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View Full Version : HP Rumor of the Day: iPaq hx4700 To Be Discontinued?


Ekkie Tepsupornchai
10-03-2005, 10:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/sm/WF10a/21675-21679-21679-21679-297609-8115561.html' target='_blank'>http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/e...09-8115561.html</a><br /><br /></div>Actually, for the UK, this is not a rumor but fact. Someone over at Brighthand noted that the iPaq hx4700 is no longer for sale through HP's online site for the UK (see attached photo).<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ekkie_hp_discontinued.jpg" /> <br /><br />The US however, still show the product for sale (as seen <a href="http://h30094.www3.hp.com/product.asp?sku=2549736&jumpid=re_R2515_store/smProdCat/Handheld%20PCs/HP%20iPAQ%20hx4700%20Pocket%20PC%20series">here</a>). Perhaps this is only region-specific or perhaps it's just a matter of selling out remaining inventory before the hx4700 is officially discontinued here in the US as well?

ricksfiona
10-03-2005, 10:10 PM
I would not be surprised. It's just not sexy! The Dell X50V is so superior, cheaper and a better looking device.

Clinton Fitch
10-03-2005, 10:22 PM
Very interesting turn of events...

I remember a debate here in the PPCT forums related to the delay of the WM5 upgrade on the 4700 series and a question of it this delay would signal a non-upgrade or a discontinuation.

This would really be a slap to the face of HP owners in my mind. There were more than one 4700 sold with the implied promise of an upgrade. If they do discontinue it here in the US I can't see how HP is going to be able to save face in light of all of the HTC devices flooding the market and Dell's upgraded device (x51) and the upgrade shipping for the x50.

huangzhinong
10-03-2005, 10:47 PM
My advice to HP is Discontinuing 4700 as soon as possible and putting a VGA screen in H4150 and releasing it before Christmas.

spinerep
10-03-2005, 11:10 PM
This is CR*&amp;!. I spent almost $700 on a device that is discontiued a year latter. Even when the specs on that devies are still very competive. If HP does not offer WM5 for the 4700 I will not buy another thing from them. I have owned almost every Ipaq and Aero before that.

IpaqMan2
10-03-2005, 11:31 PM
This is pretty sad...
I personally find the 4700 very sleek and sexy and like it much better than Dell's product line. And even though this isn't the trend with most people here, I welcomed the larger screen on this iPaq and wish more OEMs would do the same. Even the touch pad I found more functional in the way I use PDAs than the D-pad. Tis a sad moment.. I suspect HP will announce that the 4700 willnot be able to be upgraded.. If this is the case..I will neverbe able to trust HP with any more of my business again.. From PDAs, to Printers, to cameras, to laptops.

Ekkie Tepsupornchai
10-04-2005, 12:15 AM
This is pretty sad...
I personally find the 4700 very sleek and sexy and like it much better than Dell's product line. And even though this isn't the trend with most people here, I welcomed the larger screen on this iPaq and wish more OEMs would do the same. Even the touch pad I found more functional in the way I use PDAs than the D-pad.
I'm actually a very happy 4700 owner myself. I absolutely love the screen and I love that I can slip this into my pocket quite easily due to the slim form factor. My only complaint comes with the memory leaks of this device.

hewlpac
10-04-2005, 12:37 AM
It seems HP may have gotten the message - Very few people want a brick as a PDA or phone.... Size matters in more than one area!

griph
10-04-2005, 12:43 AM
It seems HP may have gotten the message - Very few people want a brick as a PDA or phone.... Size matters in more than one area!
I agree - and I have always felt that the lack of a proper D pad and the fitting of a track pad was a baaaddd mistake! I'm not at all surprised that this ugly brick of a beast is on the ropes! HP - you are loosing your way with mediocre devices - get a grip!

alex_kac
10-04-2005, 01:08 AM
Why all the doom and gloom? I certainly do not know what they are doing, but discontinuing is not a big deal. My guess is they are releasing the 4755 which is the same thing, but more FlashROM and WM5. As such they discontinue the 4700.

Considering how much effort they are putting into a WM5 upgrade, I think thats a good possibility.

DaleReeck
10-04-2005, 01:18 AM
It seems HP may have gotten the message - Very few people want a brick as a PDA or phone.... Size matters in more than one area!

