The HP Jornada is a handheld PC running the Windows CE operating system.  Handheld PCs are "hybrids" between Pocket PCs and notebook PCs. They are roughly half the size of a notebook PC with a keyboard, but also feature a touch-screen with stylus. It packs plenty of features and enough power to get the job done, but due to it's high price and small keyboard, it would only appeal to a small niche of users such as doctors or field service workers--and those with smaller than average hands.

Notable Features
The HP Jornada sports a color 640 x 240 display, fast 206Mhz Intel StrongARM processor, 32MB of memory, PCMCIA and compact flash card slots, smart card slot, built-in 56k modem, infrared port and microphone.

Design
The Jornada 720 is easy to carry since it weighs only 1.1 pounds, and is only 7.4 inches long. The keyboard is very responsive, but is a little awkward due to its small size. You wouldn't want to use the 720's keyboard for typing up a long document, but it's great for smaller tasks. The 720 has a unique stylus pen that has a spring mechanism to release it from the 720. When you push the pen back into the unit, you'll hear a "click" letting you know it's secure. The 720 also features hotkey buttons located above the keyboard for launching applications quickly, and buttons in the front for controlling Windows Media Player.

The 720 is noticeably smaller when compared to other Handheld PCs. Below are pictures of the HP Jornada in comparison to the NEC Mobile Pro 790 Handheld PC and the Sony Vaio Super-Slim Notebook PC:

(Left-to-right) HP Jornada 720 Handheld PC, NEC MobilePro 790 Handheld PC
and the Sony Vaio Super-Slim Notebook

Side view

Display
The Jornada 720 sports a 65,000 color, 640 x 240 touch-screen display. The display is bright and clear, but had a tendency to reflect too much glare in well-lit conditions. I was a little surprised that the large, colorful display didn't affect the 720's battery life as much as I thought it would, and I was able to use it for over 8 hours without recharging. One thing that I wish the 720 had is a VGA port. This would be a great option for displaying presentations on an external monitor or video projector, but you can always buy a PCMCIA VGA card to do this.

Applications
The Jornada 720 has an impressive arsenal of applications, including pocket versions of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Access, PowerPoint), Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player (for playing music and video), Landware Omnisolve (a business calculator), Yahoo Messenger, HP Jornada Viewer (for viewing a summary of your calendar, contacts and tasks) and several other HP applications (mainly utilities).

Since the Jornada 720 runs the Handheld PC 2000 operating system, it also features a Windows Terminal Server client that's built into ROM. This means that you can use applications located on a Windows 2000 Server if the Terminal Server component is active. Using Terminal Server, you can run the full Microsoft Office 2000 or XP suite of applications over a LAN or a dial-up connection.

It also features a new version of Pocket Internet Explorer that supports XML/XSL, DHTML and animated GIFs. Connecting to the Internet was easy.  Just plug in a PCMCIA network card or wireless modem card and you'll be connected in no time. You can't use the Compact Flash slot for this because it's located on the bottom of the unit, but there is a wide range of PCMCIA cards to choose from anyway. I use the Merlin wireless modem card to access the Internet when I'm traveling, and use a 3Com AirConnect Wireless LAN card for high-speed Internet access in my home/office.

Using the Jornada 720 with the Merlin Wireless Modem card

Summary
Overall, the HP Jornada 720 is a good handheld computer. It has a keyboard, it's fast, has the Microsoft Pocket Office suite of applications and other useful applications. And all of these features are available in a small package. But again, the Jornada 720 would only appeal to a small niche of users due to it's awkward size and high $999 price. However, if your work demands a high performance, instant-on computer with a keyboard in a small form, the Jornada 720 will suite you well.

Product:		HP Jornada 720 Handheld PC
Rating:
Price:		$899
Size (H X D X W):		7.44 x 3.74 x 1.34 inches
Weight:		1.1 lbs
Battery Life:		9 hours on standard battery 24 hours on extended battery
Company:		Hewlett-Packard
Source:		MobileBiz Solutions
Reviewer:		Eriq Cook
Date of Review:		August 18, 2001