News

Yesterday, HP said it intends to release later this year a cellular-wireless handheld called the iPAQ Mobile Messenger. Now, several images have been given to Brighthand of this upcoming device.

According to the source of these pictures, this device will be part of the hw6500 series.

The pictures match the few details HP has released on its upcoming cellular-wireless Pocket PC, including the presence of a built-in keyboard.

In addition, the images give a few additional details on the hw6500, like the fact that it will have a built-in camera with some form of flash.

Apparently this Pocket PC will also include a swappable battery.

This will be the first Pocket PC with a square (240 by 240 pixel) screen. Support for square screens was specifically added to Windows Mobile 2003 SE to make adding built-in keyboards easier.

Multiple Memory Card Slots

Update: An SD memory card slot clearly appears on one side of the hw6500. According to MobileTechReview, the other slot on the right side of this device will be for miniSD cards.

This site also says that this handheld will run Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition on a 520 MHz processor.

It will have Bluetooth short-range wireless networking, but not Wi-Fi. It will also support GSM/GPRS (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) wireless networks.

The hw6500 will reportedly be available sometime in the second half of this year.

iPAQabilities.com is reporting that this model will have a have a 1.3 mega-pixel camera, a 1,200 mAh swappable battery, and a flipcover.

What HP Says

HP hasn't officially released many details of the iPAQ Mobile Messenger, but it did say that it will offer both voice and data. It will run on GSM/GPRS wireless networks, and support EDGE, a wireless networking standard that can provide average speeds of 100 kbps to 130 kbps.

This handheld will include a GPS receiver and Good Technology's GoodLink software, which will keep the device wirelessly connected with Microsoft Outlook and Exchange, as well as other critical enterprise information.

HP says it will demonstrate a prototype of the iPAQ Mobile Messenger at the 3GSM World Congress, going on February 14 - 17 in Cannes, France.

Related Links

• First Clamshell Pocket PC Phone Unveiled
• First Square Screen Pocket PC Coming Soon?