CNET Preview of HP 4700, with Video

[Jonathon Watkins]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://reviews.cnet.com/HP_iPaq_Pocket_PC_hx4700/4535-3127_7-30974570.html?tag=top' target='_blank'>http://reviews.cnet.com/HP_iPaq_Poc...70.html?tag=top</a><br /><br /></div>Interested in the HP 4700 and want to see more of it? CNET have got a preview up with several screenshots of the unit from multiple angles and more usefully, a video of the beast in action. It certainly is nice to see it 'in the round' as it were, but personally I really want to hold one to see what the touchscreen/virtual joypad feels like. Still not convinced…… :wink: <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/CNET_4700.jpg" />

[felixdd]

Poor girl had to put so much effort into saying "aych pee eye pack forty-seven hundred"

That device is bulkier than I thought....

[Jonathan1]

That device is bulkier than I thought....

Yah the 4th run through of the of video I'm thinking this thing is going to be pretty dang huge. Here's hoping Bonnie has the world's smallest hands. ;)

I can't wait for someone to get their hands on one of these suckers for a full blown review. Whoever gets the first review up better talk to their provider about getting more bandwidth for the month. They are going to need it. ;)

[George H.]

Lots of people have complained about the size of the the iPAQ hz4700, but compare its dimensions and weight with those of the 2215:

It's 0.02" thinner.

It's 0.03" wider.

It's 0.63" longer (just slightly more than the width of the 2215).

It weighs 1.5 oz. more.

Don't you think the extra width, length, and weight are a modest trade-off for the 4" VGA display?

[Boxster S]

Lots of people have complained about the size of the the iPAQ hz4700, but compare its dimensions and weight with those of the 2215:

It's 0.02" thinner.

It's 0.03" wider.

It's 0.63" longer (just slightly more than the width of the 2215).

It weighs 1.5 oz. more.

Don't you think the extra width, length, and weight are a modest trade-off for the 4" VGA display?

A little wider here, a little longer there, a tad heavier there...it all adds up in the end.

[ctitanic]

God! I :ppclove: hx4700!

[foldedspace]

I'm still a fan of the D-Pad. If I had a chance to play with it, I might change my mind, but I'm not grooving on that touchpad.

[Boxster S]

God! I :ppclove: hx4700!

God, I :ppclove: http://www.firstloox.org/loox_700b.jpg

[Ryan Joseph]

God! I :ppclove: hx4700!

You even changed your Avatar, I see. :D

I really can't wait to see this device in person. It looks revolutionary in more ways than one. I won't be purchasing one, but I certainly want to try it.

And it does look pretty big in that video, but after owning an Axim X5, I bet I could handle it. :mrgreen:

[powerbook17]

man this is a late information the video has been on cnet.com for over 10 days now!

[Mark Johnson]

Don't you think the extra width, length, and weight are a modest trade-off for the 4" VGA display?

For those of us used to the 1900 series, the 2215 seems noticeably larger. My opinion is that is due as much to the "more angular" feel of the 2215 (compared to the 1900) as it is to the marginally larger size.

The hx4700 gets "marginally larger" and "marginally more angular" than the 2215, so it sort of becomes the "straw that broke the camel's back."

I'd make the comparison between my 1910 and my old e310: The "actual volume" of the two devices was not all that different. However, the "real world usage" was that I had to carry my e310 in a belt-holster and when I got my 1910 it was the very first "Pocket" PC that actually was something I could carry in my pocket.

It is probably this sort of thing that has so many of us "style fanatics" raking HP over the coals related to the 1945 v. rz1715 (It's not really that much bigger, but the aesthetics/ergonomics of the 1715 make it feel a lot less comfortable. (I checked one out at Circuit City last week.) Switching from a 1900 to a 1715 would mean pulling my "uber-geeky" belt holster out of storage in the garage.

The size of the hx4700 will only make this worse. There's no way it will be "pocketable."

As far as the idea that "increased functionality" makes "loss-of-pocketability" worthwhile, I'm sure there are a fair number of buyers who will agree with you. However, there are quite a large number (and fairly vocal) of us who are just appalled that HP has gone this direction because the issue (as I describe it) of "is it small enough to fit in my jeans front pocket or not?" is pretty much a deal-breaker. For us, "progress" would have been a sucessor to the 1945/4155 that had the same size screen, but VGA.

