How would you rate the cosmetic condition of your HPC?

After buying several HPCs over the last month I'm begining to think finding any HPC in mint condition is a rarity. So I pose the question, how would you rate your HPC. Does anyone feel they have an HPC in mint condition, or is it just a pipe dream to expect 3-5 year old devices to hold up that well? I've found units with mint screens, but the case shows wear, or cases that are mint, but the screen shows battle scars. Would love to hear from the community on this.

Edited by Maul 2006-02-25 6:59 PM

Chloe looks brand new, and was brought brand new, Pinkie is 95%, one careful previous owner

Dino - adequate, needs a respay
800 - (no name), like new (Brilliant one Rich), has a few pen marks by the modem jack
Jordon - Good (few scuff marks and Jornada badge is extensively worn, I'd like a replacement though, talking of replacements, the HP label is one, the 710 another)
Jodie - Like new
iPAQ - Adequate (the PC card jacket has scuffed the back pretty badly)
Remote control - Excellent despite the metal body.

the 800 and Jodie (the new 680e) are both near mint condition, very near it in fact, you cannot really fault them, unless it is dust .
Heidi (the 890) - C:Amie, you can guess where the name came from - is yet to still be posted, but I shall imagine she will be in good condition

Edited by Wessex_nut 2006-02-25 7:17 PM

My 720 case is mint, the screen is mint and the battery came out of a new box. If there is a fault, it could be the backlight seems a bit patchy but I'm quite prepared to put that down to dual scan LCD technology which I haven't used for many years.
I paid over the odds for it because I do like my shiny things to have been looked after with the same attention that I intend to look after them myself.
I do think you got a bargain with yours though.

2nd pic is kind of a stinker, but I had to take it in the shadows to get the scratches to show.

Edited by Maul 2006-02-25 7:40 PM

I've had mixed results buying H/PCs over the last little while. Recently I've bought a Velo 500, a Velo 1, a Casio A-21S, a Casio A-22T and a Compaq C-Series 810C, all of which came from eBay. The Velo 500, Casio A-21S and A-22T and the Compaq were all described as in "mint" condition. The Velo 1 was described as a "parts" machine.

The results varied greatly.

The Velo 500 was indeed in mint condition, with the exception of one of the card covers - a previous owner had tightened the screw a little too much and it had cracked the cover and destroyed the cover's screw hole. I bought the Velo 1 in order to get the RAM cover. I got lucky in one way on this one - it also came with a WinCE 2.0 upgrade card and an 8-meg RAM card. The cover and RAM card are now living happily in the Velo 500 and I'll be trying to repaitr the old RAM cover when I get a chance. The only problem with the Velo 1, aside from a floppy screen - was that a previous owner had been a smoker - it stinks. The stench was so bad it gave me a headache when I opened the package (it also spent the next two weeks sealed in a plastic bag with a box of baking soda to help get rid of the stench).

The A-21S was dirty when I got it, but a thorough cleaning worked wonders. It looks good, but unfortunately the keyboard died a couple of days after I got it. I've taken it apart and tried fixing it, but at this point, not all the keys are working. It's now a part's machine.

The A-22T fared a little better. It's in pretty good condition - with the exception of a couple of scratches on the top of the case. I'd say this one is in "excellent", but not "mint" condition.

I bought the Compaq C-Series 810C (colour machine) in order to have parts to fix a Compaq C-Series 810 (monochrome machine). I needed the screen bezel, which also has the hinge cover which broke on my 810. The 810C was described as "The case looks great," without a stylus or backup battery cover. The condition of the 810C did not match the eBay description. The bottom back of the case was cracked, the RAM and ROM motherboard pincers were broken and the RAM and ROM cover colour didn't match the rest of the machine.

Anyway, this has all happened in the last four to six months. Prior to that, I had excellent luck on eBay with item descriptions coming extremely close to what I was buying and I've bought a lot of handheld computers on eBay - from Newtons to MobilePros.

A J720 I got was in excellent condition and one in OK condition. It is pot luck and the MP800 was good to go from Rich so far.
They are out there.

S/F,
CEYA!

here goes:









Edited by jpfx 2006-02-25 8:02 PM

That looks like it is in perfect condition. Kind of like mine before I got it.

