HP Windows Mobile Phone for AT&T, Finally…

Talk about a surprise for all, right? I have pretty much written Dell and HP out of the Smartphone game after all these years. If you are new to Mobilitysite, it is a mixture of a merge of Mobilitysite, iPaqHQ, and Aximsite, among others. There are still quite a few iPAQ and Axim questions that get answered in our forums too. In the past, I have been real critical of HP and how long it takes them to get devices to market. The HP iPAQ HW6900 could have been a hot device had it made it to the streets 6 months earlier than it did. Instead, many probably don’t even know it existed after it was annouced and faded in desire with all the hot HTC devices launched during the 6-9 months it took to get released on the Cingular network.

Well look what we have here… the HP iPAQ K3 (Obsidian). Can you say, “WOW, what a surprise!”?

Turns out we haven’t said our last goodbyes, though, because the iPAQ K3 — codenamed “Obsidian,” seemingly — is scheduled for November 30 retail availability on AT&T. The device would launch with Windows Mobile 6.5 onboard and feature a 2 megapixel camera (a second cameraless version for high-security businessfolk might be available, too), 256MB of RAM, a half gig of ROM, microSD slot, GPS, triband HSDPA and quadband EDGE, WiFi, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a QVGA display to complement the full QWERTY keyboard.

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HP iPAQ Data Messenger Review

The iPAQ Data Messenger gets reviewed by Tracy and Matt’s Blog…

Apart from the raw WM6.1 front end, my overall feeling about this phone was that HP released it a little too soon. Perhaps just to make a presence in the market place? As a fan of WM, I appreciate their commitment and support of Microsoft’s product. But also feel there were a few engineers at HP that would have liked to tweak it just a bit more before releasing.

If you are set on a HP device, maybe wait a little until WM6.5 is released and ships with it. Hopefully HP will improve the keyboard and up the screen resolution, I look forward to a revised model

HP has historical been pretty slow to come to market on all their phones. The 6915 would have been a smash if it made it to the streets in the 1st 6 months that the world knew about it. Instead, it was delayed and several phones took it out before it could even come up for air. Anyhow, this is another one that has taken a long time to make it to the streets. Apparently, HP doesn’t plan to release this one for the US phone fiends, but still, we knew about this one for quite a while. It was officially announced back in October 2008 and was available for preorder back in January 09.

           

Comparing the IPAQ hw6900 Mobile Messenger and the IPAQ 900 Business Messenger

I’ve enjoyed using my IPAQ hw6925 for a couple of years but a few months ago the hw6925 went for a swim for a brief 2 seconds.  Even though I removed the battery, storage card and SIM card immediately and left it under a hot lamp for 24 hours to dry, the hw6925 has been quirky ever since.  Lately, I’ve been using an IPAQ 910c and thought you might like a comparative review of the two devices. In this article I discuss the hardware similarities and differences between the two devices as well as the pre-installed software differences.  I also summarize the WM6.1 enhancements.

With a sleek new body and running WM6.1, the IPAQ 900 Business Messenger is the true successor to the IPAQ hw6900 Mobile Messenger.  Notable hardware differences between the two IPAQs include:

• The IPAQ 900 is 3G enabled
• The IPAQ 900 has double the amount of System ROM and System RAM as the hw6900
• The IPAQ 900 has a 320 x 240 pixel screen, with a default landscape orientation.  There is no known way to change the orientation to a more standard portrait orientation.
• Even though the IPAQ 900 screen is a larger pixel size than that of the hw6900, the viewable image size of 2.46 inches is noticeably smaller that that of the hw6900 image size of 3.0 inches.  These screenshots are an accurate representation of the viewable screen sizes of the IPAQ 910c and the IPAQ hw6925.

IPAQ 910c	IPAQ hw6925

 

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iPaq Data Messenger Finally Available For Preorder…

iPaq Data Messenger Finally Available For Preorder…… in the UK. No love for the US here.

If you are interested in this one, head over to iPaqChoice. Thanks Engadget.

           

Email & Text Messaging on the IPAQ 910c

Windows Mobile 6.1 brings a substantial facelift and some significant enhancements to the IPAQ 910c:

• Easier email setup and improved performance
• Follow-up tags (doesn’t seem to work on the IPAQ 910c)
• Enhanced Security that alerts you if you navigate to a URL or file link that is not on the device
• Threaded text messaging
• Blacklist (doesn’t seem to work)

HP has also added a few nice messaging-related features to the IPAQ 910c:

• HP Voice Reply: allows you to email audio messages
• HP Print Smart: allows you to print email messages to a Bluetooth or network printer

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HP iPaq Voice and Data Messenger Video Preview

I just posted info that I found yesterday on WM Poweruser a couple hours ago and since then, my iPAQ newblast alerts have been blowing my phone up with email. Since my earlier post, Vodaphone and HP officially announced these two new phones and there is already a video online at a UK site called Mobile Computer. They go over both of these new phones.

I have to admit it, I have a soft spot for HP and that Data Messenger is looking kinda hot to me right now.

           

HP iPAQ Data Messenger

Meet the HP iPAQ Data Messenger. This is one that flew under the radar for the most part. The “smartphone” (iPAQ Voice Messenger) was leaked all over the place for quite some time, but I haven’t seen much on this one. It’s is basically the same as the Voice Messenger, just with out the front facing candy bar design, adding the slide out keyboard in it’s place. 3G, integrated GPS, 128mb RAM and 256mb ROM, the works. It’s running a 528mhz processor with a ~1100mah battery, so it should be plenty fast, but what about the battery life.

Ok, so this is an HP device, which some of you know I used to really like, with a slide out keyboard and a big screen. Wow. I like so far. No word on pricing or availability yet.

