Re: Review of 660LX for 7-79-98
From: Edward Zabrek, M.D. (stork@flash.net)
Wed, 29 Jul 1998 21:11:14 -0500
It takes about 3 hours to charge the standard LiIon battery that comes with
the unit. I recommend that you purchase an extra battery ($79.00 U.S. for
the standard battery, and $129.00 for the extended life battery). I also
have a desktop charger accessory ($59.00) and always keep a charged battery
on hand. You can always run the unit from direct A/C current also. To
answer your question, I get about 5 hours use from the standard battery and
7-8 from the extended life (which takes about 4 hours to charge)
..
Good luck!
Ed
At 08:27 PM 7/29/98 -0500, you wrote:
>I am going to buy a palmtop PC so I am evaluating them.
>How long lasts the battery in the HP 660LX? Does it takes too long to
>recharge them?
>Thank you
>
>Dra. Alicia M. Lapidus
>alicia.lapidus@obgyn.net
>alapi@pccp.com.ar
>Buenos Aires
>Argentina
>-----Mensaje original-----
>De: Edward Zabrek, M.D. <stork@flash.net>
>Para: Multiple recipients of list <technology@talk.obgyn.net>
>Fecha: Miircoles, Julio 29, 1998 03:33 PM
>Asunto: Review of 660LX for 7-79-98
>
> HPs 660LX:
> The new standard in handheld computing?
>
>You may recall my review of the HP 620LX (refer to:
>http://www.obgyn.net/technology/win_ce_0204.htm.) Since that evaluation, I
>have
>looked at (and played with) nearly every new handheld PC to hit the market.
>I
>must admit, in spite of technological advances in this market, nothing has
>surpassed the HP 600 series platform. (It is not surprising that HP owns
>43% of
>the handheld market worldwide as reported by Dataquest, 6/4/98).
> The overall design, ease of use, keyboard layout, included software,
>and
>softkey layout (and very readable silkscreens) keeps this pocket marvel on
>the
>top of my must have list. The new 660LX, sports a change in its number,
>has
>a whopping 32meg of ram (on boardthe largest internal memory of any
>production
>unit to date), a dark gray-green case (similar to the HP 200LX) and a
>$999.00
>list price. ($200.00 higher than the current 620LX. (Note: the 620LX has
>16meg
>of internal ram, and is not internally upgradable (except through the use
>of
>the internal flash card slots.) There are virtually no other physical
>differences between the two units.
>I was very excited when I first read about the 660LX, since one of the
>missing
>features of the 620LX was an internal modem. The press release announced
>that
>a 56k modem was to be part of the 660LX package. I said to myself, HP
>really
>has it down to a science. This will be the H/PC I have been waiting for.
>When
>I received the unit, I anxiously opened the box to see where they placed the
>internal modem. I was mildly disappointed to find a 56k PCMCIA modem card
>bundled with the unit. I questioned HP as to their decision to not supply
>an
>internal modem, and they stated that they do not believe that modem
>technology
>is not up to speed (or quality) for an internal unit.
>Once over my disappointment, I loaded up the 660LX with all of my software
>toys
>and went to town. Even with the lack of an onboard modem, I feel that this
>unit is a bargain. The new list price of the 620LX is $799.99. (The
>additional 16meg of installed ram, and 56k modem alone would cost well over
>$200.00 if purchased separately.)
>
>Another cool perk with the HP handhelds is the addition of full, seamless
>synchronization with the Rex PCMCIA card. I was never a big fan of this
>credit card sized personal information manager because is lacks direct input
>capabilities. You must sync it with your PCs on board contact manager
>(Outlook, Schedule +, Lotus Organizer. Etc). I dont know about you, but I
>cant keep my PC at my immediate beck and call, so the REX was difficult
>for
>me in my constantly changing PIM environment. The PC sync process was
>also
>not always fast and foolproof. Once again, HP to the rescue. With TrueSync
>CE (a downloadable program that will also work on the 620LX) you can
>synchronize up to 3000 contacts, appointments, etc. with the top of the line
>REX in about 10 seconds, and without errors! The REX will set you back
>about
>$140.00 (dont shell out extra bucks for the unit bundled with the docking
>cradle (you wont need it). You now have a truly portable solution when
>your
>H/PC is too large to take with. I have been keeping my REX in the full
>sized
>PCMCIA slot full-time, and a 48meg mini-card (for backups and other data) in
>the small card slot. I have also placed an shortcut icon on my 660's
>desktop
>so that I can quickly update my REX everytime I change data in my 660LX.
>Its
>quick, relatively inexpensive, and foolproof!
>
>In summary, the HP 660LX has set the next standard for handheld computing.
>The
>additional on-board memory is a must for anyone who uses their H/PC for more
>than just a contact manager. The overall layout is intuitive, very
>readable,
>and simple to use. The color screen is bright and crisp (as it is with the
>620LX). The addition of the REX card gives the 660LX (620LX) user a true
>pocket pim that is as easy to update as it is to slip into your shirt
>pocket
>and carry your important data with you. My only hope is that HP will put
>their
>modem inside their unit, instead of bundled with it.
>
