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The Mobilepro 800 and 880 - More pictures HERE Overview: When the 770 came out, there was a desire for exactly the same machine but in a larger format. The 800 was the answer to that desire. When the 780 came out, again the same need existed, hence the 880 counterpart. You can think of these full size HPCs as little Mobilepros on steroids...because they are essentially the same machines but with larger screens. Both the 800 and the 880 sport full SVGA size lcds capable of showing 800W x 600H pixel resolution. The maximum color display is also commensurate with their little cousins. What you give up to get such a large screen is a minor loss in thoroughput. Let's face it...it takes more computing power to refresh a larger screen than it does the smaller. Yet the smaller HPC software runs just fine on the larger units, and sometimes better. Both the 800 and 880 run Windows CE 2.11 as its core OS. Many new users are confused by the Office 3.0 applications and think that is the version of CE...but soon realize their folly when they discover that neither machine will run CE 3.0 applications. Electronically, there are some differences between the smaller HPCs and the larger ones. One is the battery and a/c adapter. They are different for the larger machine versus the smaller, but they are interchangeable between the 800 and 880. Another is the additional USB port for using keyboards and mice. With third party software, you can even use a USB flash drive with them. Since the 880 runs at the same speed as the 790, you can swap out the rom chip and actually run CE 3.0 on the 880, but at the expense of losing the USB port. Still for many, this is a great upgrade. You can read about the rom swap under the Hybrid 890 info. Many have complained about these SVGA units, at least from the manufacturing aspect. The screen bezel is prone to cracking along the bottom left front, mainly from hinge stress. And the power outlet for the plug often breaks easily, though normally not interfering with using the a/c adapter. But these shortcomings show that NEC didn't put quite as much effort into building these machines as maybe they should have. One feature I appreciate is the quick launch touch screen applications. Alongside the screen are touchpoints you can configure to launch anything you like, just like the quick launch buttons on the smaller units...but with a stylus touch instead. And you still get the quick launch buttons too! It is worth noting that while the screen refresh seems slower, actual internet viewing is vastly improved due to the large amount of viewable area. You don't have to waste time scrolling and waiting for the screen to refresh. Having owned the Dreamwriter IT, Compaq Aero 800, and Intermec 6651, I think the MP880 is my favorite of all them, only because I like a full size keyboard. The Aero and Intermec are definitely built better, and the 6651 with its TFT screen and built in camera had a lot to offer. I just didn't like the smaller keyboard. Too bad the Aero used the typical laptop style touchpad instead of a touch screen, and too bad the Aero didn't use either MIPS or ARM cpus...hence quite a loss at software availability. The Dreamwriter was just okay. The 640 x 480 screen was just too tiny for my liking and the machine bulky, more like a child's toy than a working HPC...and again the touchpad. Good thing I never owned a Jornada 820...I might have thought that the better better machine, especially with the ARM cpu compatibility. For overall use, expandability, software compatibility...the 880 would be my choice for an SVGA CE machine of yesteryear... Mobilepro 800 Bonus CD:
Mobilepro 880 Bonus CD:
Mobilepro 800 and 880 Specifications:
Mobilepro 800 and 880 Optional Items:
Using an USB Flash Drive with your Mobilepro 800/880: While the original USB port suported only mice or keyboards, Iomega wrote software to support their Clik! drives that had the lucky side effect of allowing these devices to access USB memory flash drives. Download the cab file HERE. Simply copy the file to your 800 or 880 and tap on it to install it. Then soft reset your Mobilepro. Now insert your USB flash drive and it should appear if you tap on "my computer." Be aware that the volume name will appear all scrambled, but that is okay. You will still be able to access the drive to copy file to and from it. Some people have reported that after removing their flash drive that their machine will require a soft reset. I haven't experienced that problem on the MIPS Mobilepros, but a soft reset on the 880/800 is an easy thing since the button is right on the top by the power switch. The Mobilepro 890 Hybird: One great thing about the 880 is that it runs at the same speed as the 790, hence you can pull the rom chip from a Mobilepro 790 and insert it into the 880 and run Windows CE 3.0, known as HPC 2000! You lose some functionality. Since the USB port isn't supported on the 790, it becomes useless after the upgrade. But other than that, you gain a lot...you gain CE 3.0 capability. Of course this mod is not supported nor endorsed by NEC. HERE is a screenshot of the 880 after inserting the 790 ROM chip into it. View MP800 user review HERE View MP880 user review HERE View MP800/880 Assembly Guide HERE MP800/880 Battery Adapter HERE Hardware updates click HERE MP800 Combined Documents HERE MP880 Combined Documents HERE NEC Mobilepro 800 Support Site: http://support.necam.com/mobilesolutions/hardware/handhelds/mobilepro800/ NEC Mobilepro 880 Support Site: http://support.necam.com/mobilesolutions/hardware/handhelds/mobilepro880/ |