It's not a brick. It is one of the thinnest PPC's around.

IpaqMan2
10-04-2005, 01:20 AM
I don't know.... though I like smaller devices, I find that they come at the expense of something... which usually is the screen. The 3.7 inches which is uaully the size on most PDAs I find them to be just barely enjoyable, whether watching videos or reading from them. Of course most everyone here will disagree, but I think it's kinda ridcules to have a VGA screen with 16 million collars on something 3.5 inches in size and still use fonts that make screen look like a 320 by 240 which is where I think PPCs are heading as these devices become even smaller still.

DaleReeck
10-04-2005, 01:47 AM
This is CR*&amp;!. I spent almost $700 on a device that is discontiued a year latter. Even when the specs on that devies are still very competive. If HP does not offer WM5 for the 4700 I will not buy another thing from them. I have owned almost every Ipaq and Aero before that.

Unfortunately, most PPC's are discontinued within a year of release. In fact, one full year without a followup is rare nowadays.

Patrick Y.
10-04-2005, 02:17 AM
It seems HP may have gotten the message - Very few people want a brick as a PDA or phone.... Size matters in more than one area!

It's not a brick. It is one of the thinnest PPC's around.

One of the thinnest? :roll: No offense, but hx4700 is the largest Pocket PC I've ever seem. Besides, it does look squarely and, well, ugly.

Stephen Beesley
10-04-2005, 03:05 AM
It seems HP may have gotten the message - Very few people want a brick as a PDA or phone.... Size matters in more than one area!

It's not a brick. It is one of the thinnest PPC's around.

One of the thinnest? :roll: No offense, but hx4700 is the largest Pocket PC I've ever seem. Besides, it does look squarely and, well, ugly.

Yes the "face" area of the 4700 is large compared to other PPCs but the device is indeed one of the "thinnest" - which, in my experience, is one of the factors that makes a device more pocketable.

The upside of the large face area is the large screen which some people prefer. I know that I prefer a large screen because I use my PPC a lot for writing and web browsing.

For me it was always the price and the track pad that put me off the 4700. If HP were to release the same device with WM5 and a proper dpad I would be very tempted.

Phillip Dyson
10-04-2005, 03:11 AM
Discontinuing the 4700 is no different than Dell discontinuing the x50. What I think would be reprehensible is if they later announced that the forementioned WM5.0 upgrade is cancelled.

Stephen Beesley
10-04-2005, 03:56 AM
Discontinuing the 4700 is no different than Dell discontinuing the x50. What I think would be reprehensible is if they later announced that the forementioned WM5.0 upgrade is cancelled.

Well I have to say that ever since HP "didn't" release an upgrade to PPC 2003 for the Jornada 568 line I have taken any talk up upgrades as just that - talk.

Believe it when you have the upgrade CD in you hand (or even better have the upgrade installed and running)!

seaflipper
10-04-2005, 04:10 AM
Why all the doom and gloom? I certainly do not know what they are doing, but discontinuing is not a big deal. My guess is they are releasing the 4755 which is the same thing, but more FlashROM and WM5. As such they discontinue the 4700.

Considering how much effort they are putting into a WM5 upgrade, I think thats a good possibility.

Good point, Alex. People need to remember that the hx4700 is their corporate flagship line. I recognize that the hx2000 series is targeted to the corp market, but the hx4700 was and is the flagship. I see this as a sign of a new device coming soon. After all, they haven't announced any plans on a sucessor to the hx4700 line, this makes total sense.

Darius Wey
10-04-2005, 04:27 AM
Why all the doom and gloom? I certainly do not know what they are doing, but discontinuing is not a big deal. My guess is they are releasing the 4755 which is the same thing, but more FlashROM and WM5. As such they discontinue the 4700.

I think you'd be right. I've got sources who indicate the same thing - a bit like what happened with the hx2000 series.

huangzhinong
10-04-2005, 05:20 AM
Why all the doom and gloom? I certainly do not know what they are doing, but discontinuing is not a big deal. My guess is they are releasing the 4755 which is the same thing, but more FlashROM and WM5. As such they discontinue the 4700.

