Ed Zabrek's Technology Report - HP’s 660LX: The new standard in handheld computing??

You may recall my review of the HP 620LX. 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 PC’s on board contact manager (Outlook, Schedule +, Lotus Organizer. Etc). I don’t know about you, but I can’t 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 (don’t shell out extra bucks for the unit bundled with the docking cradle (you won’t 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. It’s 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.