iPAQ rw6100 Coming to South Korea

HP has announced plans to release the iPAQ rw6100 series later this fall in South Korea. It's possible this cellular-wireless Pocket PC that is compatible with CDMA networks will eventually be released in the U.S.

CDMA is the cellular-wireless standard in South Korea, so if HP wanted to release a cellular-wireless handheld in this country, it has to be a CDMA model. Rather than creating a CDMA version of the iPAQ h6315, a GSM/GPRS model just released in the U.S., HP decided to re-brand a device created by a South Korean company, LG Electronics.

While the rw6100 will be available in South Korea in September, there are no definite plans at this point to release this model in the U.S. However, the Korean newspaper JoongAng Daily reports that if this model is successful, it will be distributed in other countries.

An Overview of the iPAQ rw6100

The rw6100 will run the Phone Edition of Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition on a 520 MHz XScale processor. It will have 64 MB of RAM and 128 MB of ROM. All this ROM space will give it room for a 78 MB iPAQ file store.

Its QVGA screen will be just 2.8 inches when measured diagonally, smaller than most handheld users are accustomed to.

Unlike a lot of cellular-wireless handhelds, this model won't force users to dial on an on-screen numberpad. The rw6100's screen will slide up to expose a regular numberpad underneath.

This device won't depend only on CDMA for wireless networking. It will also include built-in Wi-Fi, though it won't have Bluetooth.

It will sport a 1.1 megapixel camera and an SD slot that supports SDIO.

The Pocket PC will be 4.5 inches tall, 2.3 inches wide, and 1.05 inches thick (114 by 59 by 27 mm). It will weigh 7.2 ounces (203 g).

More information about the iPAQ rw6100 is available on the HP Korea web site.

Thanks to iPAQabilities for the tip.