In a bold move, the handheld industry's number one Pocket PC vendor,Hewlett-Packard, has greatly expanded its line-up of Pocket PC handhelds with the introduction of a number of new models, the iPAQ h2210, h1940, h1940 and h5550. The availability of these new PDAs coincides with Microsoft's announcement today of its latest mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PC, which is featured on all of HP's new devices.

According to HP, its mid-range iPAQ h2210, is the smallest dual slot (Secure Digital and CompactFlash Type II) Pocket PC on the market. The device comes with 64 MB of RAM and the 400-MHz Intel X-Scale PXA255 processor. A slipcase and desktop cradle with an extra battery slot for charging is included with the device, and a variety of optional accessories are available, including extra styli, a spare lithium-ion battery, auto adapter and a variety of cases.


iPAQ h2210

The h2210 also includes integrated Bluetooth, and Nevo's universal remote control software, allowing users to control all their home and office audio and video equipment with a single device. It sells for $399.

At the low-end is HP's iPAQ h1940, the company's sequel to its first budget-priced Pocket PC, the h1910. HP said the h1940 has a similar slim design to the earlier model. It has a Secure Digital In Out (SDIO) slot for memory and peripheral expansion, as well integrated Bluetooth. The h1940 weighs 4.37 ounces.


iPAQ h1940

The h1940 includes 64 MB of RAM and the 266-MHz Samsung S3C2410 processor. A synchronization cable is included with the device, and a variety of optional accessories are available, including a USB cradle with an extra battery slot for charging, extra styli, a spare lithium-ion battery, auto adapter and a variety of cases. The h1940 costs around $299.

At the high-end, HP has added two new Pocket PC's to the iPAQ 5400 series, the h5150 and h5550. Both models include a removable slim battery (1250mAh) and integrated Bluetooth. The h5150 is similar to the h550 except it doesn't have a biometric fingerprint reader or integrated Wi-Fi.

The h5550 is the first Pocket PC to include 128 MB of RAM as well as integrated biometrics security and Wi-Fi 802.11b wireless access. This model also includes up to 17 MB of iPAQ File Store (non-volatile flash storage). It is slated to sell for $649.


iPAQ h5550

The h5150 also incorporates Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi can be added to the device via an SDIO wireless LAN card or the HP PC Card Expansion Pack Plus and a wireless LAN card. This model includes 64 MB of RAM and up to 4 MB of iPAQ File Store. It should go for around $549.


iPAQ h5150

The h5150 and h5550 also incorporate applications that include the iPAQ Backup utility and iPAQ Task Manager. These models feature a 400-MHz Intel XScale PXA255 processor, a desktop cradle and holster case. A variety of optional accessories are available, including slim and extended removable batteries, extra styli, auto adapter and a variety of cases.

For more details on all the new iPAQs check out their hardware information pages bellow.