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08/08/2004 |
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HP Jornada 720 Handheld Computer Don Bradbury looks at Hewlett Packard’s Pocket PC 2000 offering
PDAs may be all the rage, but if you insist on portability plus an integral keyboard, then you have this neat little handheld to consider, LG having dropped out, and the NEC equivalent unit shortly being discontinued. Among current handheld PC operating systems, Microsoft’s PocketPC will be the most familiar to use among Windows aficionados, having much the same look and feel as the desktop variety. Machines using it typically have bright screens with acceptable colours, and integrated multimedia applications.
Weighing just 510 grams, powered by a StrongARM SA1110 cpu, and with 32MB of ROM and 32 MB of RAM (adjustable, as usual, for storage or program memory), and featuring a docking cradle through which data synchronization and battery charging may take place, the 720 is adequately prepared for truly personal computing. You can also charge the battery without using the docking cradle, but as it’s useful to top up the self-limiting battery charge while making data transfers, the cradle comes in handy. Applications Cut-downs of the world’s favourite word processor (Word), spreadsheet (Excel), database (Access), and presentation package (PowerPoint) in their ‘Pocket’ 3.01 versions feature much the same types of functionality as the full-blown apps, with, in the main, just the frills taken away. The Jornada 720 has all these, plus the usual run of PDA type software; contacts database, calendar, task list, Media Player, and so on, with additions for on-line connectivity such as Internet Explorer. InkWriter is a text and graphics editor by means of which you can write and draw on the screen to produce editable files, ActiveSynch is for synchronizing your data files with a desktop PC, and of course there’s the ubiquitous Solitaire with which to spend your evenings or long haul flights. PC link, financial calculator, backup software,
viewers, dialup goodies, voice recorder with external volume
adjusters, remote networking, and of course Windows Explorer, may be
supplemented with other software loaded via your PC. A useful range
is provided at: Hardware All this adds up to a useful package, specially when combined with hardware that does it justice. In the 720 you have a CompactFlash Type I slot, a PC Card Type II slot, a Smart Card reader slot, an earphones jack and microphone, IR transceiver, serial port (for data transfer, dedicated printer, or other device), a 56Kbps modem, as well as a long-lived Lithium Ion battery and full backup power. There’s even a USB port for connecting to your PC, though no cable was provided in our pack. A soft reset button and various status LEDs complete the deal. Stylus operated in the usual way, the touch screen is sensitive, and the system responds quickly (much faster than my old LG Phenom Express, for example). You can also access hard coded hot keys via the touch screen for certain of the functions. Others are on dedicated keys - voice recorder, Inbox, and the major apps. The screen and keyboard are very good, though the latter, being smaller than standard, takes a little getting used to. I let my touch-typist wife loose on the 720 and found she made the expected number of double key hits to begin with. Practice makes perfect, as they say. In conclusion Setting up the HP Jornada 720 from fresh is easy and quick, battery charging is reasonably rapid, battery life is quite good (for a handheld with power-gobbling display), and access to all devices is acceptable. All-in-all, I liked the 720. When you get accustomed to the diddy keyboard, this machine is productive, and quite a reasonable buy when you consider the expansion and connectivity potential. |
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