Read on for full specs…

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HP iPAQ Voice Messenger

Meet the newest from HP. This is the iPAQ Voice Messenger. This is a non touchscreen phone running Windows Mobile Standard. It’s got a pretty large screen for a smartphone too. 3G, integrated GPS, 128mb RAM and 256mb ROM, and a sleek looking design make this a phone worth considering for sure. There is an “in the wild” shot of this phone that we posted about earlier this month as well, so it’s officially real now. :)

Read on for the full specs…

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Why all the Fuss about HP and Smartphones?

Over the last couple days, my google email alerts have been going bananas with blasts about HP and their “Smartphones”. Most of the articles i’ve read had misleading titles like, “HP to get into the Smartphone Arena” or “HP readying their first smartphone”. Huh? What the heck? First What? What are these guys smoking. Even if you don’t know the definition of a “Smartphone”, HP has already had the HP iPAQ 514 Smartphone. If your definition is even looser, HP has had Pocket PC Phones for years. (some call PPC Phones Smartphones too)

Let’s take this one from Tom’s Hardware UK…

Now that Blackberry is giving its a market a little more wiggle room and introducing a smartphone that’s geared at both work and play, it’s not surprising to see other companies try and pull off the same feat. What is surprising, is when that company is HP.

According to the Wall Street Journal, which cites “people briefed on the plan,” the company will soon be launching a smartphone. Surprise number one out of the way, these folks say it will hit Europe in two months time, but wait, there’s more; this phone from HP, a company known to be all corporate, will also be marketed at consumers.

Did the iPAQ 514 fly so far under the radar that nobody even realized HP already made a “Smartphone”? The HP “Oak” as some are expecting in Europe soon, has been rumored for almost a year already.

Anyhow, enough griping that people didn’t even know that HP has already been there, done that, and has the T-shirt, lets talk about the new Smartphone that HP apparently has in the works. We’ll share more as we know more.

           

HP Silver Smartphone. Does HP Ever Launch on Time?

Way back to the HP iPAQ 6500 series Pocket PC Phone, there has been a history of slow, super slow, launches. Mobilitysite in part evolved from iPaqHQ and one of the reasons we moved forward, away from iPAQ was their apparent lack of commitment to Pocket PC and Smartphones. They even said they were getting out of the game, but never did. Their launches have been way off target though. The iPAQ 6900 series was about 6 months late to the game when it hit AT&T. It would have been a hit had it made it into users hands around the time the review units were handed out. This was all about the time that HTC started hitting home runs every time that came up.

Last night, an “in the Wild” post over at Engadget shows an HP Branded Smartphone called “Silver”.

Head over to Engadget for a couple more snapshots of this HP iPAQ Smartphone. I hope it’s not a cheap feeling as the 510 was.

           

Exploring WIFI and IE on the IPAQ 910c

Setting up my wireless network on the IPAQ 910c was very easy.  When I turned the WIFI radio on, the IPAQ 910c detected my network and prompted me for my WEP encryption code.  As soon as I entered the encryption code, the device was connected.  I had hoped that I could copy and paste the code from a note I have stored on my computer (I can do this on my windows mobile 2003 device), but copying and pasting the encryption code didn’t work on the 910c.

The WIFI connection settings options and input screens are fairly similar to those on my IPAQ hw6925, which runs WM5.0, but there are some notable differences.  WM6.1 allows you to connect to a network that uses WPA2 or WPA2-PSK authentication and AES data encryption.

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Exploring Bluetooth on the IPAQ 910c

The Bluetooth settings under WM6.1 are quite a bit different than earlier Windows Mobile operating systems.  Setting up partnerships is much simpler, requiring a minimum of screen taps, but it is a bit disorienting.  So far I’ve set up the following partnerships on the IPAQ 910c:

• Two different Bluetooth headsets – one is a very basic Motorola earpiece and the other is a Sony A2DP headset.
• Bluetooth ActiveSync partnership with my laptop (using a Bluetooth dongle)
• With my IPAQ hw6925 to exchange information between the two devices

To access Bluetooth Settings, you’ll tap Start > Settings > Connection tab > Bluetooth.  With Bluetooth Settings, you find six tabs called Devices, Mode, COM Ports, Printer, File transfer, Security, and Image transfer.

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HP iPAQ 910 Comparison Photos

One of the toughest things to convey in words to an audience is the size and weight of a device. I can tell you dimensions, describe the feeling, etc but it will never compare with seeing a device along side a device you already know. That is why I make sure to compare sizes in my videos. If you missed my 18 Minute HP iPAQ 910 video last week, make sure to catch it soon.

Here are some comparison photos of the iPAQ 910 with some other devices you might have a little experience with… iPAQ 6300, iPAQ 2215, the Dell Axim x51v, and more. Hit the read more for some more photos.

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HP iPAQ 910 Video 1st Look and Unboxing

So, it’s been a busy last couple of days for me. Almost busy enough to make me forget that I have had this hot device sitting unopened under my desk. Knowing it was there for 3 days did make me a bit jittery though.

We’re sending this one to our iPAQ Expert, Microsoft MVP Julie to review. She has been looking forward to checking out the iPAQ 910. Have fun Julie.

           

Early Arrival - HP iPAQ 910 Smartphone

Ok, so I ordered this thing Thursday and knowing the load I had on me with the iPhone 2.0 software, the Palm Treo 800w, and a few other phones, I decided to opt for the free shipping (4-5 Business Day). Well, It’s Monday and guess what shows up a few days earlier than I expected…

Photo Taken with the Palm Treo 800w

It will most likely be tonight or tomorrow night before I get to this one though. Stop by later to check.