| Product: |
HP Jornada 720 |
| Date: |
31/05/01 (902 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: processing speed, keyboard, MS application support
Disadvantages: weight, cost, poor display outdoors
I have been using PDA's for many years and own a Psion 3c, Palm V and Jornada 720. The Jornada is by far the most powerful PDA i've ever owned and it's suite of applications which are so closely aligned with those of Microsoft's full Windows operating system make it very easy to complete work on the move.
Whether the Jornada 720 is for you will depend on what you need a PDA for. If you are looking for a portable address book, calendar and note pad that will synch with Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes etc. I would recommend a Palm Pilot. The Jornada is quite bulky compared with the Palm and it's main let down is the colour screen outdoors, even with the contrast and brightness controls set correctly I find it very difficult to use to look up addresses/appointments etc outdoors in sunlight. The Palm screen is much higher contrast and suitable for such applications and considerably cheaper.
If you want a computer to let you finish a Word report on the train or answer emails or even better web browse on a PDA via your cellular phone, then the Jornada beats the Palm hands down. The keyboard may not be perfect but my typing has adapted to the keys over time and I can now achieve a much higher degree of speed and accuracy than I can via the graffiti writing system on the Palm. The suite of software that comes with the Jornada 720 is excellent, which is just as well as there are not many commercial or shareware add on packages for the Jornada 720 at present. Not all Windows CE applications will run as they need to be compiled for the ARM processor used in the 720 which gives it's excellent performance.
With the Jornada you get pocket versions of Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint (displays and arranges pre-prepared presentations only), Contacts, Notes, Email, Calendar, Yahoo Messenger plus several other useful utilities.
The Jornada seems quite robust, despite quite a lot of use no bits have broken off my pride and joy.
The battery life is very good. I charge mine nightly and despite being used quite heavily each day the rechargeable battery seems to go the distance....just. Expansion on the Jornada is unbelievable PC Card support, Compact Flash memory upgrades, Network and Video out via PC Card add-ons, built-in 56k modem, smart card slot and serial and USB support for connecting the Jornada to your PC. At £700 the Jornada is not cheap and you should look to justifying your investment within two years as the way PDA technology has progressed by 2003 the 720 will be yesterday's news. For not much more you could by a fully functional laptop, which the Jornada does not replace. It is ideal for business people who need a powerful portable computer which they need to use in locations that would be difficult to use a laptop. The main advantage of the PDA is it's size and the fact that it's ready to use as soon as you turn it on and as there are no moving parts, the battery life is excellent. Also consider the Compaq Ipaq or HP Pocket PC's, which are a sort of Palm / Jornada 720 Hybrid....and a bit cheaper too.
PDAs are very personal items as the names suggest. As some people like large filofaxes and others like diddy ones you need to decide what you want from a PDA and make your decision accordingly. Good luck.
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