HP announces new Windows Mobile and Windows CE devices

It seems the rumors of HP's full re-entry into the Windows Mobile and Windows CE market were spot on. There have been a couple of HP iPAQ Communicators released since the last incredible HP x4700 PDA, but they didn't seem to do very well and never lasted that long in the market. I recommend you check out MobilitySite's post that links to all of the specs and a photo of each of the new 5 series announced last night in New York.

I actually drove about 150 miles to purchase my iPAQ 2215 a few years ago and am interested in the new HP iPAQ 200 series that has a 4 inch VGA display, 624 MHz processor, 256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, and both SD and CF slots (just like my old 2215). It was interesting to see non-phone PDAs in their lineup and honestly I still think people want a two device solution and think it does have a lot of value.

For the high end converged device, the 900 series definitely looks like a winner with HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, and integrated GPS and a QWERTY keyboard. It sports a 520 MHz processor, 256 MB ROM, 128 MB RAM, 3 megapixel camera and lots of HP exclusive applications which are generally well designed and functional.

The 300 series is actually a Windows CE GPS device and does not run Windows Mobile. GPS is really starting to take off and it makes business sense for HP to enter this market since they sell directly to the enterprise market.

There is no pricing information on any of these devices, but they should be available within the next couple of months. It will be interesting to see if they are launched from a carrier or if HP will sell them as unlocked devices you can use with any GSM carrier.

I also wanted to congratulate Chris Leckness on passing the 200,000 member threshold on Aximsite and MobilitySite. The community there is a wonderful resource and if you ever have any questions regarding your mobile device I recommend you do a search of the discussion forums.