Bear in mind that VGA resolution does not necessarily mean "fonts are half the height" (as the screen-shots of SE devices have shown.) HP could have released a 4155 type/size device with a 3.5 inch VGA screen that would have been:
1) Better for those with "less-than-average vision" (because the same amount of text would be displayed by using an equal-sized but much more detailed font)
AND
2) Better for those with "better-than-average vision" (because they could choose to have a larger amount of text displayed by using a smaller-sized but not any less detailed than they were used to font)

I, for one, have never found myself looking at any PDA I've owned and wishing for a "larger screen." I have only (and often) wished for a "higher resolution screen." In fact, I'm one of the (admittedly relatively few) people who would LOVE to see a 1900-style device about 20% smaller and thinner with a 3.25-inch VGA screen instead of the 3.5-inch QVGA screen I already have.

[iPAQ_ace]

...but personally I really want to hold one to see what the touchscreen/virtual joypad feels like...

Let me just say that it feels pretty sweet. I unexpectedly bumped into one of my HP contacts the other day and he handed me his hx4700 for a few minutes. Whoa :drool:

My quick observations of it were that the screen is simply fantastic, none of the pictures that I have seen on the web truly do justice to how sweet of a display this is. A lot of people are saying its big, but I found it to be smaller and thinner than I expected (but then again I'm used to my trusty H5550). I found myself pleasantly impressed by the touchpad actually. I think there will be a small learning curve to get the tap/click function to work the way its supposed to. I guess I wasn't tapping on it the "right" way.

It's a good thing that you can remove the flip cover since some folks will find it combersome to have it in the way while they are using this iPAQ.

...and then I told my contact at HP to take it away from me before I ran away with it :lol:

[Janak Parekh]

man this is a late information the video has been on cnet.com for over 10 days now!
Yes, but not everyone reads C|NET copiously, and we didn't get the link until a day or so ago. ;) If you see stuff like this, you should submit it using the "SUBMIT NEWS" link at the top!

By the way, it is possible to hold the flip cover comfortably (at least the cover pack for the previous sleeved iPAQs, which had a similar flip cover) if you use nestle it between your thumb and your index finger.

--janak

[paris]

i am with ctitanic :) i ordered it already :)

Well it is biger but its no bigger than a lagacy ipaq so there is no problem for me, i have gone that path already and i was fine. I certainly prefer a small pocket pc, that is the reason i own the 4150 BUT at the moment there is no better choice for me since i want a VGA pocket pc. The ASUS is a bit smaller, bowever is a lot more fat with less processing power and battery, so i chose to go with the hx4700. Now if HP inovates once again and crams all that in the H4150 form factor i will jump in without a second thought. Untill then i will certainly make use of an HX4700. Also i am planning to exhange my 4150 with a 1940 + lots of £ so i will have a tiny pocket pc handy just in case. Now if the hx4700 satisfies me totally then the 1940 will go as a present to my brother or my girlfriend.

[beq]

Hmm it does look big in the picture at first glance...

Some days I'm still leaning more to a PPC Phone Edition coupled with a BlueSpoon Digital or the just announced analog BlueSpoon AX (http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=427792) (or even the analog BlueSpoon (http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=281648) - 5G (http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=281648&perpage=15&pagenumber=6#post2708157) if you can wait and afford it), as a 2-piece setup rather than 3-piece setup. Which reminds me, I still need to ship my 3 broken BlueSpoons back for repair...

[tthiel]

Well that was a terrible review from somene who knows nothing about PDA's. Even so nice to see the video. When will this things be in the stores??? Looks good in a lot of ways but since you can get the top end Dell for half as much I'm not yet seeing why i would want this.

[felixdd]

Lots of people have complained about the size of the the iPAQ hz4700, but compare its dimensions and weight with those of the 2215:

It's 0.02" thinner.

It's 0.03" wider.

It's 0.63" longer (just slightly more than the width of the 2215).

It weighs 1.5 oz. more.

Don't you think the extra width, length, and weight are a modest trade-off for the 4" VGA display?

Mostly because the design is so boxy. The 2215 is curvier and so appears smaller. Or at the very least sleaker.

[Janak Parekh]

Well that was a terrible review from somene who knows nothing about PDA's.
Agreed, she's probably just a general tech reporter.

Looks good in a lot of ways but since you can get the top end Dell for half as much I'm not yet seeing why i would want this.
One word: VGA.

--janak

[ctmagnus]

A bonus for this device: Canadians will supposedly be able to get it for $150CAD less than HPs previous high-end models at time of release.

