Windows Mobile fans take note — 30 new handsets powered by your mobile OS of choice will supposedly be debuting before you again sing a drunken version of Auld Lang Syne. Benjamin Tan, senior director of the GCR Mobile Team Unit at Microsoft China, let loose the rumor that an avalanche of new Windows Mobile 6.5 handsets from HTC, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson, Acer, Toshiba, HP and more will be released in the waning months of 2009. Carriers who have jumped on board this Window Mobile bonanza include AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone, NTT DoCoMO, Softbank Mobile,  SKT, Telstra and Telus. Bottom line: no matter where you are located or what you prefer in a smartphone, there will apparently be a Windows Phone to suit your needs in 2009.

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One of our ninjas just blessed us with a look at a portion of AT&T’s Windows Mobile road-map for the rest of the year. Quickly glancing at it we can see that the AT&T Tilt 2 will obviously launch in October, and refreshingly, the Samsung Epix and Samsung Jack will be getting upgrades to Windows Mobile 6.5 courtesy of upcoming maintenance releases. What’s more exciting, however, are the HP Obsidian and LG Monaco launches. While not brand new to the world, it’s nice to know that these Windows Mobile business-focused handsets will finally see the light of day come November. We know October is going to be full of 6.5 handsets like the Tilt 2 and Pure, and November shows no signs of slowing down either. Here’s a quick refresher on specifications for the LG Monaco and HP Obsidian and a larger shot after the break:

HP Obsidian:

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz)
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Wi-Fi b,g
• QWERTY keyboard
• microSD slot
• GPS
• 3.5mm headset jack
• Windows Mobile 6.5

LG Monaco:

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA (850/1900/2100MHz)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Wi-Fi b,g
• Slide-out full QWERTY keyboard
• GPS
• 5 megapixel autofocus camera

Thanks, Feech!

Yesterday we exclusively pinned the launch of Verizon’s HTC Touch Pro2 as September 11th with an extremely competitive price tag of $199.99. Following those juicy little tidbits, a tipster hit us with the new VZW rebate sheet hot off the presses. You know the disclaimer — a handset’s presence on a rebate sheet doesn’t necessarily mean it will launch during the sheet’s period of validity. At the same time, it certainly suggests a general time frame and supports our reported date. Beyond an appearance by the Touch Pro2 at the very end of the handset list, we also see the Nokia 7705 Twist, which is reportedly launching online on September 13th for $149.99, and then through additional channels the following week. The Samsung Rogue and Intensity are also present and accounted for, both set to launch on the 8th for $99.99 and $29.99 respectively. Hit the jump for a larger version of the rebate sheet.

Thanks, E!

Just a few days ago we told you that Verizon Wireless stores were getting the HP Mini 1151NR and now we have official confirmation (from an announcement going out tomorrow) along with a few more details. First off, pricing is indeed $199.99 after $50 mail-in rebate and on a 2-year Mobile Broadband contract. Also confirmed are pricing plans, which many will be happy to learn start at just $39.99 a month for 250MB. Yup, Verizon has upped the data allowance on the $39.99 plan from 50MB and overage is still set at 10 cents per megabyte. Unchanged is the $59.99 per month plan, complete with 5GB and 5 cents per megabyte overage. For the additional twenty bucks a month, we think going with the latter is a safer bet if you’re going to be doing more with your connected HP Mini than just checking a few emails and light browsing from time to time. Hit the jump for the full press release along with a second release, also due out tomorrow, covering Verizon’s full mobile broadband portfolio.

HP Mini 1151NR from Verizon Wireless

The HP Mini 1151NR is available on the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network on May 17, 2009.  This netbook offers customers a compact, lightweight device with the added benefit of Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband network built right into the HP Mini 1151NR.  Customers traveling abroad can use Verizon Wireless’ GlobalAccess service to stay connected, informed and entertained in more than 175 destinations; more than 45 of those destinations offer 3G speeds.

The HP Mini 1151NR will be available online at www.verizonwireless.com and in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores. It will cost $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and new two- year activation on a Mobile Broadband plan. Customers will receive the rebate in the form of a debit card; upon receipt, customers may use the card as cash anywhere debit cards are accepted.