I think you'd be right. I've got sources who indicate the same thing - a bit like what happened with the hx2000 series.

If it is the case, the 4755 will not be released this year. I checked all HP 2005 models, rx1950, hx2190,2490,2790,hw6500 and hx4700 are all listed. There is no hx4700 upgrade model on the list.

Jonathan1
10-04-2005, 06:04 AM
I would not be surprised. It's just not sexy! The Dell X50V is so superior, cheaper and a better looking device.

:takethat:

Yah lets see plastic black and silver vs. gun metal grey and black. Not sure where you are getting your aesthetics from but in my book the latter looks not only better but more professional and IMHO the HP logo is a little more subdued vs. Dell’s equivalent of wearing a big gold badge around its neck announcing to the world that its DELL!
Add the superior battery life on the standard battery (We won’t even get into the extended battery) that lets me read an e-book on its gorgeous 4" screen for hours on end and you have a winner. Does it have graphics acceleration? Barely. But frankly I use my device for business purposes. Don’t know when game playing has taken a front seat at work. I should check into that though. There might be recess time that I’m missing out on.

Yah the 4700 really does suck. :roll: The only real PROBLEM with the 4700 is HP's obvious incompetence with getting WM5 out for it. Be it third party drivers or internal development they dropped the ball and kicked it around for a while before decided to pick it up again. Now it’s a matter of it they dropped the ball again into a garbage compacter or if they are going to punt. They have to have had beta software of WM5 since probably 1st quarter 2005. It’s pretty obvious at this point that with the resources of a company like HP there appears to be some serious crap being pulled here either through corp politics or down right mismanagement. But I’m not bitter at all. Naaa.

Its a moot point anyways. I'm not going Dell because of the power consumption and I'm not going HP because they are screwing their customers. The pretty much leaves me with imports or a WM phone. Joy.
:?

seaflipper
10-04-2005, 06:57 AM
I would not be surprised. It's just not sexy! The Dell X50V is so superior, cheaper and a better looking device.
They have to have had beta software of WM5 since probably 1st quarter 2005. It’s pretty obvious at this point that with the resources of a company like HP there appears to be some serious crap being pulled here either through corp politics or down right mismanagement. But I’m not bitter at all. Naaa.

And the most ironic thing of all? I remember when the specs were first released for the hx4700, the official specs when HP finally announced it in July 2004, everyone was like "why does it have only 64MB of SDRAM and so much ROM". It was quite a big puzzle until someone said that it was actually setup that way for WM5 which was rumored at that point to have a different memory management system.

Now that's ironic, a device that HP apparently developed from the get go to some extent FOR WM5 yet they can't get the upgrade on it?

Not only did HP have to have the early betas for WM5 early this year, but I am sure they were testing it on the hx4700 even BEFORE that with MS.

So what is the supposed "3rd party driver" that is keeping WM5 from getting on the hx4700?

Duncan
10-04-2005, 09:23 AM
They have to have had beta software of WM5 since probably 1st quarter 2005. It’s pretty obvious at this point that with the resources of a company like HP there appears to be some serious crap being pulled here either through corp politics or down right mismanagement. But I’m not bitter at all. Naaa.

And the most ironic thing of all? I remember when the specs were first released for the hx4700, the official specs when HP finally announced it in July 2004, everyone was like "why does it have only 64MB of SDRAM and so much ROM". It was quite a big puzzle until someone said that it was actually setup that way for WM5 which was rumored at that point to have a different memory management system.

Now that's ironic, a device that HP apparently developed from the get go to some extent FOR WM5 yet they can't get the upgrade on it?

Let's face it - it was never a great idea. I suspect that HP expected WM5.0 much earlier and so gambled on producing a WM5.0 ready device. In practice hx4700 users will have had c. a year and a half of using a device designed for a future OS and not the one it uses now.

Duncan
10-04-2005, 09:28 AM
Why all the doom and gloom? I certainly do not know what they are doing, but discontinuing is not a big deal. My guess is they are releasing the 4755 which is the same thing, but more FlashROM and WM5. As such they discontinue the 4700.

Considering how much effort they are putting into a WM5 upgrade, I think thats a good possibility.

