Manufacturer: Hewlett Packard Model#: 181.6A Weight: 1.10lbs Height: 1.34"     Width: 3.74" Length: 7.44" Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars	Retail Price: $899.99 Online Sale Price:
Features: Get fast performance with 206 MHz processor, 32 MB SDRAM, and 2-D graphics acceleration Features 640 x 240 screen and 3/4-size keyboard Powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery Includes pocket versions of familiar Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint as well as Internet Explorer for Handheld PC What's in the box: Jornada 720, Stylus, AC adapter, Rechargeable lithium-ion battery, USB Docking cradle, Sync cable, User Manual

User Submitted Hewlett Packard Jornada 720 Handheld PC Reviews (cont...)

The 720 does support JScript, an indispensable browser add-in, and 128-bit encryption, SSL, and more. All updated from the version of IE shipped with the previous OS release.

Battery life is indeed better, even with a big CPU speed increase.

It's funny that I am reading where users of Pocket PC's are buying keyboards as accessories, which is of course, an integral part of the 720.

Also, don't forget that the 720 displays web pages in their "native" format; i.e., Landscape.

I use my handheld on my lap, on a restaurant table, and other platforms. In all cases, I simply set it down, tilt the screen to the optimum angle for where I am, and I'm in business. A pocket PC just lays there, flat as a pancake. It's in its element only when being held in the palm of a hand, which I admit a Pocket PC is better suited for, than the 720. But I never need to use my 720 in that fashion.

If you absolutely need to use your handheld while standing up, holding it in the palm of your hand, then you do need a Pocket PC; otherwise, think seriously about the 720.

Date: 2001-07-19
My 2 cents
I read the customer comments here before I bought my Jornada 720 and found them useful. So I'll return the favor by writing my own feedback for those still shopping around.

Some of you are probably asking the same questions...Palm or Windows? Keyboard or handwriting recognition? Built-in keyboard or stowaway? E-mail or no e-mail? Compaq Ipaq or HP Jornada 720?

I cannot answer all the questions for you, but as a non-techie person, here's how I made my decision. Let's start with the easiest question: Keyboard or handwriting?

I think most people are faster typists than they are writing long hand. This is why we went from drawing on cave walls, to writing on paper, to typing with a manual typewriter, to typing with computers, and to voice recognition. Do you see a pattern here? It's called evolution. I see handwriting recognition as going backwards. People assume that handwriting recognition works as smoothly as touted. It doesn't and it is terribly frustrating. Sooner or later, you'll need a keyboard, which is why most people with palm or pocket PCs still buy keyboards. Think about it. If you need to write more than one paragraph, say a 3-page article, letter, or report, would you rather handwrite or type? Ask the many writers who use the J720 if they'd rather handwrite their stories and they'll think you've gone nuts.

Okay, so you're one of those people who like handwriting too much to give up on it. Enter the J720's Inkwriter. It's like a pad of paper that you can scribble anything on and then save it. Even longhand. Draw things on it (your house plan?), or play tic-tac-toe on it, or scribble the hastily dictated phone number of the cute guy you just met. Or pretend to make handwritten notes to keep awake during boring office meetings.

Next question. Built-in or stowaway keyboard? If you follow the reasoning for wanting keyboard over handwriting, you'll realize the only way to avoid the frustration of handwriting is to have a keyboard 24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. And if you need it that much, then it makes sense for it to be built-in. Of course, you could buy a Compaq Ipaq and carry the keyboard separately. But why punish yourself?

Palm or Windows? Personally, I hate learning new ways of doing things unless they improve on how I already do it. I'm familiar with the Windows platform. I use it in the office, I use it at home, and I use it on my PDA. I'm going for consistency. This OS rivalry reminds me of the Mac vs. PC and the Betamax vs.VCR (I'm dating myself). If you travel abroad frequently, you will soon discover that the rest of the world has learned to go with a safe bet. They will not waste limited dollars on something that might be obsolete in a matter of years. You can call it cattle mentality, but they see it as safety in numbers (i.e., the millions of Windows users worldwide).

Why not a laptop? Well, I already have a lightweight laptop at home which I plan to keep. But there is no laptop in the market today that is lighter than a PDA. I can go anywhere with my J720 and do practically everything that I need my laptop for. The J720's instant on/off feature alone is enough to convince me to leave the laptop at home. Cheaper than a laptop, better battery life, no need to boot up, blazingly fast, extremely lightweight and portable, and easy to pack (not a space hog). I've had the J720 for almost two months and has brought it on trips already (bravely left the laptop at home). The only thing I missed was the backache I would have gotten from lugging the laptop. Actually, make that two. I missed the paranoid feeling that someone might steal my laptop when it's out of my sight because I can't stash it in a pocket, purse, or hotel safe. In sum, I don't need a second laptop and the one I have will stay home from now on.

Pricewise, there's not much difference between a Compaq Ipaq and J720 after you factor in the added costs (for Ipaq) of a separate keyboard and something else (modem?) that the guy in the store told me but which I forgot. He said the J720 is about $100 more expensive than the Ipaq. And there are discounts if you want to spend the time finding them. However, the J720 is not for you if all you need is a gadget to store addresses and phone numbers. It'd be the equivalent of buying an expensive sportscar only to drive it at a top speed of 35 mph for a daily 5-mile commute. What a waste. Get those cheap and common calculator-like gadgets for $150. But if you want a PDA/organizer that can be a mini-laptop, this is it.

