The HPiPAQ is a combination pocket personal computer and personal digital assistant and was first offered by Compaq in April of 2000. The name came from Compaq’s earlier iPAQ desktop personal computers. Hewlett-Packard acquired Compaq and since that time, the product has been marketed by that company. Its main competition is the Palm; however, it offers more multimedia capabilities. It uses a Microsoft Windows interface, but some Linux programs will operate on the iPAQ. Modular units in the form of sleeves added such things as a card reader, wireless networking, GPS, and batteries.
Currently, those features are in the base unit. HP’s first SmartPhone iPaq looked like a cell phone and had VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) capability. Digital Equipment Corporation had developed the iPAQ and called it Itsy, which name was used by Compaq for their handhelds. When HP acquired Compaq, it discontinued its own line of Microsoft-Windows-powered handhelds and shifted to marketing the iPAQs. The h3xxx line of iPAQs was discontinued by HP and replaced by the h1xxx line, which was designed to appeal to buyers who didn’t want to spend as much. It also added the h2xxx line for consumers and the h5xxx line for business customers. Windows Mobile was pre-installed in the Pocket PC 2003.
The h63xx series, which runs the phone edition of Windows Mobile 2003 and the hx47xx series and the rz17xx series, both of which run the second edition of Windows Mobile 2003, came out in 2004. The iPAQ Mobile Messenger hw6500 series was announced to media at the 3GSM conference in Cannes, France, in February of 2005 ... more>>>