I'm going to asusme that's a very 'educated' guess...! :lol:

Jonathon Watkins
10-04-2005, 10:03 AM
Why all the doom and gloom? I certainly do not know what they are doing, but discontinuing is not a big deal. My guess is they are releasing the 4755 which is the same thing, but more FlashROM and WM5. As such they discontinue the 4700.

I think you'd be right. I've got sources who indicate the same thing - a bit like what happened with the hx2000 series.

I would certainly like to think so. I bought a Dell X50v instead of the the 4700 partially because I believed that HP would NOT offer a WM5 upgrade. I would like to be proved wrong for the sake of the current 4700 owners.

Hopefully HPs upgrade will be similar to the Dell X50v to X51v transition, i.e. the older device get the upgrade and the newer device are a point release to fully take advantage of the new OS. We'll see......

Menneisyys
10-04-2005, 10:44 AM
Why all the doom and gloom? I certainly do not know what they are doing, but discontinuing is not a big deal. My guess is they are releasing the 4755 which is the same thing, but more FlashROM and WM5. As such they discontinue the 4700.


I hope they do something more than Dell with the x51v (meaning: more ROM and WM5). For example, jog dial, a MUCH better, preferably a double (VoIP-ready) speaker (like the one in the Pocket Loox 720), USB host, camera, CIR, prolly even GPS, an updated processor, and (unlike the x51v) a Broadcomm/Widcom BT stack.

The screen quality and size &amp; the size/weight of the hx4700 is just great. I just wish it had more features while keeping the same screen. Then, I'd buy it in a second.

Duncan
10-04-2005, 10:53 AM
The screen quality and size &amp; the size/weight of the hx4700 is just great. I just wish it had more features while keeping the same screen. Then, I'd buy it in a second.

Put VGA and USB host into an iPAQ 2790 and it would be one of the hottest Pocket PCs around.

***excessive quoting deleted by moderator JD***

Menneisyys
10-04-2005, 10:58 AM
Put VGA and USB host into an iPAQ 2790 and it would be one of the hottest Pocket PCs around.

Yup... I hope HP does come up with a decent, feature-wise up-to-date VGA PPC. Now, there just isn't a device that would represent the level of the technology of late 2005. The x51v is so 2004-like - with current technology, much more could have been built into it (even GPS, I think)...

This is why I'm eagerly waiting for the F-S 8xx series - if it is as up-to-date (all the goodies of the PL720 + GPS? + GSM/EDGE/GPRS/3G?) as was the Pocket Loox 720 when it was released, it'll be a real killer.

***excessive quoting deleted by moderator JD***

Take1
10-04-2005, 12:35 PM
It seems the US WM device makers Are going cheap this year and rehashing old designs like Palm is doing with the T| X (T5 w/wi fi).

I would LOVE to see a 4150 VGA model, but considering HP's recent behaviour, that's simply a pipe dream.

FS seems the only manufacturer innovating this Fall. I may wind up with a FS as my next PDA.

Transfxb
10-04-2005, 01:23 PM
Yeah!
Was a FSC user first (Loox 600), did an error by going to hx4700 (not the device itself, but HP's behavior).
Will go back then to FSC. Their innovative power is really attractive.

TransFXB

Duncan
10-04-2005, 01:25 PM
Update:

The iPAQ hx4700 has NOT been discontinued in the UK. The announcement in the HP store was a mistake and will be corrected today.

The anticipated (but not guaranteed) EOL date for the hx4700 is April 2006.

Transfxb
10-04-2005, 01:33 PM
HP France announces it as discontinued also, as well as h6340, rx3715, h2210 and rz1710.
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/fr/fr/sm/WF09a/22239-22245-22245.html
Switzerland either:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ch/fr/sm/WF09a/22237-22243-22243.html
Sweden either:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/se/sv/sm/WF09a/23355-23357-23357.html
For those who can read French or Swedish ;)

Perhaps the same mistake reported by Duncan on HP UK site ;)

But the Italian one doesn't report it is discontinued:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/it/it/sm/WF09a/22655-22657-22657.html
Neither the Spanish one:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/es/es/sm/WF09a/21955-21957-21957.html
Neither the Canadian (French) one:
http://www.hp.ca/products/static/ipaq/index-fr.php

What a mess!


