In a Clamshell, Jornada 720 Is Too Big and Too Small
Hewlett-Packard’s $999 Jornada 720 is about the size of a VHS tape. But you have to ask how useful this 1.1-pound machine really is. The Jornada 720 might end up the hand-held equivalent of Sony’s Betamax, which featured superior picture quality but ultimately lost out to VHS in the videocassette recorder wars.
Despite being an interesting device with many compelling features, HP’s latest clamshell hand-held is no Palm killer by any stretch. HP’s clamshell devices feature a fold-up lid housing the display, which in this case is a brilliant show of as many as 65,536 colors on a 6.5-inch screen.
The 720 comes with a built-in 56-kilobit-per-second modem, plus a Universal Serial Bus connector that supports serial links with an adapter. It runs a version of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows CE operating system.
Unlike notebook computers, the Jornada 720 lacks a built-in Video Graphics Array-out port to allow users to shift the 720’s display to an external monitor or projector. HP sells an optional card for $199 to handle that function.
The PC card slot is an endearing feature of the Jornada 720 because it offers users access to a broad range of wireless communications options--from local-area and other networks to cards intended for public wireless data networks. This feature alone could make the Jornada 720 a handy device in a variety of situations.
Software included with the computer is varied: Pocket versions of Microsoft’s standard business applications such as Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint are there, along with a new version of Internet Explorer for the device. In addition, Microsoft Windows Media Player and a stereo audio jack are included for listening to electronic music files in stereo.
And with a lithium-ion battery that promises to deliver nine hours of battery life, this could be a nice companion on a cross-country jet flight.
So far, so good. So, what’s not to like?
It’s the keyboard--the one HP claims is a “type-comfortable keyboard.” It’s about three-quarters the size of a standard PC keyboard. For a touch typist, or someone with largish fingers, it’s a keyboard that’s almost impossible to use.
No big deal, you say? Well, in the case of some miniature keyboards--Research in Motion’s Blackberry pager comes to mind--users can develop some typing dexterity with just two fingers. With other devices, such as the Palm, Handspring Visor and even HP’s Jornada 540, a Pocket PC, one can attach external, full-size keyboards.
But with the Jornada 720, you’re stuck. And trying to key in stuff on this thing could be vexing. It was highly annoying and frustrating for me, although I’ll gladly admit that my experience here might not be typical.
This keyboard frustration adds to my other gripes with the 720. It’s certainly lightweight enough, but its size excludes it from storage in an inside jacket pocket. So you have something that’s too big for a handbag but not big enough to type on. The $999 price quickly jumps to about $1,200 if you want to hook up to an external display, as you might want to do when making presentations. Toss in a wireless networking card, and you’re in the $1,400 range.
For that same $1,400--or less--you can get a full-size notebook with a fair amount of power, plus the built-in VGA-out connection. Yes, the notebook PC is much larger and usually heavier, but overall such a device might be a better value for the mobile professional.
Like most of the clamshell devices I’ve seen, the Jornada 720 is good for some uses but not necessarily the mass market, which still awaits something between the Pocket PC and a full-fledged notebook computer.
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Mark A. Kellner is editor at large for Government Computer News and hosts “Mark Kellner on Computers” at https://www.adrenalineradio.com between 5 and 6 p.m. Thursdays.
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The Skinny
Jornada 720
What it is: A clamshell personal digital assistant
Price: $999
Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
The good: Great screen
The bad: Clumsy keyboard
Bottom line: Buy a laptop instead
