Saturday, January 26, 2008

HP iPaq rx3715 Mobile Media Companion


The HP iPaq rx3715 Mobile Media Companion is a multimedia Pocket PC that comes with Nevo Universal Remote software and Nevo Media for streaming music from your PC. As a Pocket PC, the rx3715 is powerful, with long battery life and a 3.5-inch QVGA (240-by-320) color touch-screen display. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and infrared (IR) connectivity; a snapshot-quality digital camera; and software for organizing and showing photos. The touch screen stands in for the remote buttons. You program the rx3715 from your PC, accessing UEI's database of codes, macros, and icons. If a device isn't in the database, the remote's learning mode lets you program it in. And programming doesn't require a lot of skill.

You're not getting a high-end NevoSL for half price, though this is still a very nice package. The NevoSL has vastly more customizability through NevoStudio programming software, A/V-specific buttons, and a charging cradle that doesn't require you to line up a multipinned connector exactly. The rx3715 can't be your only remote unless it never leaves the coffee table (unlikely, since it's a Pocket PC), and other than the bigger screen it doesn't offer significant advantages as a remote control over the Logitech Harmony 880. Actually, it does have one advantage: Road warriors who take it along need no longer be bothered by annoying TV shows in public places like hotel bars. The bartender has a remote, but you've got one too, so it should be a standoff at least.

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