Release Date for iPAQ hx4705 Pushed Back

BY: Ed Hardy, Brighthand.com Editor
PUBLISHED: 8/17/2004

When HP officially announced the iPAQ hx4705, it said this Pocket PC would be available before the end of this month. The release date for this high-end model has since slipped back by two weeks.

The original release date given by HP was August 26. However, this company's official online store, hpshopping.com, now indicates that this model will be available on September 9.

Supply Problems?

A Brighthand reader reports being told by an HP customer service representative that this company is having difficulties getting LCD screens for the hx4705, which is the cause for the delay. Supposedly, HP had hoped to release this device on the day it was announced, but was unable to do so because of a lack of LCDs.

While customer service reps sometimes have incorrect information, what this one said is entirely plausible. palmOne has reported problems getting enough LCDs for its Treo 600 smartphone.

FCC Approval

In a related story, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given HP permission to release the iPAQ hx4705 in the U.S.

As HP made an official announcement of this device last month, the files included in the FCC filing give little new information. However, those considering purchasing the hx4705 might be interested in downloading the user manual, which is one of the documents available on the FCC's site.

Perhaps the most significant new piece of information in the user manual is a diagram of this handheld's flip cover, which is there to protect the screen.

All the information on the iPAQ hx4705 filed with the FCC can be found on this government agency's web site.

A Quick Overview of the hx4705

The hx4705 will be the first iPAQ ever to include a 4-inch VGA display. As this model will use Windows Mobile Second Edition, this screen can be easily switched between portrait and landscape modes.

This device will have a 624 MHz Intel XScale processor. It will also have 64 MB of RAM and 128 MB of ROM. This unusual arrangement, with far more ROM than RAM, will allow the hx4705 to have an 80 MB iPAQ File Store. This is non-volatile memory, which means it won't be erased if the device undergoes a hard reset.

The hx4705 will include both 802.11b and Bluetooth 1.2 wireless networking, as well as a CompactFlash slot and an SD/MMC slot that supports SDIO. It will come with a cradle.

This iPAQ won't have a D-pad. Instead, it will have a small touchpad below the screen intended to be used with a fingertip.

It will be 5.1 inches tall, 3.0 inches wide, and .7 inches thick (129 mm by 77 mm by 15 mm). It will weigh 6.6 ounces (187 g).

Much more information on the iPAQ hx4705 is available in this article.

Thanks to Richard Rothwell for the tip.