Key Specifications

·          Mobile Broadband – EV-DO Revision A (Rev. A) Embedded
·          GlobalAccess – Qualcomm Gobi chipset (quad-band GPRS/EDGE/GSM and tri-band HSPA/UMTS)
·          802.11b/g WLAN and Bluetooth®
·          Wired Ethernet RJ-45
·          Display – 10.1″ Flush Glass (1024 x 576) diagonal LED BrightView Infinity display
·          Weight – 2.4 Pounds
·          Dimensions – 1″ x 10.3″ x 6.6″
·          Power – three-cell battery, 30W AC Adapter
·          Processor – Intel Atom N270
·          Processor Speed – 1.6 GHz
·          System Memory – 1 GB RAM
·          Storage Hard Drive – 80 GB hard disk drive
·          Operating System – Windows XP Home Edition; Service Pack 3
·          USB Ports – Two USB 2.0 ports
·          Video – VGA out (requires optional accessory); built-in Webcam 640 x 480, 30 fps
·          Audio – Stereo speakers, integrated microphone, combo headphone/microphone jack
·          Removable memory – combo SD/MMC card slot
·          Limited Warranty – one-year

Verizon Wireless Connectivity Capabilities
·          Mobile Broadband – Verizon Wireless’ high-speed wireless network is enhanced with
EV-DO Rev. A technology for fast and efficient Web browsing and access to corporate Intranet and e-mail. Mobile Broadband is available across the U.S. so that customers can keep working when they are on-the-go.  Select from one- or two-year Mobile Broadband plans that offer:

·          $39.99 monthly access for 250 MB monthly allowance and 10 cents per megabyte overage
·          $59.99 monthly access with a 5 GB monthly allowance and 5 cents per megabyte overage

·          GlobalAccess – The HP Mini 1151NR makes it easy for customers to stay connected when traveling abroad with GlobalAccess. The HP Mini 1151NR with the embedded Qualcomm Gobi^TM chipset, works to provide streamlined global mobile broadband access on both CDMA and GSM wireless networks in more than 175 destinations worldwide. Customers will receive a SIM card when they sign up for a GlobalAccess plan. Monthly or pay per use GlobalAccess plans include:

• GlobalAccess Monthly Plan starts at $129.99 monthly access, offering a 100 MB allowance in more than 30 select international destinations ($0.005/KB after allowance), as well as 5 GB allowance for the U.S. and Canada and $0.25/MB overage. All other destinations are charged pay-per-use rates.
• Global Access Pay Per Use is perfect for occasional use and must be purchased with a $59.99 Mobile Broadband service plan in the U.S.  The Pay Per Use rate is $0.002/KB in Canada, $0.005/KB in Mexico, and $0.02/KB in more than 175 other destinations.

Capabilities (with appropriate Verizon Wireless service plans)

·          E-mail – view, edit, and create e-mail messages with attachments
·          Web browse – experience a full Web browsing experience
·          Instant Messaging and Social Networking
·          Videos and movies – playback videos and movies downloaded via SD card or USB CD/DVD external drive
·          Photos – view and create albums or transfer via SD card
·          Microsoft Works® – view, but not edit, Microsoft Word and Excel files

Key Pre-Installed Applications
More than 30 applications come pre-installed on the HP Mini 1151NR Netbook including:

·          VZ Access Manager
·          Internet Explorer 7®
·          Adobe® Reader®  and Flash® Player
·          Microsoft® Works (share and edit Works Word Processor and Spreadsheet files with Microsoft® Office Word and
·          Windows Media Player 11^TM
·          HP Wireless Assistant
·          Symantec® Norton Internet Security 2009 (including 60-days of complimentary live updates)
·          AOL® AIM®
· Microsoft® Office Excel and vice versa

———————————–

STAY CONNECTED IN MORE PLACES WITH WIRELESS ACCESS ON PC CARDS, MIFI, NETBOOKS AND MORE FROM VERIZON WIRELESS

Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband Gives Customers Many Options for Accessing the Internet in More Places

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – On the heels of today’s announcement that customers can use the HP Mini 1151 NR netbook to access the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network, Verizon Wireless also announced beginning Sunday, it will automatically increase the data allowance fivefold for all Mobile Broadband customers on its lowest priced monthly plan.  In addition, the company will also introduce new pricing for its Mobile Broadband Connect customers.

