More Information on the HP h2215 and Toshiba e355

Several Pocket PC licensees are preparing to release New Handhelds on the same day as the announcement of Pocket PC 2003, which should be June 23. With the release date so close, information about these new models is starting to trickle out. A major electronics retailer has in its stores some details about the upcoming Hewlett Packard iPAQ h2215 and Toshiba e355.

Because this information comes from the retailer and not directly from the manufacturers there is the possibility it isn't correct. However, until these handhelds are officially announced, it is as trustworthy as any other source.

Toshiba e355

Though all the details on this new model aren't yet available, this retailer says that the e355 will run Pocket PC 2003 on a 300 MHz Intel XScale processor. It will have 65 MB of RAM and a 3.5 inch reflective display. It will have a 5-way directional-pad and be 4.9 by 3.1 by .4 inches.

Toshiba began offering the e350 in Europe in March and the specs for these two devices are surprisingly different. Besides the obvious difference that the e350 uses Pocket PC 2002, the European version includes a transflective color screen, not a reflective one like the U.S. version. This change may explain why the U.S. version is about a tenth of an inch thinner, which is fairly significant on a device only .4 inches thick. If these are the only differences between the two models, the e355 will have a single SD/MMC card slot.

According to the retailer, the e355 will cost $300.

HP iPAQ h2215

HP's new h2200 series has been the most talked about new Pocket PC this summer. It will combine the thin, lightweight styling of the h1900 series with several high-end technical features found on the h5000 series.

The retailer had a brief description of the first member of this new series, the h2215. It said this handheld will run Pocket PC 2003 on a 400 MHz Intel XScale processor. It will offer 64 MB of RAM and built-in Bluetooth wireless networking.

It will also have a 3.5 inch, transflective, color screen. It will measure 5.6 by 2.75 by .6 inches.

This retailer will put the h2215 on sale for $400, which is believed the be the MSRP.

Other New Handhelds

The h2215 isn't the only new Pocket PC coming soon from HP. The company is expected to announce more than half a dozen new models on June 23, though these won't all be available at that time. Instead they will trickle out over the next month or so. This includes five new models in the popular h1900 series -- h1930, h1935, h1937, h1940, and h1945. It is also going to announce the iPAQ h5555.

Though HP is releasing the lion's share of new Pocket PC models this summer, it won't be the only one. The ViewSonic V37 is also expected to be released. Reportedly, Fujitsu-Siemens is going to release two new models in its Pocket Loox line, one of which will have built-in Wi-Fi wireless networking while the second will have GPRS capabilities.

In addition, Gateway is going to release its first Pocket PC, a mid-range model.

Related Links

• First Gateway PDA and Pocket PC 2003 Coming June 23
• Everything You Need To Know About The New iPAQs