Would you buy the hx4705 for $470?

[Stake]

I have the opportunity to purchase a brand new 4705 for $470. Now with the impending release of the Dell x50, would it be worth it? I'm torn between the two...

For those who have a 4705, what would you guys do?

[ADBrown]

I have the opportunity to purchase a brand new 4705 for $470. Now with the impending release of the Dell x50, would it be worth it? I'm torn between the two...

For those who have a 4705, what would you guys do?

I wouldn't go for it. I've got a 4700 lying here as I write this, and while it's kind of nice, I think that if you spent $500 on the iPaq you'd probably regret it within a week.

[jpjehu]

the ipaq is slightly better than the x50, besides the price, which $470 would eliminate.

[ADBrown]

the ipaq is slightly better than the x50, besides the price, which $470 would eliminate.

How do you figure? The X50 is smaller, has a real directional pad, a better graphics chip, and a nicer design. The only thing the iPaq really has is battery size.

[FortimirCE]

the ipaq is slightly better than the x50, besides the price, which $470 would eliminate.

How do you figure? The X50 is smaller, has a real directional pad, a better graphics chip, and a nicer design. The only thing the iPaq really has is battery size.

I love the "smaller" argument against the hx470x... when it is one of the thinnest PPCs ever, and it does have a 4" screen. It is very comfortable in my hand, and because of the flip-cover, it even fits in my jeans pocket.

Directional pad is a personal preference, but the touchpad has REALLY grown on me. Although the hx470x has the ATi chip, HP rewrote the drivers from scratch and really boosted the performance. With BetaPlayer, you can play a full quality VGA DVD-rip at 130% frame-rate (actually running at 100%, obviously, but it has processing power to spare). It's fantastic.

I personally prefer the design of the hx470x to almost every PocketPC. The magnesium-alloy casing is a godsend.

[ADBrown]

To each their own. Personally, I can't stand the touchpad. I find it to be inaccurate and lacking in tactile response. Besides, putting a touchpad a quarter inch below a touchscreen seems redundant.

By the way, the 4700 is not 'one of the thinnest PPCs ever'. I can think of at least a half dozen other models that are thinner, including some from HP.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Who's offering it to you at that price??

[ignar]

I have 4700 and I "hate" touchpad. Cursor mode is sometimes useful especially when I don't want to bother opening the flip cover to touch the screen, but overall accuracy and reliability of the touchpad leaves a lot to be desired. On the other hand, the size of 4700 doesn't bother me too much because, with Flip cover and magnesium case, I'm carrying it naked without any extra protection.
I think $650 is too much money for 4700. I suppose it probably worths $470 UNLESS your primary usage of PDA is ebook or documents reading. Touchpad is simply horrible for ebook reading, and it's a big shame since 4700 has such a big and beautiful screen for reading.

[jimski]

The touchpad on the 4700 may not be what we were all hoping for but it's no less responsive than the D pad on my old 5450. Maybe it will get better next time, but I think it was a good try.

As noted above, I upgraded to a 4700 from a 5450 running PPC2002. I have loaded all applications, about 35, (including AF) into File Store except for the Today screen plug-ins. Compared to my 5450, this new device screams with speed. I am amazed at how quickly screens refresh.

Sure, I would have liked to have 128MB of RAM to go with the 128MB ROM, but maybe PPC Techs will help with that someday. The screen is gorgeous and the flip cover that I almost took off after 5 minutes has actually grown on me. Both WiFi and Bluetooth start up without any hassles. And I have not run the battery down below 50% in a single day yet.

Although I can afford a new device whenever I want one, I waited two years to upgrade. Why, there simply was nothing that came along that pleased me (not a big fan of 3.5" screens), until the 4700. I expect to have my little friend for a long, long time.

I think $470 is a steal! I paid $649 and would do it again tomorrow.

[Stake]

Well, another thing that's making me thing about the 4705 is a thread that was on Brighthand. Apparently, HP decided to put the touchpad in place after seeing a build/feature set of the next version of Windows Mobile. The guy said that at the current state, the touchpad is just an "appendage." He couldn't go into specifics but that's the reason why HP added a touchpad instead of a D-Pad. He sounded credible based on the other specifics he knew about during the testing process of the 4705. If this is true, then I feel like I made a mistake if I buy something else. Then again, the guy wrote that there are new iPaqs down the line the middle of next year.

I'm not in a real rush to get a PDA but I'd like to retire my Toshiba e550G sooner than later. I was never quite happy about the Tosh after dust issues and the hyper sensitive D-stick. I'd like to have builtin Wi-Fi and BT without sacrificing the expansion slots.

For the price, I can't argue. I'm contracting for HP so a coworker was willing to purchase it for me with his discount and with HP credit.

It's a tough call. Waiting is an option but when is it ever a good time to buy technology products? Thanks for your input.

[pdagal]

For $470 I'd go for the iPAQ-- great price.

Two things in favor of the iPAQ vs. X50v: 4" vs. 3.7" display (and the iPAQ's is the best display in terms of color, saturation and vividness), and the magnesium alloy case vs. plastic.

[Barry_Rau]

I like the 4700, no it is not perfect (I wish it has a jog dial and i wish the IR was on the top not the bottom). But the Screen is Fantastic and the Case is SOLID!!, it's fast, has two slots, wifi & BT.. Decide what you want to do, if the 4700 fits that then it is a good choice for you.. if not, welll that's a personal choice.

Cheers.
BR :D