Verizon Wireless customers will be able to select from Mobile Broadband month-to-month, one- or two-year plans that include:
·          $39.99 monthly access for 250 MB monthly allowance and 10 cents per megabyte overage (currently, the plan offers 50 MB for $39.99 monthly access and 25 cents per megabyte overage)
·          $59.99 monthly access with a 5 GB monthly allowance and 5 cents per megabyte overage (currently, the plan offers 5 GB for $59.99 monthly access and 25 cents per megabyte overage)

Verizon Wireless’ Mobile Broadband DayPass is $15 for 24-hour access when any Mobile Broadband device is purchased at full retail price without a monthly service plan.

Mobile Broadband Connect lets customers use their handsets as modems.  Beginning Sunday, Verizon Wireless customers can add Mobile Broadband Connect for $49.99 with any qualifying voice plan.  Other Mobile Broadband options include:
·          $15 with a Nationwide Email Plan
·          $30 with a $29.99 or greater data plan or feature
Each option gives customers 5 GB of data usage, and the overage charge will change from 25 cents to 5 cents per MB over the allowance.

Although actual file sizes and customer experiences will vary, the following chart provides an example of different applications based on approximate size assumptions:

The VZAccess Manager solution from Verizon Wireless gives customers easy connection management and automatic installation on Windows® and Mac systems.  The software also allows customers to view Wi-Fi hotspots in their areas.  Beginning this month, customers who reach specific usage allowance thresholds will be able to receive automatic alerts that pop up during their active sessions in VZAccess Manager.

For more information about Mobile Broadband from Verizon Wireless, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or visit www.verizonwireless.com/mobilebroadband.

How do you pass the time when you’re sitting in a train, plane or bus? Do you listen to music or surf the web on your phone? Are you the type who likes to get some work or emails done on your daily commute? For those of us who like to think we’re being productive during our travels, or maybe just productive in general, meet Peter V. Brett. While commuting on the subway to and from work, Brett was writing a novel — on his smartphone! Brett adhered to a strict writing schedule (his train commute) and produced about 100,000 words over the course of two years. The fruits of his labor came together in The Warded Man, or The Painted Man as it’s called in other countries, a fantasy fiction novel that has been well-received by critics everywhere. While some of you may already be familiar with Mr. Brett’s story, he decided to share some details about his phone and gadget preferences with BGR. Hit the jump for the interview!

What prompted you to write a novel on your phone? Was it something planned or did it just happen by chance?

I would say it happened more out of necessity than planning or chance. I wanted to write a book, but I had a steady job with a successful PR firm in Times Square, a wife, friends, family, and a long commute. There was never time. I wrote whenever I could get the chance, but there just never seemed to be enough hours in the day.

I was also shackled to my computer. I was the first kid on the block with a home PC in the 80’s, and have done all my writing digitally ever since. Of course, my handwriting suffered as a result, so when I write by hand, I felt like a crypto-linguist trying to crack some foreign military code as I key the notes into my digital files later.

I had a laptop, of course, but you can’t effectively use a laptop on a New York City subway at rush hour, or any of a number of other places where you have a short window of downtime and want to quickly jot down an idea or snippet of prose. Writing on a hand-held digital device was really the only logical solution.

Have you written long pieces of work on your phone prior to the novel?

Nothing really comparable, but I’ve always used it for blogging, too, which probably adds up to a lot over the years, now that I think of it.

What kind of phone did you use and what condition was it in after the whole process was done?

I started taking notes on a Nokia music phone, which had a comfortable design for its QWERTY keyboard, but it had a minuscule screen, and you could only type short note files. The sync software was also terrible, and the phone’s whole operating system had a tendency to freeze up every time I got on the subway and it was cut off from the network.

After that, I moved on to the Palm m515, which would sync with MSWord, but required you to write with the stylus using their graffiti letters, which was a really frustrating interface. I got pretty fast with it, but it was still very inefficient for writing large amounts of text.

It wasn’t until I switched to the HP iPaq 6515 with Windows Mobile that I began to really write significant amounts of text on a mobile device. The 6515 had a huge screen and a well-spread QWERTY keyboard with space between each raised key. It was very easy to write on, and between my commute, lunch hour, and other downtime, I began to average between 700-800 words a day, every day, written on the phone.

This destroyed the battery, of course. I don’t think it was designed for that kind of heavy use. Writing depleted power very quickly, so that I had to charge it 3 times a day, and eventually had to buy a much bulkier battery that doubled the phone’s already considerable thickness. It was also a very buggy device, crashing often and having sync problems, which worsened with the heavy use.

