HP Jornada 700 series Extended Battery Review

Sean Fernstrum | Hardware Reviews Editor
February 27, 2002

Do you like to make use of that PC Card slot on your 720? Do you use your 720 for days before docking for a recharge? 

If you said yes to either question, you need to get yourself an extended battery for your 720.

Does it add weight? Yes. Does it make the 720 bigger? Yes. Is it really worth the extra $$? Yes.

While it does add weight and stick out a fair ways from your 720, you will love the extra juice you get out of this battery. The weight does make the unit a bit uncomfortable to handle in one hand for extended periods of time, but the portion that extends from the back of your 720 doubles as a handle. While this handle doesn't flex or swivel, it does make the unit a bit easier to handle (so to speak). 

How much extra time do you get with the battery? In my unscientific testing, switching between a Kingston DataPak 2GB hard drive and an ORiNOCO Gold wireless NIC, I got the equivalent of about 2.5 standard batteries out of the extended battery. In fact, one night (after a couple hours of usage) I accidentally left my 720 on with the NIC plugged in and found that there was still juice in the battery the next morning. Green lights were still flashing on the NIC and everything. 

How do I carry the darn thing around with that extended battery pack you ask? I have a RhinoSkin 3000 carry case for my slightly-more-than little wonder, but that’s for another review…

The extended battery costs $179.00 USD (£131.62 GBP, €157.94 EUR, ¥20,477.07 JPY est.).

System Requirements:

HP Jornada 710 / 720 / 728

Buying Resources

More information on Hewlett Packard Jornada 710 / 720 / 728 extended battery can be found at
http://www.hp.com/

Ratings

Cost: Usability: Built-in Help: Customer Service: Overall:	Pros: Extends the productivity of the 700 series to a new level Cons: Bulky, not aesthetically pleasing, sacrifices portability for functionality