3GSM: HP Turns iPAQ Into A Cellphone

HP is moving its iPAQ PDA range into the candybar cellphone arena with the announcement of the iPAQ 510 Voice Messenger at the 3GSM mobile conference in Barcelona.

The iPAQ 510 announcement has beat Microsoft to the chase in officially unveiling Windows Mobile 6, becoming one of the first announced devices for Microsoft’s latest mobile OS.

The GSM / EDGE capable phone will come with built-in WiFi and email support, but will feature a traditional candybar phone handset, rather than a QWERTY one. This will be offset, HP believes, by the vast array of voice control the phone will have - as well as being able to dictate over 20 commands to the phone, it will be able to read your emails to you ; and then draft responses using voice recognition software.

The phone will also come with VOIP support as well as Bluetooth, microSD and a 1.3 megapixel camera. We’re promised 6.5 hours of talktime and up to 260 hours on standby, though all that WiFi and Bluetooth should take care of that...

The phone is very much being aimed at HP’s corporate customers familiar with the company brand, though a commercial version will go on sale when the phone is released sometime towards Spring no operators have yet been announced for either the US or Europe, where the phone will be known as the iPAQ 514. HP is expecting the phone to fall into the $300 - $350 price range.