HP introduces big-and-brawny iPaq 610 and iPaq 910 handhelds

Bonnie Cha | Sep 07, 2007

In addition to several other mobile product announcements, HP showed off two new handhelds, and they're not for the faint of heart.

Editors' note:

HP will host an Asia Pacific press event next week . The Asian availability of these handhelds will be verified then.

First, there's the HP iPaq 610 Business Navigator, a quad-band mobile with support for HSDPA and assisted GPS with integrated Google Maps. The Windows Mobile 6 (Professional Edition) device is also equipped with Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi (802.11b/g with WPA2 security), 256MB Flash ROM/128MB SDRAM, and a 3-megapixel camera. Like the previous HP iPaq 510 Voice Messenger, the iPaq 610 has more of a voice-centric focus and includes the same advanced voice command system found in the 510, but it does tout a bigger 2.8-inch screen (versus 2 inches diagonally), and it's a touch screen to boot. Another design enhancement is the new Smart Touch wheel found in middle of the alphanumeric keypad that lets you scroll through the various menus items. The iPaq 600 series is slated to ship in late September for about US$600 for an unlocked version.

Now, for the messaging fanatics, there's the HP iPaq 910 Business Manager. As the successor to the HP iPaq hw6900 series, the iPaq 910 has a full QWERTY keyboard, push email capabilities, and a 2.46-inch touch screen. Many of the PDA-phone's other features are the same as the iPaq 610's, including HSDPA support, assisted GPS, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and a 3-megapixel camera. While availability is expected to be late November or early December, HP did not release pricing information. There were no carrier announcements at this time, either.

This story first appeared on CNET Crave.