If you recall, I had said when I did my impression of the 1700 series that I thought the iPAQ as we knew it was about to change. Of course when I saw the 3700 series, I knew I was right. I had thought that I had seen everything and frankly I did not think that the 4700 series could be that much better. Well it is! First Impressions (part 3) will give you my view on what I saw as I opened the box and my first few weeks of using my new hx4700.
First I have to apologize for not getting this impression out to you sooner. I have had my device for three weeks and usually it is easy to get an impression quickly. But after several days of using this device, it became apparent that this was just not an ordinary iPAQ. Writing something quickly would do it and you an injustice. It was then that I decided that to take my time, investigate each feature and then give my impressions after I had time to consume the power and features of this device.
Frankly, I’m glad I took my time because this unit is rich with features that other units just don’t have. In my opinion, HP has a “slam dunk”, a “hole in one”, a “grand slam” or any other phrase that you can say that adequately describes reaching the “top”. With this device, for the first time, anyone can virtually do without his or her PC. Sure, folks have been using their iPAQ for some time now as their primary device, but never have they had the abilities that this unit has.
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So what did I see when I took my device from the box? I had heard about the keypad, and I even saw a few pictures before I got to see it in person. But when I saw it for real, I was impressed…really IMPRESSED!! Removing it from its protective covering, I saw it had that rich dark speckled dark gray color that the 3700 had. Its size was noticeably different than the 3700 series; it was a little bit wider and clearly longer. There was more black plastic at the top showing the HP logo in the center, the LED lights for WiFi, Bluetooth and power on the left and nine angled holes (3 X 3) on the right for the speaker.
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Covering the screen (which was HUGE) was a smoked plastic side-flip cover that would protect the screen when not in use. What was particularly neat was that it seemed to “grip” the iPAQ when closed but there were no apparent locking mechanisms. Then I saw how it “locked”…a tiny magnet. Very novel, a great idea…it should be on all iPAQs! The flip cover can easily be folded around to the back of the device while holding the iPAQ in your hand. It was a bit uncomfortable to hold it at first but I have gotten used to it and actually find it not a problem at all now. For those times that one might not want the cover attached, it can easily be removed by sliding it up then removing it from the bottom. Replacing it is just as easy.
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