HP to Unveil New Jornada Pocket PC

As Microsoft releases its latest Pocket PC operating system, Pocket PC 2002, this week, Hewlett-Packard lifts the lid on Jornada personal digital assistants featuring the new OS.

HP plans to unveil two new models of its handheld device at the DEMOmobile 2001 conference on Thursday, bringing more memory and longer battery life to a lighter version of its Pocket PC PDA.

The HP Jornada 565, which features 32MB of RAM, will cost $599, while the Jornada 568, with 64MB of RAM, will be priced at $649. Both models will be available in stores on October 4, with HP offering a $50 mail-in rebate at the launch.

Lighter and Longer Lasting

The Jornada 565 and 568 weigh in at 6 ounces, compared to previous models that weighed 9 ounces, HP spokesperson Cherie Britt says. HP has extended the battery life of both models as well, Britt says. The removable rechargeable batteries can now last up to 14 hours, compared to about 8 hours on previous versions, she adds.

Both models also feature a navigational pad on the front of the unit, as well as a built-in Compact Flash Type I expansion slot. In addition, they are powered by Intel's 206-MHz StrongArm processor, Britt says. Previous models of the Jornada PDA used Hitachi's 133-MHz processor.

The new Jornadas will be among the first to offer Microsoft's new Pocket PC 2002, which features MSN Instant Messenger, Windows Media Player 8, and Microsoft Reader.

HP has added an additional 8MB of flash ROM, bringing the total to 32MB, Britt says. "Even if you completely drain the battery, information stays in the ROM," she says.

Designed for Business

The new Jornadas will be aimed at business users, Britt says. "We are definitely amping up our enterprise strategy, and talking with the enterprise more, and so is Microsoft," Britt says.

Pocket PC 2002 is optimized for the enterprise, with support for virtual private networks and terminal server clients, she says. The operating system also allows Pocket PC users to easily "beam" information to users of Palm's operating system through its infrared port.

The new Jornadas are about the same size as previous models, but their stylus is now built into the case. The device also feature a plastic flip cover and a magnesium case, giving the unit the same two-tone gray color of HP's Omnibook 500 series.

This match up helps HP sell its product family to customers, Britt says. "We're trying to get our products to work better together and have them look similar, so you can recognize them as HP products," she says.