iPaq 4700... Any regrets?

[IpaqMan2]

The question is simple...
Any 4700 owners have any regrets with their Pocket PC? If so what are they?

I ask because I am looking into buying a 4700. I know it's an older model, cost alot of money, HP's customer service stinks, and the PDA may never see Windows Mobile 5 at the rate HP is moving.

Still.....
I find the device very elegant. I actually really like the larger screen on the PDA, so much so that I feel it has already won me over. Personally I have been seceretly wanting a PDA with a bit larger screen than the current 3.7 inch ones. After playing with the 4700 the screen just feels more comfortable to read, almost giving the feeling of a miniture tablet PC. The 4700 also feels very comfortable to use in Landscape mode which is how I would like to use a PDA. The touch pad..though odd is very managable at least for me while in Landscape, and allows me to operate and open any program with one hand while in pointer mode, which I like.

Yes the 4700 is physically bigger, but it's tollerable for me, Yes the new Dell 51 really kicks @$$ and is cheaper...

So am I crazy for wanting and or thinking about getting the 4700 over the new Dell?

[msamuels]

I've literally just bought a 4700 this weekend, after agonizing between the 4700 or the new X51v. I decided to go with the 4700 because like you I felt the 4700 screen was superior to the X51v's (I've used an X50v and the screen is the same on the x51v), and I like the extra real estate (especially when running OzVGA!). The clincher was the battery on the x51v, whilst improved over the x50v, it wasjust too small for me, but I do have my 4700 loaded with 2 cards (and a Microdrive in a few days time).

On the downside I have noticed that sometimes the 4700 doesn't feel as fast as my old 2215, and TomTom Navigator 5 can take a really long time to load (up to
45 seconds), but that could be because I've put it on the File Store.

The only thing I don't like, (and it's an OS thing not a hardware issue) is Windows Mobile Media Player Mobile 10. I was shocked by how poor it is! I was really looking forward to using it, but it's pretty shoddy. For example it doesn't seem to autoscan cards when they're inserted, so you have to go and tell it to scan when you insert a card. Videos playback in a small screen. I much preferred Windows Mobile Media Player 9!

I had some misgivings about the touchpad before I bought the 4700, but actually I really like it, more so than the touchpads on laptops.

I do want to upgrade to Windows Mobile 5 (I have a feeling that the 4700 will run a lot better on that OS), but I'm not too bothered, otherwise I would have bitten the bullet and bought the plastic clad x51v...the 4700 just feels like a quality build... :-)

The 4700 doesn't actually feel big in day to day use, it slips in my shirt pocket (although I probably wouldn't keep it there...

All, in all I'm very satisfied with my purchase and I don't regret buying it over the x51v.

[Tye]

I have a 4705 and my girlfriend has an x50v (can speak for the x51v).

In comparing them, I love the bigger screen and better battery life. The size of the 4705 does not bother me. Speed has not been much of an issue although my old 2215 did seem faster. The big VGA screen makes up for this in my eyes (no pun intended).
The only thing I really like a lot better than the Dell is the directional buttons. I hate the touchpad. When I first got my 4705, I was indifferent. After a year, I've turned it off with a hack. If you keep the 4705 in your pockets, your body heat will snooze alarms for you and do all sorts of stupid things.

[IpaqMan2]

Are there alternatives to use instead of Windows Mobile Media Player 10 which lets you use full screen?

[juni]

If you keep the 4705 in your pockets,

You have big pockets :).

The only regret I have is that I have to wait so long for the next OS upgrade :(.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Are there alternatives to use instead of Windows Mobile Media Player 10 which lets you use full screen?

TCPMP AKA BetaPlayer:

http://tcpmp.corecodec.org/about

As a matter of fact, I can't believe you're willing to put up with any version of WMP.

[veethree]

Deciding between the x50v and the 4700 was a little easier for me because, in our markets, the 4700 is actually about $70 cheaper than the Dell (which is not easy to get in the first place).

I have no regrets about getting the iPaq, though I always say you need to look at what you're going to be using the device for. If action gaming is a priority, you may want to look more closely at the Dell. I use mine mainly for business purposes - keeping notes, reading documents, editing documents, PIM, reading, reading, reading, e-mail etc - and the larger screen and better battery are pure heaven. The touchpad I've learned to live with and now like the fact that it's more versatile than a conventional D-pad.

As far as the form factor goes, it can't compare with the 1940 I had previously but it's a lot better than the laptops my colleagues lug around. It's not really an issue for me.

[Stephen Beesley]

I have posted my views on this in a number of other threads over the months and looking back at my previous posts I see that my thinking seems to be pretty much always along the lines that I really like the look and feel of the HP, but would probably end up going for the Dell mainly because of price (in my market anyway) and the touch pad.

While I do not really use my PDA for action gaming much I do like the standard dpad approach (although I would actually prefer a mini joystick like on my Sony Ericsson phone). I have tried the touchpad briefly but just could not really get it to work for me. Combined with the lack of a scroll wheel on the side I think I would find it pretty difficult to scroll through books etc. The location of the IR port on the bottom would also concern me for those times I want to use an IR Keyboard.

The other big issue for me would be the WM5 update. I really would hate to spend that money and then have to wait almost a year for an update if it even turns up in the end.

[jgrnt1]

I've had mine for a year now and have no regrets. The screen is phenominal. I used to try and read ebooks on my 2210, but it wasn't an enjoyable experience. I love reading ebooks with the 4700.

Are there things which could be done better? Yes, but I think you can find that with anything you buy. I'm still not sure about the touchpad. I don't use it much, but I probably wouldn't like it if I played a lot of games.

I love the File Store, though many other current PPC's have significant flash storage. I have loaded everything except PHM's TrayLaunch (54MB of programs) into File Store. After a soft reset, with Wisbar Advance 2, WeatherPanel, PocketBreeze and TrayLaunch running, I still have 42MB of RAM free. I could free up some more by moving dll's as Menneisyys has explained in his posts, but I haven't found the need.

With the ROM update, I can run iGuidance with a bluetooth GPS receiver and, at the same time, stream mp3's to it via WiFi and play them with MortPlayer. I do this in my car when I travel. I use an ASUS Wl-HDD with a 40GB hard drive in it to stream the mp3's. I hadn't tried this before the ROM update, but I understand wireless management is a lot better with the 1.10 ROM.