[Jorlin]

God, I :ppclove: http://www.firstloox.org/loox_700b.jpg

:drool:
Definitely!

[lonesniper]

Well that was a terrible review from somene who knows nothing about PDA's.
Agreed, she's probably just a general tech reporter.


Could PPCT do video reviews in the future, or just video previews? Would be much better to have a review done by enthusiasts than some staff writer at CNET. I am sure it could be easily done especially as there is the knowledge over at DigitalMediaThoughts.com for the video recording stuff.

[popabawa]

I really, really thought the 4700 would be my next device but... I can't get beyond the touchpad, It really loks like it might just REALLY SUCK (technical term).

'Proper' reviews are needed! (do we know the Euro release date?) But at the moment I'm leaning toward the new Loox 720, especially at around 150 euro's cheaper.

Jorlin & Boxter S - I'm with you guys!

Iain.

[Mitch D]

A bonus for this device: Canadians will supposedly be able to get it for $150CAD less than HPs previous high-end models at time of release.

At first I sat here going "huuh?" (that's what I get for being up this late) and than I realized with the converstion ct is correct. Previously the high end HP's have come in at over a $1000 CAN where as the 4700 will come in at $850 CAN.

If any of my fellow western canadians are interested I check with my buyers before I left for holidays last week and it looks like we (As a country, not just my company) should see the first of the 4700's around mid september. That could change if the US based companies like Staples bring it up from down south sooner.

I can barely wait, as much as I like my X3i, I think this will be my next WM2k3 device.

Well enough rambling... Must sleeeep!

[NewYork Boy]

And Jorlin and papabawa. The Loox 720 loox (looks and specs) way more appealing. The only thing I prefer the hx4700 over the Loox 720 is the fact that it doesn’t have a camera.

ctitanic: nice avatar

[SharpDog]

I have one on order. I also got a 2.2 GB CF to go with it. The whole thing with CF and S&H is under $800. 8O That's not so bad bcause I intend to use it as a laptop replacement since my laptop has become my desktop replacement. :lol: I will use it mostly for email, web browsing, note taking and games. :devilboy: I have absolutely no intention to watch video with the thing but it would be useful for that as well. 0X

[ScottC]

What a terrible review. No mention of WiFi, Bluetooth, it's memory or any of it's other features. VGA screen says nothing to most PPC/PDA users so a simple demo would have been the least they could have shown.

I don't know why they even bothered to record this.

[Deemo]

If any of my fellow western canadians are interested I check with my buyers before I left for holidays last week and it looks like we (As a country, not just my company) should see the first of the 4700's around mid september. That could change if the US based companies like Staples bring it up from down south sooner.

I am interested! Thanks Mitch.

Staples didn't get the 2200 series for ages after Futureshop (BestBuy) and your joint had it.

They usually have a little rebate or incentive 3-4 months after release.
The price I got on my 2200 a year ago is still what it sells for now.

As far as the size goes - I welcome the extra screen size as I find the 2200's a litle too small - I must be getting too old :|

[ctitanic]

Is it big?
http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/modules/PNphpBB2/files/hpim0001.jpg


it´s smaller than the e800 from Toshiba, it's smaller than the 39xx in this picture... And it's the same size than my h2215 with a WiFi (that's in the way that I use it dayly). 0X

[ctitanic]

h2215 vs hx4700

http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/modules/PNphpBB2/files/hpim0018.jpg

is it big? Yeah but give me that display!

[ctitanic]

is it big?

http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/modules/PNphpBB2/files/hpim0017.jpg

the h6300 is bigger when using the keyboard and it's about the same size counting the antenna.

[ctitanic]

The bottom line is just one... I don't care about the size as long as I get that 4" display with VGA and BT/WiFi integrated + dual CF/SD slot. That's all I care.

[Deemo]

The bottom line is just one... I don't care about the size as long as I get that 4" display with VGA and BT/WiFi integrated + dual CF/SD slot. That's all I care.

So size doesn't matter? :devilboy:

[ctitanic]

The bottom line is just one... I don't care about the size as long as I get that 4" display with VGA and BT/WiFi integrated + dual CF/SD slot. That's all I care.

So size doesn't matter? :devilboy:


As long as I get...... :devilboy:

[ignar]

Poor girl had to put so much effort into saying "aych pee eye pack forty-seven hundred"

Actually, it was "aych pee eye pack aych eks forty-seven hundred" :lol:

[elehcdn]

Don't you think the extra width, length, and weight are a modest trade-off for the 4" VGA display?

