HP iPAQ Has Nine Lives

Smart phones won the war for your pocket-space, beating out PDAs like the tired PalmPilot or the HP iPAQ. Last year HP introduced a new iPAQ. It was intended to be a full-featured traveler's companion that included HP's first GPS. But it was too much of a mobile PC and not a terrific travel mate.

Today HP is trying again, and in a tough market. GPS systems from Garmin, Mio, and Magellan are all trying to differentiate themselves in a crowded market with various extras like music, photos, video, and organizers. Can the new HP iPAQ Travel Companion make it?

The new system masks the underlying Windows environment with a well thought out HP custom interface. In addition to spoken voice turn-by-turn directions and the traditional street maps, HP's iPAQ Travel Companion's big wow is a 3D driving view. Seriously—it feels like you're driving in a video game. I'm sure I'd get used to it eventually, but frankly I was too busy spotting architectural landmarks in NYC to follow the driving directions. All that was missing from having a shoot ‘em up experience were the weapons. With its own built-in accelerator, the iPAQ's graphics are fast and realistic. With a 4.3-inch display screen and large menu buttons, your chance of screwing up while driving is diminished.

A special service debuting from HP this fall will provide information and let you arrange and store your travel plans in HP's travel portal. You can even find kindred travelers to recommend sites and lodging.

A Bluetooth connection lets you use your cell phone hand free. And, in keeping with the GPS as a car entertainment device, the iPAQ also stores (an SD card) and plays MP3 music, videos, photos, and even a few pre-installed games. It's got 2MB of flash ROM and a standard mini-USB connector for transferring content.

The iPAQ Travel Companion will be available this fall and my guess is it will cost $499, though you'll need to check with HP's pricing.

For those of you who pine for simpler days, HP also announced the HP iPAQ 100, a modern version of the classic PDA.

If HP services like the portal turn out to be well implemented and added value, then the iPAQ Travel Companion has a chance. (After all, there was a time when no one thought HP could make a digital camera either.)