Hewlett-Packard (HP) has teamed up with a number of Taiwan-based makers in a bid to strengthen it market position in the dedicated PDA and PDA phone segments, according to sources at Taiwan handset makers.

The company released its new PDA device, the iPAQ 112, in South Korea last week and unveiled the product in Taiwan on December 25.

The iPAQ 112 features a 3.5-inch touch screen and runs on Windows Mobile 6 OS and is powered by a Marvell PXA310 processor. The handheld device, which also supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, carries a suggested retail price of NT$9,900 (US$305).

While outsourcing the production of the iPAQ 112 to the Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry) Group, HP is contracting the production of two PDA phones, the iPAQ 610 and iPAQ 910, to Inventec Appliances, according to sources at the makers.

The launch of the iPAQ 610 and iPAQ 910, both supporting the 3.5G standard, was originally set for the fourth quarter of this year but has been postponed to the first half of 2008 due to certification problems, the sources indicated.

HP has also teamed up with Compal Communications for the development of three smartphone phones with specifications yet to be decided, said the sources, noting that the iPAQs manufactured by Compal may come out in the second half of 2008 at the earliest.

Labels: HP

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