HP iPaq Pocket PC rz1710

CNET editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.7 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Dong Van Ngo
• Edited by:
  Bonnie Cha
• Reviewed on: 07/25/2004
• Released on: 07/26/2004

When HP released its iPaq H1940 a little more than a year ago, we were wowed by its supercompact size and features. The HP iPaq rz1700 series is the follow-up to this highly rated model. The good news is that it's still lightweight and compact, though it looks a bit different. The bad news is that HP dumped two features we loved: the Bluetooth wireless and the user-replaceable battery. The new series consists of two models: the rz1710 and the rz1715. They look identical, but HP tweaked the rz1715's software to appeal more to home users. Though it's still one of our top-rated Pocket PCs, the $279.99 rz1710 will face some stiff competition from the midlevel Dell Axim X30, which offers both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for the same price.

Far and away, the rz1710's strongest attribute is its thin, light design. Though it's about the same size and weight as its predecessor--4.5 by 2.8 by 0.5 inches and 4.2 ounces, to be exact--the rz1710 remains one of the smallest and lightest Pocket PCs available. Despite its petiteness, this PDA offers a 3.5-inch transflective TFT (thin-film transistor), 64,000-color screen with a QVGA resolution of 240x320 pixels. You can now switch between Portrait or Landscape mode, thanks to the latest operating system, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition.

Below the LCD, the HP features four programmable launch buttons (Calendar, Contacts, Messaging, and Today are the defaults). In between the shortcut keys is a four-way navigation button. On top of the PDA, there's an SDIO/MMC slot that supports storage cards up to 1GB, expanding on the device's 32MB of memory. The infrared port sits right beneath the expansion slot, but as far as wireless connections go, that's all you'll get--there's neither Bluetooth nor Wi-Fi.

As mentioned earlier, the rz1710 is equipped with the latest OS. You'll find the standard apps, including Pocket versions of Word, Excel, MSN Messenger, and Internet Explorer. In addition, HP throws in a few proprietary utilities, such as HP Image Zone for editing images and Task Switch for jumping between programs, to name two. On the entertainment side, Windows Media Player allows you to play music and video files, and you also get two games: Solitaire and Jawbreaker. If you want more of a mobile media companion, take a look at the rz1710's sibling, the rz1715, which has the same hardware features but includes minor software enhancements for entertainment applications such as digital music and photos.

In CNET Labs' tests, the rz1710 exceeded our expectations. Equipped with Samsung's 203MHz S3C2410 processor, its overall performance was actually superior to that of the Asus MyPal A730, which has Intel's 520MHz PXA270 XScale processor, and its graphics performance was on a par with that of other Pocket PCs. These scores translated to a quick response time and decent video quality and game performance.

However, battery life is where the rz1710 really pulled away from the pack. Repeatedly playing a video clip with the backlight set at 50 percent, the handheld lasted for 5 hours, 22 minutes before losing steam. This is very impressive for a Pocket PC of its size, and it outlasted the Axim X30 by 36 minutes. With normal usage, you'll be able to get more mileage out of the battery. If you're looking for a basic device to keep you organized and, to a lesser extent, entertained, the HP iPaq rz1710 is a good choice--as long as you can live without wireless.

Where to buy

HP iPaq Pocket PC rz1710: $299.99

store	price	in stock?	rating
Amazon.com Marketplace	$299.99	See Site

see prices from 1 store

Compare prices for HP iPaq Pocket PC rz1710

Amazon.com Marketplace

$299.99

Recent user reviews

• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 22 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars Write review

• Showing 3 of 22 user reviews

• 2.0 stars

  "Looks nice but no good"

  by jero mansell on September 4, 2007

• 2.5 stars

  "no user replacement battery really does suck, no bluetooth as well"

  by Monika267 on June 3, 2007

• 0.5 stars

  0 out of 1 people found this helpful

  "Crud Shyt Sad piece of junk"

  by Shiva Shetty on September 25, 2005

• See all 22 user reviews Write review

Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest

• alaTest.com

  Editors' rating: 85

  Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 415 reviews of HP iPAQ rz1700 (1710,1715) from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 62/100 and users 72/100. Comparing these reviews to 79069 other PDAs reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 85/100 = Very Good.

  Read full review

• mobiletechreview.com

  Editors' rating: 40

  Summary: A decent entry level Pocket PC, as always exuding HP quality, fit and finish. However, at $279, we do wish it had a user replaceable battery and one form or another of wireless networking built in.

  Read full review

• techradar.com

  Editors' rating: 70

  Summary: HP Image Zone is a straightforward program that lets you show or send images to friends and colleagues. Another useful addition is HP Task Switch, which displays icons for all open programs with a single tap. For entertainment, you can spend your ...

  Read full review

• pocketnow.com

  Summary:    Overall, this Pocket PC is nothing special. The Toshiba e400 and HP iPAQ 1910/1930 Pocket PCs can do everything it does in a smaller, more slim package, for about $100 less. Whether HP is branding this as an Entertainment PDA or not, the end users ...

  Read full review

• brighthand

  Read full review

• t3.com

  Editors' rating: 40

  Summary: Separate the PDA from its cradle and it loses satnav functionality. That just isn't good enough

  Read full review