TransFXB

Duncan
10-04-2005, 01:41 PM
HP France announces it as discontinued also, as well as h6340, rx3715, h2210 and rz1710.

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/fr/fr/sm/WF09a/22239-22245-22245.html

For those who can read French.

Perhaps the same mistake reported by Duncan on HP UK site ;)

TransFXB

Apparently info was sent out by HP head office indicating various end of line products and either the 'April 2006' was missing or the hx4700 was placed with the wrong group. Thus HP stores mistakenly reporting it as discontinued now.

This info comes via the UK HP mobile product manager so I would assume he is correct.

Transfxb
10-04-2005, 01:45 PM
Apparently info was sent out by HP head office indicating various end of line products and either the 'April 2006' was missing or the hx4700 was placed with the wrong group. Thus HP stores mistakenly reporting it as discontinued now.

Duncan, I updated my post with some others HP websites I can read the language.
But that's pretty stange all these rumors (Alex_kac), errors (HP HQ),...

As we say in France : "if you can smell smoke, you'll see the fire" ;)

TransFXB

***excessive quoting deleted by moderator JD***

PDANEWBIE
10-04-2005, 01:53 PM
Actually I have to thank HP. With all of their "not creating a line that I MUST have", I have not felt the urge to upgrade my 2215. I myself do refuse to go Dell. I have seen to many Dell paperweights in the PC arena and heard too many stories of people with 3 returns of their PPC to the manufacturers for me to feel this is a good step for me.

Once I have found a PPC with Wifi, Bluetooth, VGA screen, dual card slots (cf and SD), USB 2.0 (and host), directional pad (not touch pad), good battery life, and plenty of internal memory. Or the day my HP2215 breaks or becomes insanely obsolete. Only then will be the days I think about replacement.

The closest I have seen so far is one of the hx2700 (which I have to admit I LOVE the memory specs on) that has everything except the VGA screen and the USB 2.0. Comeon make me proud on your next releases HP.

TheZodiac
10-04-2005, 02:08 PM
I dont know.. I always thought this was a silly device. IT just didnt fit into the iPaq scheme of things.. just my opinion.

Jonathan1
10-04-2005, 02:10 PM
Update:

The iPAQ hx4700 has NOT been discontinued in the UK. The announcement in the HP store was a mistake and will be corrected today.

The anticipated (but not guaranteed) EOL date for the hx4700 is April 2006.

So WM5 ROM for the 4700 in April 2006 and 4750 in May 2006? :) ;)

Duncan
10-04-2005, 02:15 PM
Update:

The iPAQ hx4700 has NOT been discontinued in the UK. The announcement in the HP store was a mistake and will be corrected today.

The anticipated (but not guaranteed) EOL date for the hx4700 is April 2006.

So WM5 ROM for the 4700 in April 2006 and 4750 in May 2006? :) ;)

That would seem to be a reasonable assumption...! Though I'd go for March and April as more likely.

Jonathan1
10-04-2005, 02:25 PM
I dont know.. I always thought this was a silly device. IT just didnt fit into the iPaq scheme of things.. just my opinion.

you are right on that point. It does however fit into the Jorada scheme of things. I think this was someone's last ditch effort to bring back some, check that MANY of the design points of the Jornada series. That is pretty much why I love this device. Its not an iPaq...its a jPaq. :)

gmontielh
10-04-2005, 02:31 PM
Why all the doom and gloom? I certainly do not know what they are doing, but discontinuing is not a big deal. My guess is they are releasing the 4755 which is the same thing, but more FlashROM and WM5. As such they discontinue the 4700.

Considering how much effort they are putting into a WM5 upgrade, I think thats a good possibility.

I hope this is the case... I replaced my 3835 and had the 4705 for a year and I have been extremely satisfied. I am looking for the WM5 upgrade but is there will be none rest assure that HP will not get my business ever and will discourage anyone to use their products :evil:

inteller
10-04-2005, 03:25 PM
This would really be a slap to the face of HP owners in my mind.

well, any long time HP user's face is already raw from the amount of slapping, so I dont think this will matter much.

alex_kac
10-04-2005, 06:37 PM
I'm going to asusme that's a very 'educated' guess...! :lol:

Seriously - not at all :) I have no ins on that info. I'm just going by what they did with the 5450 upgrading to the 5550 with the only difference being WM2002 vs 2003.

alex_kac
10-04-2005, 06:41 PM
And the most ironic thing of all? I remember when the specs were first released for the hx4700, the official specs when HP finally announced it in July 2004, everyone was like "why does it have only 64MB of SDRAM and so much ROM". It was quite a big puzzle until someone said that it was actually setup that way for WM5 which was rumored at that point to have a different memory management system.