Are you still using that same phone today?

Last fall I bought a more recent version, the iPaq 910, which fixed many (if not all) of the operating bugs of its ancestor. However, the screen is like 1/3 the size of the 6515, and the keyboard much more cramped, so it doesn’t give as good an interface. Still, I use it daily, and have written many tens of thousands of words on it.

Are you very particular about your gadgets and smartphones? What are your top three requirements for a smartphone?

I am incredibly particular, but no matter how careful I am in selecting a device, it is usually obsolete the moment I take it out of the box. Any smartphone by this point should be passable as a phone, planner, organizer, and e-mail client. Assuming those things as a given, my three priorities are as follows:

My main focus is writing, so the device needs a comfortable physical keyboard and a good word processor I can sync with MS Word. This precludes the iPhone, at least for the moment.

My next requirement is music/videos, which most smartphones can provide once you buy extra memory, but it eats battery life and system resources like crazy, and doesn’t have nearly the memory, speed, or easy functionality of my 80GB iPod video, which I am therefore still forced to carry.

Third is internet access & functionality, which some phones do better than others, but none do to satisfaction, mainly due to the limitations of screen size.

When one gadget call do all of the above, I’ll be satisfied until they invent the tricorder.

Did you ever lose a significant portion of work due to system crashes or errors? How did you save your daily work?

Like most people whose entire livelihood is digital, I sync and back up constantly. I mirror all my files up to an external drive nightly, and to a flash drive on my keychain and my laptop frequently. My most vital and/or active stuff is also backed up to the phone.

Since large files require too much system resource and are difficult to navigate on the phone, I usually break novels into individual chapters that I can work on both on the phone and desktop until they are complete and can be added to the main file. That also minimizes loss if the active file gets corrupted, or if Activesync glitches and saves the wrong version of an Office Mobile file, which happens occasionally (though not as often since I got the iPaq 910).

Aside from technical issues, what other problems did you run into while writing on the train? Thumbs cramping, seating space or crowded areas?

I was riding a New York City subway at rush hour, heading to Times Square, so seating was always a problem. You can’t thumb-write with one hand holding onto a rail. My stop in Brooklyn is far out enough that I could get a seat 70% of the time on the way into the city in the morning, but the reverse was true on the way home when I was getting on at 42nd St. I became an expert at reading people to see which were gathering their things to disembark, and positioned myself to snag their seats before anyone else realized they were getting up. Once I was sitting, I would just put on the iPod, tune out my surroundings, and start writing. The rest of the trip would often go by in an instant, and I would sometimes even miss my stop because I was so engrossed in the writing that I forgot to keep track.

When the novel was completed, how did you feel about your accomplishment? Do you think you’ll ever write another novel on your phone again?

I had a huge sense of accomplishment, but it was more about the book itself than the technicalities of how it was written. Writing a 400+ page novel requires considerable commitment under any circumstances, and I put my heart and soul into The Warded Man. It was picked up by publishers all over the world long before the fact that much of it was written on a mobile device became common knowledge.

About 50% of the sequel, The Desert Spear, was written on my phone as well, and I expect the third book, The Daylight War, will have more or less the same ratio. Even though I am writing full time now and no longer commute, now that I am no longer shackled to my desk, I see no reason to put the chains back on.

We at BGR are very thankful for Mr. Brett’s time and wish him all the best with his future projects! His novel, The Warded Man, is currently available from Amazon.com as well as major retailers across the country (and world).

We’ve just received firm confirmation that Verizon Wireless’ first netbook offering  — the HP Mini 1151NR — is currently starting to touch down in stores across the country. We first scooped it in February and then confirmed the model in March so the only thing left to tell you, of course, is the launch date. Mark it down in your calendars folks: May 17th via all channels; the same day Verizon’s MiFi personal hotspot drops. Pricing isn’t yet appearing in Big Red’s system but we’re hearing it will be $199 with a 2-year contract after MIR. Of course some people will jump right into complaining and adding up monthly fees ($40 or $60/month), saying that this isn’t a good deal. It’s true — you’ll end up spending between $960 and $1,440 over your 2-year contract period for data access. To those people, we suggest buying a comparable netbook with an integrated data card ($450ish) or a comparable data-less netbook ($300ish) and a USB modem/data card off contract ($250ish). Then pay, yeah, $40 or $60 every month for data anyway.

Thanks, krazyVZW!

