I researched and researched PDAs for months before I finally settled on this one and I am happy I made the choice to buy this one. It is by far the best PDA to buy right now. I have had it for about 3 months and I can honestly say I use it for everything from playing music (which sounds as good as my IPOD) to keeping notes, storing files, looking at pictures, ect. I also like the fact that I can jump on the internet real fast while I'm waiting at Starbucks or the bookstore and not have to lug out a big laptop, cords, cables, ect.I have been using this so much that I think I'm quietly moving away from using my notebook computer because this is just so much more convenient.
Both bluetooth and wireless has been a breeze and I've gotten better reception with this unit than with my PC.
And the ability to buy extra storage is awesome!
But let's get to the bad. The biggest one has to be price! Let's be honest at $400 a pop this is as expensive as buying another computer and (unless your last name is Trump) this isn't an impulse buy. So you really are going to have to justify this one to yourself or your spouse or both that this is something you really need.
The other bad is this is not an IPOD, or a flash drive or a voice recorder. The good thing about my IPOD is that I can just press a button to go to the next sound. This is just like a mini computer and you have to go to the different programs to get different things done and as convenient as it is having one thing do so much nothing is automatically done with the push of a button but with the push of a few buttons you can do almost anything.
Other than that this is a perfect and great little unit. If you are in the market for a PDA buy this one. Don't get stuck with one that doesn't do everything you want it to do. Spend the extra duckets and enjoy your machine. It's expensive but worth the money.
Update November 2008,
Still working in November 2008 with a lot of tender care for that glass screen. I chose to not upgrade to Microsoft' newer operating system for reason that I am satisfied with this older version. Every so often the unit will crash for no reason,but I always get it back to work by pushing the reset button. I also have good luck with use of SD storage. This unit may be too well equipped for most casual users of a PDA. It will get internet but it takes some fiddling with settings. I would call its interface a little obscure and no printed manual of all multiple high tech functions is not a good thing-print one out I believe,and still dig deep. CD-ROM manual is very long and a little confusing. Construction is solid. Best case for it is no question the Bellagio leather one. It will allow it to sit in the cradle unlike another one. I think you will find this a nice unit if you can get it at a nice price. No phone. So who needs?Less than one year ago, I purchased a Hewlett Packard IPAQ HX 4700. Recently, the IPAQ would not turn on. I sent it to Hewlett Packard's diagnostic center, and, after two weeks, I received a call from the billing department stating that my motherboard was damaged due to misuse and I was to either pay fifty dollars to have the IPAQ shipped back to me or three hundred dollars to repair the IPAQ. The billing center was rude and the manager refused to speak with me. Ironically, the IPAQ has never left my office desk and there was no possible way I "misused" it. Upon having the IPAQ shipped back to me unfixed, the IPAQ arrived with a damaged screen. I immediately alerted HP of their "misuse". I wrote various letters to Mark Hurd, CEO, consumer complaints et cetera. I received, once again, another rude phone call from HP's consumer relations department in Texas. They stated that in order to determine the problem they had to take apart the IPAQ;thus making many serious indentations on the screen. The manager, Luis Dias, simply stated 'too bad' regarding their "misuse." He said the only resolution would be for me now to send it back into HP and I would have to replace the screen. I am absolutely furious with how I was treated at Hewlett Packard. Their customer service representatives are not only rude, but also, completely unknowledgeable about their job, as well as, their company. I am now stuck with a completely damaged seven hundred dollar machine and have lost hundreds of business contacts due to their product. I am at lost as to what to do. I can only assure Hewlett Packard that I will never buy another one of their products again.I cannot comment on the hp customer service. I have not had to deal with them at all. HOWEVER, i really love my ipaq 4700 series. I had one that was stolen a few months after purchase (it was a refurb, but everything worked perfectly) along with the computer i lost the foldable keyboard, and 5 memory cards for my camera. GRRRR. So we tried to purchase another from HP and were told they no longer make them. There were no refirbs OR regular models left. The reason given was people complained about a 'short' battery life. (of 3 hours or more!) I had to get a 'new' one used on ebay.
This product does have a very large (by PDA standards) screen. That is the #1 reason why we chose this (my dad has an identical one). It is basically a tiny laptop computer, capable of doing nearly everything a laptop can do. Therefore I do not expect the battery to last for days while running things like Word and PowerPoint!!!
I have taken this on trips to the middle east, UK, and all over the US. I have GPS software for it that has been wonderful, as well. It has been dropped more than once with no problems (though I wouldn't recommend that!!)
I can send emails (with pictures) from faraway places, write papers for classes, play solitaire, listen to music (though i tend to use an mp3 player for that so i don't waste ipaq battery time for insignificant functions), and find my way around a strange city all with one device. I can even keep in touch with my family through instant messages when halfway around the world! It is my alarm clock, sound recorder, and basically everything i could need on a trip rolled into one device. (i've even heard of people watching movies on these!)
For additions i recommend a memory card to store all your files on (if the machine goes completely flat battery, or is hard-reset, everything is lost from memory with Windows 2003) and definitely a plug in keyboard if you want to type alot. Bluetooth would work if you don't want to use it on a plane.
It's a great product and i'm sorry HP doesn't make it any more. I haven't seen any other product on the market that compares.this is probably not worth the money, now that I have used it a while. and I got it for a good deal at the time too, bought at amazon, referred by so here it is:
the good:
for a huge display, it's light and thin too.
fast processing inside, if you ever need it.
lots of connectivity options, bluetooth wifi irda, CF slot
the bad:
very pricey, but it is top of the line...
bad touchpad, need to adjust it for different uses
the screen has trouble with some color which causes glare when playing video.
the battery life may be an issue, when i use frequently, I need to charge every 2~3 days.
In the end, I feel that this is too expensive for what it does
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