Now that's ironic, a device that HP apparently developed from the get go to some extent FOR WM5 yet they can't get the upgrade on it?

Not only did HP have to have the early betas for WM5 early this year, but I am sure they were testing it on the hx4700 even BEFORE that with MS.

So what is the supposed "3rd party driver" that is keeping WM5 from getting on the hx4700?

I'm not sure why everyone is dumping on HP for not getting their WM5 upgrade out. Its a GOOD thing. Why? Because look at all the people with WM5 devices now. All of them have major issues right now. Its a VERY good thing that WM5 is not out yet on the 4700 because it means that #1 - the WM5 build will be newer (more OS bugs fixed) and the drivers will be able to be tested and burned in a lot more. Believe me - that's sorely needed.

WM5 is a great OS, but the OEM specific drivers/apps are all very immature right now. And I can vouch that it is a 3rd party driver that was keeping it from being user ready.

Menneisyys
10-04-2005, 06:44 PM
Seriously - not at all :) I have no ins on that info. I'm just going by what they did with the 5450 upgrading to the 5550 with the only difference being WM2002 vs 2003.

+64M RAM, +PXA255 (vs PXA250), -CIR.

MkH
10-04-2005, 07:43 PM
I really enjoy my "jPAQ". I'm one of those guys, though, who buys a device with the intent of it lasting me for several years. I know there are a lot of PPC users that replace their units several times a year and I wish I could be more like them too. Anyway, I spent several months reading every new product review that came out, creating a specifications spreadsheet to compare against my wish list. I'm a Jornada lover and I hated the day HP gave Compaq, their newly aquirred business, the handheld design responsibilities.

The 4700 is a great PPC...
...it re-introduced the flip cover
...it re-introduced the CF slot and gaihed an SD slot
...it has the fastest processor speed available
...it has the 4" VGA display
...it has a graphic processor
...it has a durable magnesium case
...it has a large battery
...it has BT and WiFi
...it has USB 2 sync
...it has a touch pad

The HP 4700 had a lot of things the others didn't have..Now, if they improve on an already good design like other manufactures are doing, that would make it even better! I just hope they keep it a business device and not an entertainment toy.

I didn't buy my PPC with the assumption that I would some day be able to upgrade it to the WM5 OS. I did make the 2003 upgrad and that made a huge difference in performance and reliability.

DarkHelmet
10-04-2005, 08:09 PM
This is pretty sad...
I personally find the 4700 very sleek and sexy and like it much better than Dell's product line. And even though this isn't the trend with most people here, I welcomed the larger screen on this iPaq and wish more OEMs would do the same. Even the touch pad I found more functional in the way I use PDAs than the D-pad. Tis a sad moment.. I suspect HP will announce that the 4700 willnot be able to be upgraded.. If this is the case..I will neverbe able to trust HP with any more of my business again.. From PDAs, to Printers, to cameras, to laptops.

Wake up - consumer... Send HP an email asking for their recommendation on what iPaq you should buy this week. &lt;inserted between the lines - they don't care about you>

Sorry to be the one to break it to you.

Personal confession time, I am a recovering iPaq 3955 owner.

DarkHelmet
10-04-2005, 08:15 PM
I really enjoy my "jPAQ". I'm one of those guys, though, who buys a device with the intent of it lasting me for several years. I know there are a lot of PPC users that replace their units several times a year and I wish I could be more like them too. Anyway, I spent several months reading every new product review that came out, creating a specifications spreadsheet to compare against my wish list. I'm a Jornada lover and I hated the day HP gave Compaq, their newly aquirred business, the handheld design responsibilities.

