I purchased this pda as it became available from Amazon.com about 2 weeks ago. I have been using this pda for almost a week now, so I decide that I should write a little review on it.
Below is the specification of the HP IPAQ rz1715:
Processor: 203MHz Samsung processor
Screen: TFT color LCD, 64K colors, 240 x 320, 3.5 inches,
Audio: Built in speaker, built-in microphone and 3.5mm stereo jack
Battery: Lithium Ion rechargeable. 1000 mAh.
Memory: 32 MB built-in RAM. 32 MB Flash ROM (10.33 MB available for user).
Expansion: 1 SDIO slot
Dimension: 4.48 x 2.75 x .53 in.
Weight: 4.23 oz (120 g).
The first thing that impresses me about this pda is its very compact size. It is much smaller than my bulky Dell Axim X5 and as small as the Sony tj27. This pda is very pocketable and fit in a person with small hands like me very comfortably.
The IPAQ rz1715 is not as stylish or geeky as most other pda I have seen but instead it has a very plain rectangular shape. The front of this IPAQ has a silver paint and the back is made up of bare black plastic. This pda has a tiny navigational pad but amazingly comfortable to use. I use this most of the time to navigate through web pages that are very long. It also is very easy to use in Ubook ( a free ebook reader). There are four small buttons in a row, which are used for standard PPC apps like calendar, contact, email, home. These four buttons can be programmed to your own needs and liking.
This IPAQ come with Windows Mobile 2003 SE (which is the newest operating system for PPC from Microsoft). The windows Mobile 2003 SE allow user to switch to landscape or portrait mode easily, which is a real plus for web page viewing and excel. The WM2003SE also add other minor adjustments.
The IPAQ has a 203MHZ Samsung processor, and it is fully compatibles with all the apps for Xscale processors. I find that this IPAQ does fine jobs with Word processing and other pda functions such as reading ebooks, using excel, using database and listen to mp3 however watching movie clips are a bit jumpy compare to my Dell Axim x5 or the dell Axim x30.
The IPAQ rz1715 has only 32 MB and about 27 MB is available to the user and has 10 MB of flash room for storage. This amount of memory will be adequate for appointments, contacts and emails, however it is too little to play graphic or memory extensive games such as “Ages of empires”. So if you are looking a gaming pda consider more capable pda such as the dell Axim x30.You can use the 10 MB flash room to store important stuffs in case if the pda crash, your data would still intact.
The IPAQ rz1715 has a SDIO slot for memory expansion and to add various 3rd party accessories such as Wifi or Bluetooth, GPS packages, cameras, radio tuner, and TV tuner… With the little amount of memory you get from the rz1715 you definitely need to use a SD card to store music or pictures. I would recommend a 256 MB card.
The rz1715 has a 1000 mAh non-user replaceable battery is very disappointing in my opinion since many cheaper ppc allow user to do this. Having said that, the battery last about 4 hours when I use normal function but when I listen to music while doing excel or word processing, I only get about 2.5 hours. If you plan to use your pda all day, I recommend getting a pda that allow the swapping of spare battery.
View my review for Dell Axim X5 here “
http://www.epinions.com/content_150521220740”
