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"Whoa. Welcome back, iPAQ. What you see here is the HP iPAQ K3 "Obsidian," which has made an appearance in Vietnam a couple of months after we first learned of its existence. VNExpress has it that this Windows Mobile 6.5 phone sports a 2.46-inch AMOLED touchscreen at 320x240 pixels, a Qualcomm 7200A processor @ 528MHz, 256MB RAM/512MB ROM, GPS, 3.2MB camera and WiFi b/g. So, things have been upgraded since we saw the early leaked specs."

Oh HP, how I mourn the loss of the iPAQ line - please let your comeback actually keep the line going. This looks like a step in the right direction (WM 6.5, all the usual bells and whistles), but with HP's track record of slipping release dates, who knows when we'll see it. It is branded though, which is a good sign we may see it before 2012.

Product Category: 3G touch PDA Phone with embedded keyboard

Manufacturer: HP

Where to Buy: Expansys [affiliate]

Price: $484 USD

System Requirements: Runs Windows Mobile 6.1

Specifications: Marvell PXA270 Processor running at 416 Mhz, 128 MB of RAM and 256 MB of ROM. Quad-band GSM/GPRS and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA, able to get 3G/H anywhere it's available. 3.0 megapixel camera, USB 2.0, BT 2.0 with EDR. 1940 mAh battery, 802.11b/g. Weight is 154g (5.4oz) with battery.

Pros:

• Solidly built, very reliable, lightweight and easily pocketable;
• Keyboard feel/design works well to prevent keying errors -- very solid tactile response;
• GPS sensitivity and stability is excellent;
• Battery life is very good.

Cons:

• Accessories package is a bit light -- should have included a cover/case and a second stylus;
• The position of the USB sync port and its rubber cover are a pain to work around.

Summary: I've owned numerous HP iPAQs over the years -- from the venerable 1950 through the Jornada series to the Messengers. While HP is not always the first with the latest and greatest features on their PDAs, I've always been impressed by the quality and reliability of their products. The hardware is very durable and stands up to the rigors of daily office and personal use, and the software provided clearly has the corporate user in mind. The HP iPAQ 910c Business Manager is no exception. This is a solidly built unit that will serve the business/corporate user very well. It doesn't come with a sexy, gesture-based interface, but it does everything it claims to do well, and consistently. Read more...

"HP's mobile strategy has recently left a few open questions in some analyst's heads. As TamsPPC has had an excellent relationship with HP ever since we debuted on a rx4240, we proudly present you this interview with Rudolf Gruber. Rudolf Gruber is the sales manager for mobile devices for HP Austria - he sat down with us for a no-holds-barred interview looking at topics like custom UI's, PDAs, the future of touchscreen devices and Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrades."

I want to commend Tom Hanna of TamsPPC for asking some necessary questions of HP and writing this article. That said, I was extremely disappointed with this interview; if anything, it reinforces my negative perception of HP. They refuse to go into detail about how they will differentiate themselves from the rest of the industry ("investing a lot of R&D"? Meaning?) and sidestep many of the issues (the WM6.1 "explanation" was particularly bad, in my opinion, even from a business standpoint). To be brutally honest, I think HP deserves its increasingly marginal role; it could have owned the entire handheld world a few years ago, but tossed it out the window, and still doesn't have a clue, despite making a few attractive devices. Is there anyone in our readership that plans to invest in HP mobile devices in the near future?

So yea - there are now some pretty slick looking iPAQs in the pipeline, but not everyone in the world will get to enjoy their features. Specifically, those in the Europe / Middle East / Asia Pacific markets may come across them (With high speed data through of a deal with Vodafone), but North Americans need not apply. Its a shame too, for once the stats on these HP devices look current and they certainly appear sleek from a design standpoint. Pictured above is the Data Messenger, the voice messenger and stats appearing after the break!

Read more...

"The HP iPAQ 910c Business Messenger is, as its name implies, a very good business phone. Like the BlackBerry Curve, it proves that business phones can be attractive and we do like the looks and compact size. It's a dream phone for those who love the T-Mobile Dash, Moto Q9 and BlackJack II but want Windows Mobile Pro rather than standard edition. The QWERTY-bar design is ever-popular in the US and we do love it for easier one-handed operation and expedience. The iPAQ doesn't bring any flashy design elements as do the HTC Touch Pro or Omnia, but we'll largely forgive that since it aims to be a solid business and messaging phone rather than an iPhone competitor. That said, we do wish it had a flush touch screen which would make it both more attractive and finger-friendly. While the iPAQ couldn't be described as an iPhone killer, it certainly is a Treo killer and we're impressed with the display, features, design and build quality compared to recent Windows Mobile Treo models."

More iPAQ 910 reviews have surfaced, courtesy of PocketPCSoft.net and MobileTechReview, and they seem to confirm what others have said in the past: it's a winner. If you're after a solid, no-frills device, this looks like the one to get.

Our buddy, Chris, has just unboxed the HP iPAQ 910. The quad-band GSM/EDGE and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA device is impressive, packing 128MB RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 3.0-megapixel auto-focus camera, a huge 1940mAh battery (HTC, are you taking note of this?), and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. Alas, some of you may be let down by its QVGA display. But if you can look past that, this may be the device for you.