Windows Phone Thoughts: HP iPAQ 100 Classic Handheld

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First out of the gate we have the HP iPAQ 100 series Classic Handheld. I wasn't sure if any OEM would do a "Classic" Windows Mobile device (which is what we think of as a non-phone Pocket PC), but HP did and I think that's a good thing. Spec wise, it's not bad at all: a 624 mhz Marvell PXA310 CPU, 3.5 inch 320 x 240 LCD screen, 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, 64 MB RAM, 256 MB Flash ROM, 1200 mAh battery, weighing in at 3.68 ounces. They switched to a miniUSB connector for sync/charge, which I give them a big thumbs-up for. Better late than never! The device size is 4.59" x 2.71" x 0.54".

It retains the SD card slot, which is now SDHC compatible, meaning those big 8 GB memory cards will work in this. All in all, this looks like a great device for someone that wants a standard PDA. The only down side? I think the $299 price point is a bit too high - I think if they hit the $199 price point they'd move more units. At this point in the evolution of mobile devices, the people who aren't using converged mobile devices are likely the price-sensitive types who either don't feel they need a device for organization purposes or don't want to invest much in them. HP should have this device compete with the low-end Palm Zire units, and at $299 it's just too expensive to really do that. But if you want a new device that isn't a phone, and you don't need or want a VGA screen, the iPAQ 100 looks like a solid choice. Check out the complete spec sheet if you want more details. We'll do our best to get you a review of this new device as well.