more than just a Pocket PC with a fingerprint scanner; it has a 3.7" screen, 128 MB RAM, WiFi and, of course, sleeve compatibility.

Granted, the 5550 costs a lot more than $350, but anybody claiming the hx2700 "replaces" an iPAQ 5550 should seriously consider a lobotomy reversal. :lol:

Steve

Steve what does that look like to you underneath the HP logo?

. . .

Exactly the fingerprint scanner!
It looks like I have found Rex 2.0, especically if it comes in that awesome grey/black color. If the price was closer to 400 it would be perfect, I'm going to start saving, maybe Rex has a trade in value :deal: but it would be nicer of me to give Rex to my brother, he just got the Palm IIIc handed down to him and he said, "what a peice of S*** how am I supposed to use this :?: " (He may have said crap, I can't remember) He appreciates having the device, but it's not much use to him. So he would be better served by Rex. If I get this iPAQ I thing my little bro will get Rex

[Pony99CA]

Hx2700: 3.5" VGA, BT, 64mb RAM/ROM, fingerprint scanner, available late this year, $350.
As Pat brought the hx2700 up here, I'll comment on it here. :-) If those specs are correct, I can't believe anyone would claim this will be a replacement for the iPAQ 5550. The 5550 is much more than just a Pocket PC with a fingerprint scanner; it has a 3.7" screen, 128 MB RAM, WiFi and, of course, sleeve compatibility.

Granted, the 5550 costs a lot more than $350, but anybody claiming the hx2700 "replaces" an iPAQ 5550 should seriously consider a lobotomy reversal. :lol:
Steve what does that look like to you underneath the HP logo?
. . .

Exactly the fingerprint scanner!
If you mean that white stripe directly under the HP logo on the iPAQ hx4700 photo, that doesn't look like a fingerprint scanner to me. I don't know what it is, but I doubt HP would put a fingerprint scanner above the screen. That would likely cause many people to drag their fingers on the screen of the Pocket PC, not something you really want to encourage.

Also, I don't believe any of the rumors have indicated that the 4700 will have a fingerprint scanner.

Steve

[Swotkid]

The reason why the iPod's battery dies so quickly when you don't put it in hold is because the device has to be able to recognize touch pad presses.
Thank you - oh thank you most kindly for this nugget!!

[Chucky]

I personally quite like the idea of a touchpad. I have always hated touchpads on laptops - simply because a mouse is 100x better, however when the touchpad is used for something better suited to it (ie scrolling) it is suddenly much more useful, common back me up iPod users - its touch pad is damn nice isn't it! :)

Even for gaming I think it could have real potential as long as the programmer made a seperate input interface for touchpad users.

[Jonathon Watkins]

Even for gaming I think it could have real potential as long as the programmer made a seperate input interface for touchpad users.

And how common will that be do you think? :? Not very - unless all PPCs go this way. Also, what about currently released games? I'll be interested to see how they manage this touchpad...

[Kati Compton]

FYI, there's some additional information available on this device and a few others, which I posted on the front page and I'll quote here:
Rz1700: 3.5 QVGA, 203mhz, 48mb NAND ROM, 32mb RAM, SDIO.
Explorers: Ruggedized, 624mhz, 128 RAM/64mb ROM, 4" display, BT, WiFi, 1800 mAh battery, $650.

Hey - a dual-screen 3.5" and 4"! I'm getting this one. ;)

[Kacey Green]

Hx2700: 3.5" VGA, BT, 64mb RAM/ROM, fingerprint scanner, available late this year, $350.
As Pat brought the hx2700 up here, I'll comment on it here. :-) If those specs are correct, I can't believe anyone would claim this will be a replacement for the iPAQ 5550. The 5550 is much more than just a Pocket PC with a fingerprint scanner; it has a 3.7" screen, 128 MB RAM, WiFi and, of course, sleeve compatibility.

Granted, the 5550 costs a lot more than $350, but anybody claiming the hx2700 "replaces" an iPAQ 5550 should seriously consider a lobotomy reversal. :lol:
Steve what does that look like to you underneath the HP logo?
. . .

Exactly the fingerprint scanner!
If you mean that white stripe directly under the HP logo on the iPAQ hx4700 photo, that doesn't look like a fingerprint scanner to me. I don't know what it is, but I doubt HP would put a fingerprint scanner above the screen. That would likely cause many people to drag their fingers on the screen of the Pocket PC, not something you really want to encourage.

Also, I don't believe any of the rumors have indicated that the 4700 will have a fingerprint scanner.

Steve
My point was that it looks exactly like the fingerprint scanner on the 5555 does in pictures, I didn't say it was a wise place to put it.

[davea0511]

Some PPC thoughts of my own:

With those specs you could play a complex level of quake with lots of baddies. Cool!

Will the usb be a host? If so, I wish they'd make some sort of wrapper so windows USB drivers would work for CE devices out of the box.

touchpad for gaming might work fine if it works with a stylus - most touch pads don't though, and fingers are too innacurate for gameplay.

no buttons? what are they thinking?

Non-silver - nice for a change. I wish they'd make white PDA's like the iPOD - or have replaceable shells so yuo can customize it with whatever you'd like I could see a serious cottage industry there. Safety yellow would be cool too.

Nice to see someone is finally stretching the screen to the edge of the PDA. It's about time.

[funngunn2]

Woweewowwow!

Man, after seeing these things, forget the Axim X5 I was gonna get from a friend...I'm definetly gonna wait for one of these babies, especially that 4700. CF and SD, Wifi & Bluetooth, and so much more. Dang...

[gdrural]

Will the existing CO Pilot GPS and expansion packs fit if its a compleatly new shape. I don't think the blue tooth GPS is the best for in field surveys, It means carrying 2 bits of hardware leaving no spare hand for data entry. 8O 8O

[Pony99CA]

Will the existing CO Pilot GPS and expansion packs fit if its a compleatly new shape. I don't think the blue tooth GPS is the best for in field surveys, It means carrying 2 bits of hardware leaving no spare hand for data entry. 8O 8O
Of course expansion packs won't fit. HP seems to have finally killed the sleeve off. :-(

As for CoPilot GPS, while the sleeves won't work, you could get a Compact Flash GPS card. That's what I'm doing now that my Navman sleeve seems to have gone bad. (Actually, I'm getting the Haicom 303MMF (http://www.buygpsnow.com/item.aspx?itemid=268) CF card and the Bluetooth slipper. I figure that will give me the best of both worlds.)

Steve

[omikron.sk]

:jawdrop:
For me it will be simply PERFECT.
P.E.R.F.E.C.T.
What more do I need? I am so happy with my current h2210, except:

D-pad (will be replaced with undestructable touch-pad)
900mAh battery (wiil be replaced with 1800mAh)

and:

624MHz boulevard instead of 400MHz PXA255
Wi-fi as a bonus
VGA (!) display (no matter if it will be 3.5'' or 4'' one)
new material (hope it's one of those cool-factor ones)

and keeps everything good (SDIO + CFIO) from my h2210

I will give $800 for it, if it will cost that much.

Now the only thing I need is a GPS ;-)