Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Handheld
Review: I can't say enough about this handheld. I needed something that would allow me remote access using terminal services, but I was tired of draggin my Latitude notebook around. With a keyboard you can actually use, a built in modem, and a slot for my wireless card, the Jornada is awesome. I would definately reccomend it fro IT Professionals or anyone wanting a handheld computer without having to tap the screen to type.
Rating: 
Summary: Not HP quality
Review: I have been using an HP handheld computer for over 10 years and I really liked my rugged little machine that I could slip in a pocket,use versions of bigger programs on,type instead of pecking with a stylus and connect to the Internet.So I came prepared to love the 720.I am afraid I have been disappointed.2 weeks after I received my computer, two keys fell out of the keyboard and just after a year the pin that holds the screen to the keyboard broke.I was used to a machine that tanks have run over and survived and didn't expect it to fall apart with normal use.I was used to figuring out how programs worked and plugging them in and going but Active Synch required a call to HP and I never could get the Internet connection to work,and this is from someone who has been using an HP variant for years.But mainly I have been very disappointed in the quality of the hardware.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Screen, keyboard, modem!
Review: I just got the Jornada 720 and love it. It has a nice - large color display. The keyboard is great... so much easier than using a stylus. The system comes with a lot of great software and even a built in modem. A couple drawbacks: I wish they had the screen protectors for this one cause you still do use the stylus on the screen.... works like a mouse. The other drawback, I wish they had a USB to USB connection. Maybe they do, but it looks like serial to USB.... things are not too clear about that. Other than that, I love it.
Rating:
Summary: If I were single, I'd marry it!
Review: I love it. Simple as that. It's not a bulky laptop (and they can be unwieldy, you know that) and it's not a cramped up palm-size. The screen is almost full width, so I don't need to do a lot of scrolling left to right to see a web page, I can write up documents with the keyboard and I can see quite a lot of text, and best of all, it's got Microsoft Office, albeit in pocket versions.It's ready to hand, it's not fussy, it does the job. I can move stuff to and from a "real" computer easily. Mind you, the synching business takes a bit of experimentation until you get it right - make sure the port settings on both ends are correct, start connecting and then be quick about putting the plug in. Sometimes it takes a couple of goes. Oh yeah. I love the MP3 player. I can fit a few songs on, with a card drive a lot more, and while I work I can listen to my favourite songs. Natalie Cole is singing to me even as I type. I love it!
Rating:
Summary: Use this everyday and I can almost type at full speed
Review: I love this thing. And if you're like me, you will, too. If you're like me, you have a lot of ideas. While many of them are pure whimsy, there are some you think are invaluable. You're tired of forgetting them (mnemomics only work so well), and you're tired of having little piles of post-its with one or two word ideas that don't make sense anymore. You want a better solution: a way to capture your 'invaluable' ideas digitally. So, you're on a quest for a machine that: a) can be used instantly b) is small enough to carry around with you everywhere c) has a good enough keyboard that you can touch type on it at full speed d) syncs docs up with your desktop documents w/ little hassle Basically, the problem we're both trying to solve is "let me capture my thoughts onto a computer wherever i am". (by the way, this means that i don't care about having an mp3 player or a modem, although this thing has both) Besides the jornada, there's a couple contenders out there - palm-sized pcs and small laptops. If you're like me, you are probably considering those as well, and comparing them directly to the Jornada. I think the Jornada beats them. Here's why: The laptop is easy to dismiss. It fails to turn on instantly and even the smallest ones are too bulky to carry around everywhere. The palm v (and pocket PCs) put up a better fight. But I think they also lose out to the Jornada. I've tried the palm v, which i love, with two keyboards (foldaway and goType). It is tantalizingly close, but 1) it's too much of a pain to set up the keyboard (try to assemble it in the car, trying to jot a note at a stoplight), so it's not 'instantly on' (pocket PCs have the same problem), and 2) i haven't found a hardware/software solution for syncing up my docs easily. So, enter the jornada 720 (pronounced 'Hornada'). I bought one. And I use it everyday. It works great. Let's see how it meets the criteria stated at the beginning of this review. a) it turns on instantly. awesome. and the keyboard is attached already (unlike the aforementioned palm) b) it fits in my inside jacket pockets. it fits in my pants front pockets. c) i can touch type on it at almost* full speed. I went to an all-day meeting and typed 30 pages of notes (from 9 to 4). but note, my hands are smaller than average (6.75 inches from wrist to fingertip). d) syncing is great. thank you ms ActiveSync. It works much better than any palm document sync solution i've seen. Just drag your doc into a special folder, and your docs sync automaticallly whenever you plug in! so, if you're like me, and you want to capture those 'invaluable' ideas wherever you are on a computer, plunk down the money and get this thing. Additional notes: * by 'almost full speed' i have two problems. first, the "?" key is in the wrong place - they put the 'up arrow' key there. i wish i had the option to change that. HP, please hear my cry! Second, my space bar key works funny. if i press it with my right thumb on the right most side of the key, it does not make a space. often times, i get text thatlookslikethis. i'm sending it back to hp to get a more responsive spacebar. Other non-typing-related caveats, in case you're still reading, are that i haven't been able to use the internet through my msn or earthlink accounts (even though it says i'm "connected"). but again, 'connecting to the internet' isn't a goal of mine, and if you're like me, it's not one of yours either. Also, i dropped it on the ground (a four foot drop) and the case cracked. i'm sending it in for repairs... i blame this on myself, though, not HP. That 'HP leather case' is looking better and better. In addition, I wish there were a "usb" connector (for faster syncing), but i can't find one... But enough caveats. Here are a couple positive notes to end on. First, I really like the palm's "memo pad" application for taking notes. I was disappointed the 'hornada' didn't come with a similar app. But I'm happy to say that I found a similar application for the jornada, called "HPC Notes" which works perfectly - it's just like the palm. This app lets me capture ideas as quickly as I want. Second and finally (are you still reading?), I really like the "MS inkwriter" application. It let's you type notes and draw inline diagrams with your stylus in the same document. This is great. I think this is the ideal "notetaking" app, because when taking notes, I like to draw and type. The documents can be read by MS Word, and the diagrams appear inline in those docs so you can send them to colleagues. Capture your 'invaluable' diagrams with Inkwriter - perhaps instead of talking about the company you founded with an idea you wrote "on a napkin", you'll talk about the idea you wrote on screen. Good luck, and feel free to email me with further questions.