Sizewise, the J720 is slightly bigger than the Ipaq but still small enough to fit into a small purse. In fact, I was surprised at how small it was when I finally got it. I eyeballed the size based on the specifications given. It turned out to be smaller, which was what I wanted. If you buy a pocket PC or palm organizer and then carry the separate keyboard, the whole package will be bigger and bulkier than the J720.

The J720's screen is almost twice wider than the Ipaq's or other pocketpcs. This eliminates the annoyance of having to scroll left-right-top-bottom when looking at documents. Not a noticeable difference if all you do is look up addresses or phone numbers. But when you're working on a Word or Excel document (PocketWord/Pocket Excel), reading e-mail, or browsing the web, you will be glad your J720 has a wider screen. And because the J720 has a clamshell design (the screen closes/folds over the keyboard), you don't have to spend the extra $$ for a leather case to protect the screen.

By now - if you're still reading - you're probably wondering if there's anything I dislike at all about this gadget. Yes. It bugs me that the J720 doesn't have a latch to snap it close. Don't get me wrong... it does close, but I miss the comforting "click" sound of a latch. I almost returned the darn thing. But I was assured that the hinge has a wheel mechanism designed to withstand repeated opening and closing of the lid.

Also, the keyboard seemed tiny at first, but after a week of typing on it, it felt very comfortable for touch-typing documents, spreadsheets, etc. But if you're planning to write your first great American novel, you'll be pushing the limits of the keyboard (and your fingers). Do yourself a favor and write your magnum opus on a desktop or full-size laptop. If you want to work just a chapter at a time, the J720 will do. Still leaps and bounds over handwriting.

Lastly, it bugs me that the J720 comes only in one boring, unimaginative, dark blue grayish corporate color. I would have gladly chosen a more pretty-looking gadget (there's plenty out there), but the J720 beats them where it matters the most to me -- substance. The J720 is still a bargain for what it delivers. But would it be asking too much to want it in red?

There's my 2 cents' worth. By the way, I'm typing this on my J720's built-in keyboard. Would I handwrite this? No way! Would you?

Date: 2001-05-20
Great Gadget
It's not perfect but I think its a great little machine. It does everything I need it to do and it does it with speed. Love the color screen, instant on and the ActivSync. Very convenient to carry. Plenty of memory. And the battery lasts all day.

Date: 2001-05-11
Makes a Palm seem like, well, a Palm
I've been holding off buying a Palm-esque organizer for years, due to its various limitations, notably an inability to compose documents of any length in any reasonable amount of time without a cumbersome and annoying attachable keyboard.

I saw the Jornada 720 and the bullet list sounded like just the thing. In particular, the picture on Amazon showing the unit in relation to an adult males hands looked promising. Browsing the reviews in this section, I saw at least one testimonial that one could type near full speed on the keyboard.

Now that I own one, I can confirm that it is true. Although I am engineer by trade, I have a hobby of writing and I was able to load and work on a fairly large story with little problem.

The bundled apps are about all one would expect for the units target application (presumably, a highly mobile professional). In particular the Inkwriter is a nice way to take notes in a meeting and make drawings at the same time. Some might be surprised that Powerpoint is basically playback only, but it sort of makes sense if you consider the probable application.

The sex-appeal (sometimes read geek-appeal where I come from) is extremely high. The thing is cool. I find myself playing with it when I really dont need to be. The screen size and resolution is well chosen.

The internet connnection works great once you realize that a seperate dial-up that supports CE based units is required. The screen size windows nicely into the typical webpage.

the ActiveSynch worked perfectly but I found that I needed to start PC Link on the Jornada the first time I ran activeSynch on a desktop partner or the Jornada would time out.

The RAM-based implementation makes it instant on-off and the battery life of a "real" 9 hours is fantastic.

The size is just a bit large to be something you would carry in a pocket unless you were into aviation Dockers. The carrying case (extra) seems adequate but increases the size further. In general one must relegate oneself to the idea that it is hand carried to meetings and stowed in a briefcase. A minus relative to Palm, but the upside, in my opinion far outweighs the downside relative to Palm and other devices of the now de-facto footprint.

HP Dialer is a little buggy, possibly one of the reasons the reset button is accessible to the user.

The subtraction of the single star is due to the limitations I've described above but overall this seems a beautifully conceived and nicely executed product that is like to catch on expecially if the price point drift South a bit.

Date: 2001-04-10
WARNING! Jornada Accessories
If your looking for Compact Flash cards for your Jornada 720 beware! If you search for accessories on the page will show Viking Components Compactflash cards and Modems with the impression that they are compatible with the Jornada 720. After talking with technical support at both HP and Viking Components (neither of which had a clue, these tech engineers looked at their web site, like I did), after many hours of research (on Microsoft/hp and viking sites) I am returning the Viking compact flash as the Jornada 720 could not figure out what driver to use. In fact, HP's own compactflash may not be compatible with this unit... The Jornada 720 itself works great, with the only drawback a lack of software and occasional hickups when connecting via network sync... Unless, your in a hurry to have a small unit like this, I would wait a year or two to let the technology catch up to it...If you purchase one, prepare to be "on your own" for the most part.