Hewlett-Packard may not be the first company that comes to a business traveler's mind when the subject of phones and GPS navigation aids arises, but its new line of iPaqs and services for them might change that perception.
The company today announced five new additions to its handheld line--two smartphones with high-speed data support, two PDAs, and a GPS navigation device--plus a slew of related services and applications. HP also added three new Compaq notebooks to its line of laptops for budget-conscious small-business users, and announced a solid-state drive option for more-upscale customers.
Well-Connected Phones
Both smart phones--the iPaq 610 Business Navigator (part of the new iPaq 600 series) and the iPaq 910 Business Messenger (part of the new iPaq 900 series)--support quad-band GSM voice (so you can use them almost anywhere you travel) and high-speed data networks (UMTS for the Messenger and the faster HSDPA for the Navigator). The two devices also support 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and assisted GPS (which requires carrier support) for mapping and navigation.
The 610 (successor to HP's first iPaq cell phone, the quietly introduced 510) sports a standard cell phone keypad, but with an unusual design innovation: a touch-sensitive navigation wheel embossed across most keys. Its 240-by-320-resolution portrait-mode screen measures a generous 2.8 inches diagonally.
The iPaq 910 features a 2.5-inch-diagonal, 320-by-240-resolution landscape-mode display atop a full QWERTY keyboard for thumb or index-finger typists.
Both the 610 and the 910 are Windows Mobile 6 smart phones with 3-megapixel cameras, powerful 520-MHz Marvell (formerly Intel) XScale processors, and several new (and business-friendly) HP applications and services.
For example, HPa??s Enterprise Mobility Suite provides device management features for enterprise customers; and the company's iPaq Device Connect software lets you easily use these phones as wireless modems for notebook PCs. HP also offers a robust-looking Voice Commander application for hands-free voice calls and e-mail checking.
Unlocked for use with any GSM carrier, the two IPaq models will sell for around $600 each, according to HP.
GPS Navigation
For people seeking more-robust GPS navigation assistance, HP introduced its iPaq 310 Travel Companion (part of the company's 300 series)--a large-screen (4.3 inches diagaonally, with 800-by-480-pixel resolution) device that includes multimedia features.
The 300 series isn't HP's first GPS navigation iPaq, but it is the first one not based on Windows Mobile. HP has created its own user interface, designed to integrate with a trip-planning portal that HP expects to introduce later this fall. The 300 series is not a phone, but its Bluetooth support will permit it to access the Internet via a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone.
The iPaq 310's multimedia support will allow you to view DVD-quality video on the device and to listen to music from sites that support Microsoft's PlaysForSure digital rights management technology.
In addition, you'll be able to load Outlook contacts into the device's 2GB of resident flash memory (it also has an SD Card slot for further storage capacity). HP expects the 310 isto set you back roughly $400 to $450, which will put it in competition with other dedicated in-car systems such as the TomTom One.
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