Mine still looks fine, just scratches on the outside cover. And a nice one on the screen, but it will be hidden under a screen protector.

Every device I own (6HPCs and a few sub-sub-notebooks) are at 100% the same condition as when I got them.... Except 1... My brother had it for a week or two... Looks like a year or two! (Paint is WORN down!!!! Worn!!)

wow cool thread.

Maul, i don't know why you're complaining, it is OK. my j728's cover is in a better shape that's for sure, but it does have a little little scratch on the blue part. also the paint came off of some of the corners a little has always been like this... i got it in this way. oh and a little crack at one corner, but it hasn't extended any further. so, when i bought it it was in quite good condition. then the two halves of the screen plastic surround started to come apart well, fixed that, but it isn't as nice as it used to be. soo... it's in quite fair condition now.. no bad scratches and the top of the cover is still as good as it has always been. screen has the usual very few and very little scratches. rating is 7.5/10 for it.

my 900c has some scuffs (oh these 900's are really prone to them), screen is nice though. sig3 has the metallic paint (not the silver one) coming off at some corners, but it is not noticeable as they're only on the side really. screen - well, a few little scratches, i can't really see them. 8/10 for both. intermec 6651, now that does have some worse scratches at one corner of the screen + a few scuffs at the speaker. but this on the screen is never noticeable when turned on. also i can always replace the lcd from the other, non working 6651... that one is in a much better condition. so, my 6651 is 7.5/10. (yay, seller rated it as 8 or 9.. i forgot check hpcbay )

i have one mint hpc: sigmarion II it was advertised as like new on ebay. and it is indeed like that!
bsquare phh was brand new when i got it. it got some scratches on its screen since then because i was lazy to put a protector on it it has one now finally. other than that, mint...
wibook also brand new, never used, mint. except that some of the keys on the keyboard died recently
my zaurus (ok not a hpc) will be virtually brand new too and mint (the one i have had here to try out was also mint!) i'll get it next week.
above ones are of course 10/10

worst condition is maybe the nec 770. the latch doesnt close easily, but it does close. until it gets closed, one of the hinges is dangerously loose .. when the unit is open or when it is fully closed, no problems. the screen is very bad with lots of deep scratches in patches when turned on it is acceptable though. i did see the unit was like this before bidding on it.. friend got another for even less than me, 20$ (!) and it works perfectly but one half of one hinge is missing (!) and screen is unacceptable (for me. acceptable for him) even when turned on.. that one (NOT mine) is 3 out of 10 my 770 is 5.
oh and my 789 (780 with a 790 rom) has horrible scratches on both of the sides of the top cover. it looks like someone intentionally did it to poor thing but unit is perfect when i open it up. 6.5 out of 10 but only because of the cover...

all my other hpc's and non hpc's (except the second psion 3a) are in good condition, screen, exterior, etc. i'd say all are 8-9.5 out of 10.




careful? you sure?

Edited by cmonex 2006-02-25 9:19 PM

Yea I know cmonex, everyone has told me it's in great condition considering, I think it bothers me more than it might have just because of the dishonest description. I just keep reminding myself how little I really paid.

My old J720 was in fair condition when I bought it. I sold it off not long after that because I didn't quite fancy that paticular 720. I then waited another 6 months before buying the 728 I have now. She was in mint condition when I bought her, the previous owner rally kept her well protected. Not quite so now though. Theres scabs on the casing, and one side of the hinge cover no longer sits properly. So.. I'd rate mine a 3 I think,in term of appearance.

This is really subjective. A rating of 10 from me might be someone else's 8, and another's 7 might be someone's 3.

Mint means never opened, never used, complete with all original packaging and documentation. Anything less is *not* mint and can't rate a 10. IMO.

If you want a *mint* 720 wait a few years when HP releases their spares to market after their obligation to provide service expires.

Edited by wallythacker 2006-02-25 10:43 PM

Not bad, actually. A solid 7, would have been an 8 until last week when I did a touch of damage (damn, wasn't paying attention, but not serious)

If you get a hard case - any type of hard case - that's the secret of keeping these babies in one piece.