HP Breaks Out A FivePaq
By Amy Gilroy -- TWICE, 9/17/2007
PALO ALTO, CALIF. — Hewlett-Packard launched its first new line of iPaq handhelds in two years and its broadest iPaq line to date.
Five new handheld platforms were introduced, including a stand-alone GPS personal navigation device, two PDA phones, and two PDAs.
The iPaq 310 Travel Companion is the first dedicated PND built by HP from the ground up. For some cities, it displays a 3-D likeness of the buildings on a driver's route. Though not a PDA, the 310 doubles as a portable media player (PMP) with Bluetooth, 4.3-inch widescreen and one of the highest resolution displays on the market at 800 by 480, the company claimed.
An optional MSN Direct adapter enables the 310 to provide real-time traffic and weather updates, gas prices and movie listings. Shipping is expected in October starting at a suggested $449.
New PDA phones include the business-targeted iPaq 610 and 910 series with high-speed 3G HSDPA and quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE operation, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS navigation.
The 610 is aimed at phone users for whom email is secondary. It embeds a scroll wheel behind a T9 keypad and also has thumb scroll wheel on the side. It features PMP functions and integrated 3-megapixel camera.
The iPaq 910 is aimed at email users for whom phone use is secondary. It has a QWERTY keyboard and lets users view and print email attachments from a variety of applications. It also lets users listen to email out loud for use when driving and features built-in Google Maps. The 610 is expected to ship in about 60 days, followed by the 910 in 90 days, at prices to be announced.
New PDAs include the consumer-aimed iPaq 110 with Wi-Fi . It runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Classic OS and will ship in October at $299.
The enterprise-aimed 210 handheld adds a 4-inch VGA screen and is scheduled to ship in about 60 days.
