HP's New iPaq Phones Come Well Connected Minnesota

The iPaq 610's on-keypad navigation wheel helps users move about the large display. Hewlett-Packard may not be the first name that comes to mind if you're a business traveler on the prowl for a new smart phone. But a couple of well-connected and feature-rich new iPaqs may change that perception.

Both the iPaq 610 Business Navigator and the iPaq 910 Business Messenger support quad-band GSM voice (so you can use the phones almost anywhere you travel) and high-speed data networks (UMTS for the Messenger and the faster HSDPA for the Navigator). Both devices also support 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and assisted GPS (which requires carrier support) for mapping and navigation.

The 610 sports a standard cell phone keypad, but with an unusual design innovation: a touch-sensitive navigation wheel embossed across most of the keys. Its 240-by-320 portrait-mode screen measures a generous 2.8 inches diagonally. The iPaq 910 features a 2.5-inch, 320-by-240 landscape-mode display atop its full QWERTY keyboard for thumb or index-finger typists.

Both the 610 and the 910 are Windows Mobile 6 smart phones with 3-megapixel cameras, powerful 520-MHz Marvell (formerly Intel) XScale processors, and a slew of business-friendly proprietary HP applications and services. For example, HP's Enterprise Mobility Suite provides device management features for enterprise customers, while the iPaq Device Connect software lets you easily use these phones as wireless modems for connecting notebook PCs.

Unlocked for use with any GSM carrier, both IPaq models will sell for around $600, HP says.