The size of the hx4700 will only make this worse. There's no way it will be "pocketable."

As far as the idea that "increased functionality" makes "loss-of-pocketability" worthwhile, I'm sure there are a fair number of buyers who will agree with you. However, there are quite a large number (and fairly vocal) of us who are just appalled that HP has gone this direction because the issue (as I describe it) of "is it small enough to fit in my jeans front pocket or not?" is pretty much a deal-breaker. For us, "progress" would have been a sucessor to the 1945/4155 that had the same size screen, but VGA.

Bear in mind that VGA resolution does not necessarily mean "fonts are half the height" (as the screen-shots of SE devices have shown.) HP could have released a 4155 type/size device with a 3.5 inch VGA screen that would have been:
1) Better for those with "less-than-average vision" (because the same amount of text would be displayed by using an equal-sized but much more detailed font)
AND
2) Better for those with "better-than-average vision" (because they could choose to have a larger amount of text displayed by using a smaller-sized but not any less detailed than they were used to font)

I, for one, have never found myself looking at any PDA I've owned and wishing for a "larger screen." I have only (and often) wished for a "higher resolution screen." In fact, I'm one of the (admittedly relatively few) people who would LOVE to see a 1900-style device about 20% smaller and thinner with a 3.25-inch VGA screen instead of the 3.5-inch QVGA screen I already have.

I can't say that I have ever really pocketed any of my handhelds, mainly because either my pockets are too tight, or I just don't want to have 5 oz. of mass bouncing around my pockets, banging into loose change, pens, keys or whatever else I am carrying in my pockets. I don't wear a suit jacket, and am often in a pocketless polo and jeans, so the options for carrying a handheld are pretty small. I started with handhelds a long time ago and have gone from a Newton all the way down to a Tungsten T3, and then back up to my current 2215, and the truth is that I didn't carry the Newton any less than my T3, but valued the functionality of it more than the extra mass (even now, I think that the Newton was generally more functional than many of today's handhelds in day-to-day tasks.) Also, having to carry around a keyboard and cables and other assorted things all the time, I am used to have a "man-bag" that I just throw all of my techy stuff into.

I am looking forward to having a VGA screen so that I can read pdf's on my handheld. I have tried using nyidot on the 2215, and although the resolution was okay, for reading any more than a page of information, the fonts were simply too small for any type of serious reading. Also, trying to work on spreadsheets at that size is nearly impossible.

I guess that perhaps I expect to utilize my handheld for a lot more real-life computing situations than most people. I have desktops and a portable, but I can't carry them everywhere, and although I have an office and a desk, I usually only get to spend a couple of hours a day at my desk. Since I spend a lot of the day moving around, having a handheld that can replicate 90% of what I do on a desktop is pretty important.

As far as the brick aspect of the 4700, considering I expect to use the handheld horizontally almost as much as vertically, I appreciate the symmetry of the package. The Newton was a similar form factor, and I think that from a function and design standpoint, it is just as good as any of the more "curved" designs ... and that comes from a Mac user who is used to good industrial design.

I am looking forward to getting my 4700 and hope to be in the first shipment. I got in on the eCost, early low, low price, so I feel fortunate to be one of the first early adopters. Hopefully, I will be able to report back that the functionality of the device far outweighs the disadvantages, although paying about $100 less, the cost factor will be less for me.

[sebbes]

Good evening all,

If you want to learn more about it, there's a nice Flash movie focused on the HX4700 touchpad :

http://www.synaptics.com/flash/navpoint_demo.swf :lol:

Now needs to have it in our hands

[Mitch D]

If any of my fellow western canadians are interested I check with my buyers before I left for holidays last week and it looks like we (As a country, not just my company) should see the first of the 4700's around mid september. That could change if the US based companies like Staples bring it up from down south sooner.

I am interested! Thanks Mitch.

Staples didn't get the 2200 series for ages after Futureshop (BestBuy) and your joint had it.

They usually have a little rebate or incentive 3-4 months after release.
The price I got on my 2200 a year ago is still what it sells for now.

As far as the size goes - I welcome the extra screen size as I find the 2200's a litle too small - I must be getting too old :|

I'll let you know when I finally see some Deemo, at least my late night ramblings where useful info for some... :wink: