HP iPAQ rz1715

The new entry-level HP iPaq rz1715 is meant to compete with low-priced Pocket PC entries from Dell and others. But in the end, the rz1715 is an overpriced, underpowered dud you should avoid.

First, the positives. The silvery case looks even more slender than it is, and at 4.2 ounces it's feather-light. The 3.5-inch screen is bright and clear, looking just as good as those on the more expensive iPaq 3700 series. The rz1715 starts up with a cuddly home page that allows quick access to Windows Media Player, a photo browser, and the contacts and calendar applications.

But there's no wireless networking, and the unit has only has 25MB of free memory—and that includes 10MB of flash. There's so little free memory, in fact, that our benchmark tests had trouble running. The 203-MHz Samsung processor dragged down the 1710's CPU, file-system, and application benchmark-test results. That said, you might not notice the slow performance if your needs are relatively basic. This is where the simplicity of Pocket Word and Pocket Excel come in handy: Documents you've synced from your desktop are unlikely to strain the 1710. And for basic PIM and media playing uses, the speed is just fine. The unit has an SD expansion slot and a stereo audio jack, so it might have made a good MP3 player except for the relatively short battery life: 4 hours 45 minutes in regular use and 3:59 playing video, the shortest battery life of any of the four new iPaqs we tried.

At the end of the day, though, you get a lot more for your money with Dell's Axim X30, now selling for $199. Dell's low-end model has a 50% faster processor and twice the available memory of the rz1710. You can even get more with the older iPaq h1945, still available through several retailers for $279—with a 266-MHz processor, double the 1710's memory, and Bluetooth.

When we asked HP why they're charging so much for so little, they said they expect to sell this to enterprise customers, presumably at a discount. That's disingenuous. The last we checked, going forward means adding features or cutting prices—not cutting features and raising prices, which is all the 1710 really seems to offer.

Benchmark Tests
(For all scores, a four-year-old iPAQ 3600 = 1,000)
SPB Benchmark score: 1,030
CPU score: 1,009
File-system score: 942
Graphics score: 1776
Platform score: 873
Battery life: 4 hours 45 minutes (typical use test)

SPEC DATA :

• Screen Size: 3.5 inches
• Operating System: Windows Mobile 2003
• Flash Memory Type: Secure Digital
• Bluetooth: No