Pocket PC: HP iPAQ rx1710

This page contains information on the Hewlett Packard iPAQ rx1710 Pocket PC device.

The entry-level model in HP's brand new lineup, the HP iPAQ rz1710 is truly a no-frills Pocket PC. At around 120g (4.2oz) it's as lightweight and as tiny as its diminutive h1940 predecessor, but with a new, altogether squarer, styling. Although similar to the h1940 in most respects, with SD-only expansion slot and no Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, the 1710 comes with a pedestrian 200MHz Samsung processor and only 27MB total memory. With the usual Pocket PC scheme of allocating half to program execution and half to storage space, that's a default of less than 14MB for each-decidedly lightweight by modern standards, and the smallest RAM complement seen on any Pocket PC we can remember.

While certainly adequate for basic PIM functions, this handheld isn't suited for anyone who plans to add a lot of third party software. Although most applications can be stored on an add-on SD card or the 10MB of flash storage space provided on the iPAQ 1710, the inevitable assortment of support files that get written to the internal Windows directory alone will gradually eat into the paltry sub-14MB storage space. If you elect to assign more space to file storage and less to execution memory, or allow the operating system to adjust the figure itself, you'll find yourself unable to keep several applications running at once, and certain memory-hungry programs (most notably games) may refuse to open at all.

This is all more of an observation than a criticism, as a huge proportion of PDA users never expand beyond the basic built-in software, and for them the rz1710's internal memory will be quite adequate. But, if you're someone who adds quite a bit of software to your PDA, you'll be far better off buying a Pocket PC with at least 50-64MB of memory.

In common with all the new Pocket PCs released over the past few months, the iPAQ rz1710 runs the latest 'Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition' version of the operating system, which adds a landscape screen mode plus a few other minor changes.

As a budget Pocket PC the HP iPAQ rx1710 certainly has a place, but only for those with the most basic PIM requirements.

• OS: Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition
• Expansion: SD slot
• Display: 240x320 pixel touchscreen
• Memory: 27MB memory
• Navigation: Touch screen, four-way navigator
• Battery life: Removable, rechargeable.
• Processor: 200MHz Samsung
• Connectivity: Infrared and USB

Frequently-asked questions:

Looking for software?	Check out www.handango.com for one of the widest ranges of Pocket PC software out there. If they don't have what you need, try www.pocketgear.com.
Looking for accessories?	For a good range of Pocket PC spares and accessories, we recommend you try Partmaster - Spare styli, cases, Memory cards, leads and batteries can all be found on the Partmaster site for to-the-door delivery. Also recommended for accessories, is Dabs.com, or you can try bidding for a bargain on eBay.co.uk
I need help connecting	We offer some pages of help on this, as follows: Connecting to Email and the Internet Connecting with Bluetooth Connecting via Mobiles with GPRS Connecting with Wi-Fi Using WAP
Activesync problems	For problems with ActiveSync, see our page dedicated to Microsoft's PC synchronisation solution, Activesync
ARM, MIPS or SH3 ?	If you come across Pocket PC software asking you to pick one of these three options, the one to go for is almost certainly ARM. These options represent earlier days of Pocket PC development, where an application had to be compiled for a specific processor. Just about all of the Pocket PC 2002 / 2003 devices are 'ARM' (including IPAQ and Loox). Early Casio Cassiopeia were MIPS and the early HP Jornadas were SH3. If you see software making this distinction, it indicates the software may have been complied a few years ago, and therefore may not run on the latest machines. If in doubt, check with the software author
How can I transfer data from another PDA?	Moving data from one PDA to another, or trying to convert a non-standard file into Pocket PC format can be troublesome. As it's such a common question, we've created a dedicated conversion page. If the information on this page isn't useful, or we're missing a format, please let us know.

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