The 4700 is a great PPC...
...it re-introduced the flip cover
...it re-introduced the CF slot and gaihed an SD slot
...it has the fastest processor speed available
...it has the 4" VGA display
...it has a graphic processor
...it has a durable magnesium case
...it has a large battery
...it has BT and WiFi
...it has USB 2 sync
...it has a touch pad

The HP 4700 had a lot of things the others didn't have..Now, if they improve on an already good design like other manufactures are doing, that would make it even better! I just hope they keep it a business device and not an entertainment toy.

I didn't buy my PPC with the assumption that I would some day be able to upgrade it to the WM5 OS. I did make the 2003 upgrad and that made a huge difference in performance and reliability.

It's a sad fact that HP does not care about yesterday's customers, they're only interested in the latest customer.

I don't really buy the premise that there are many PPC users who upgrade several times a year - I don't know any. The only folks who can get away with upgrading PPCs every other month or so are people who are having foolish other folks pay for their PPCs.

It's just an opinion...

KTamas
10-04-2005, 09:07 PM
I'm not sure why everyone is dumping on HP for not getting their WM5 upgrade out. Its a GOOD thing. Why? Because look at all the people with WM5 devices now. All of them have major issues right now. Its a VERY good thing that WM5 is not out yet on the 4700 because it means that #1 - the WM5 build will be newer (more OS bugs fixed) and the drivers will be able to be tested and burned in a lot more. Believe me - that's sorely needed.

WM5 is a great OS, but the OEM specific drivers/apps are all very immature right now. And I can vouch that it is a 3rd party driver that was keeping it from being user ready.
I have to agree. While it is a disappointment to HP users not to have WM5 upgrade, WM5 definatelly needs improvement. Honestly, when I've started using WM5 on my Blueangel, i thought it is slow (well, the word "sluggish" describes that more) and buggy cause it is a leaked, beta/rc one. But watching reviews and ppl with the "final" WM5 devices, i have to say, this OS does need some improvements, especially on the side of speed. Yeah sure, we have persistant storage, but now everything is slower due it is using the slow ROM for storing data instead of the fast RAM. Not to mention the internal bugs/flaws in the OS, which is why serveral apps are really, really slow (For example PI6, which is pretty much un-usable for me under WM5, and i know if is not Alex Kac's failure, but WM5's...). Honestly persistent storage did saved my device once, but still; is it really worth it? Let's hope new devices will come a better WM5....


(nevertheless, it is still great OS with many good improvements, but...see the "but" part in that paragraph above)

griph
10-05-2005, 12:02 AM
Nested quotes pruned by mod :wink:

Jeez!!! - can we PLEASE have some sensible editing of quotes! This is getting ridiculous! 8O

jpf
10-05-2005, 12:42 AM
I'm ready for a 4755, the wife can have the 4705. It's too good to get rid of but needs more memory (as always) and teh cokc touchpad needs to go.

Don't forget there's new blood at the helm of HP and they've always got to **** with something to make their name. The PPC market is probably the right size to win/lose without causing too much calamity.

Patrick Y.
10-05-2005, 05:08 AM
I'm ready for a 4755, the wife can have the 4705. It's too good to get rid of but needs more memory (as always) and teh cokc touchpad needs to go.

Don't forget there's new blood at the helm of HP and they've always got to **** with something to make their name. The PPC market is probably the right size to win/lose without causing too much calamity.

I guess you will have to wait for a long time for a new version of 4700. However, I don't really think there is even going to be one at all since they're delaying the upgrade for WM5. Also, you won't need too much RAM after WM5 upgrade (if it's ever released). :lol:

Believe me, Axim is the future. I really like iPAQ before they introduced hx3000 series and got rid of 4155, etc. I was really, really disappointed by the new device they introduced, including 4700 and 1900, after the glorious day of 4155.

Transfxb
10-05-2005, 08:17 AM
Believe me, Axim is the future.
LOL ! ! !
and off topic.

TransFXB

Transfxb
10-14-2005, 12:52 PM
As you can see on HP Websites, hx4700 is back on the scene and no longer discontinued.

USA: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF02d/215348-64929-215381.html

UK: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/sm/WF02a/21675-21679-21679.html

France: http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/fr/fr/sm/WF02a/22239-22245-22245.html

FX Belloir