Rating:
Summary: A perfect mini laptop???
Review: I own my Jornada for about 18 months now. Yes its been in for repair twice. Ouch, almost $$$ in repairs. But I still love it. I am a Sales Manager for a wholesale manufacturer of Health Items. I need the ease of a personal orgainizer, but the power of a laptop. No, I do not do power point presentations, but I do most of my business, in excel and word formats. Plus, with a WIFI card, I can check my e-mail in any starbucks or most hotels.
Laptops are to big for my purposes and Palm tops too small for me. So just like goldielocks my Jornanda is perfect. Except for those pesky repair bills.
Rating:
Summary: My 2 cents
Review: 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?
Rating:
Summary: Good keyboard for small children
Review: I really wanted to love this machine, but the love was short-lived. 20 minutes after using it, I began packing it up to send it back. My beef: the keyboard is poorly designed, both in terms of the size of the keys and their action. You should know that I was using a Psion 5 so I had very high standards in this regard. I assumed that since the 720 was about 10% bigger than the Psion that its keyboard would be bigger too...but no; it's even smaller. I also found the touch screen more less responsive than the Psion's but the resolution and colors are fanstastic. The rest of the hardware seemed well thought out, although more "plasticky" than I expected for the price. The software seemed very good, very much like having a miniature version of a Windows-based PC. For those who are interested, I ultimately bought a Psion NetBook and am quite happy with the decision.
Rating:
Summary: Almost returned, now I'm a big user.
Review: I wanted something that would travel and let me keep my business in order and allow me to write personel letters etc... But starting this review I want to be honest. The HP-720 is an expensive speciality device being neither laptop or pocket device, but for what I wanted to do it seemed the only choice.(I didn't want to lug around all that laptop suitcase of bits and pieces...plus the battery life on the laptops make them near useless if away from a plug). .... Anyhow to my thoughts:
PROS: It's small, powerful, battery really does last 7-9 hours, does everything music,word processing( with spell check), surf the net,calander,task,contacts,voice recorder and as an excessory to my desk computer automatically syncronizes everytime I drop it into the charging/communications cradle that it came with.Also when you hit the "on" button it's on right then...no boot up time. Easy to set up and run...physically a tough little machine.I can say with confidence that I do schedule and have access to more data when I need it than I ever thought possible.It has freed me up considerable. I don't know if that will apply to everyone else as I am self employeed and out of the office alot, but for me it has actually done more than I thought it could.
Cons:I bought 256 meg compact flash card (if you want lots of MP3 music you'll need it) so with that I'm at over a [price]. You could buy a laptop with that.The keyboard IS NOT touch typeable!You can type and fast, but it's with two fingers. I do type letters so it's ok, but I almost sent it back when I got it because of that.Last they're not alot of extra programs out their for the HP_720. I'm no computer guy, but I believe it has to do with the ARM processor. I have found games, JPEG viewers etc... as freeware ....but they were few and far between. So all that great Palm stuff and CE software doesn't necessarily have a version that works on the HP-720.
Overall I would recommend it to anyone who needs the keyboard but doesn't want to be tied down with a laptop. For me I wouldn't trade it now that I've had and used it for a [price] laptop. And yes while the games and extra software is limited. There was enough for me (10 games, a picture viewer and a book reader).
The only advice I have about buying is that this machine is great if you have the specific needs it can address. For me I would buy another because I value size and battery life over other features .
Rating:
Summary: question about the software??
Review: I was concerned that one of the reviewers mentioned that the PowerPoint cababilities were "read only". I travel extensively, essentially to deliver presentations... and if I cannot edit or work on my PPT presentations with the Jornada 720, then it can NEVER eliminate my having to lug my laptop along on every trip. Also, editable PowerPoint, fs possible... is this an additional purchase I would need to make.. or is it pre-loaded?
Thanks
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