Just this past week, Verizon confirmed that it will be selling an undisclosed netbook in its corporate stores starting in Q2 2009. Sure enough, one of our ninjas sent through an approved device list confirming that the netbook in question is indeed the HP Mini 1000. The Qualcomm GOBI-packing, EV-DO Rev. A netbook was approved by Verizon Wireless on March 24th. No release date or pricing are available just yet but we would not be surprised if it debuted carrying a $99 price tag — with a 2-year contract of course. Woo! Hit the jump for the obligatory blurrycam shot.

One of our trusty ninjas just hit us up with a couple details on some of Verizon’s upcoming products and product offerings. First off.. Netbooks. We’ve been told that Verizon Wireless will 100% start selling Netbooks in stores around May of this year. The first one looks to be a 10-inch HP Mini which should go for $99 on a 2-year agreement (with BroadbandAccess plan). On a related note, we’ve been told that AT&T is in the process of setting this up as well (selling Netbooks in stores).

The hate-it-or-love-it Verizon Hub home phone will be getting an upgrade to enable streaming radio on or around February 22nd.

There’s a new feature for Verizon Wireless subscribers rolling out called Media Manager. What we’re told this does is enable you to backup all your ringtones, games, and phone content to one location for free as long as you use the My Account feature online. Basically think of it as a free backup assistant, rumored to be rolling out momentarily.

The BlackBerry Apex (BlackBerry 8230) we’re told was removed from Verizon’s data devices road map. Our contact doesn’t know why or what it possibly means, but he said it either means it is coming very soon (likely) or not being released at all (unlikely).

Finally, the BlackBerry Niagara. We showed you the first photo of it, and it turns out it is pretty much spot on. We do have some more information, however. You can definitely think of it as a cross between the Bold and the Curve 8900. It’s bigger than the Curve, but smaller than the Bold. It has the same 480×320 screen resolution as the bold, and thankfully we’re told rocks the same processor as well (624MHz CPU). Lastly, it runs the 4.6 OS but you didn’t really need us to tell you that. In terms of release date, you’re going to be a little disappointed — we don’t have one. We were originally told by our original tipster that the Niagara would launch in May of ‘09 on Verizon, and darn it, that looks pretty accurate. When we have something confirmed, we’ll obviously share that news. Below is a recap of the information we reported on the Niagara when we broke the news:

• “Large screen family”
• QWERTY keyboard
• 480×360 LCD
• EV-DO Rev. A
• aGPS
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• 4.7 OS platform
• BES 5.0 support (HTML email, etc)
• Qualcomm MSM7600 processor

Pretty good, eh?

Thanks, NotHTCKid!

This one has been in the pipeline for quite some time, but it’s good to see HP finally placing their official stamp on their flagship home media server. The MediaSmart EX485/487 is a powerhouse of a entertainment box, sporting either 750GB or 1.5TB of storage space depending on the spec level. In a nod to the increasing prominence of Apple hardware, both the 485 and 487 are compatible with both OSX and Apple’s new Time Capsule storage device, though you’ll need a Windows box to access all of the Admin-level stuff. Both devices also sport a 2.0 Ghz Celeron processor, 2GB of RAM, 4 drive bays, an eSATA port, 4 USB ports, Amazon S3 support, and much more, all running atop the latest vesion of Windows Home Server. The boxes also come complete with a customized version of Twonky’s streaming media server, allowing you to access your songs and photos from any computer with a broadband connection. All of this goodness comes at a price, however, with the 485 setting you back $599 and the 487 running you a cool $750. Given the feature set, however, we’re pretty confident that more than a few of you will be eager to scoop one of these things up when they become available on the 5th of January.

[Via Gizmodo]

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Beginning in early 2009, HP will become the first notebook manufacturer to make use of Boston-Power’s new battery technology. The Sonata battery, developed by the Massachusetts firm, represents a major leap in lithium-ion battery technology with regards to two major claims: Firstly, Boston-Power states that its batteries will deliver like-new performance for an astounding three years. In other words, you won’t see six hours of battery life on your new laptop dwindle to four hours after just a few months. Secondly, the Sonata batteries charge incredibly quickly compared to current notebook batteries. The company claims that an empty Sonata battery will reach 80% of its charge capacity in just 30 minutes. If its batteries can manage to live up to the hype, Boston-Power will literally change the industry along with consumers’ expectations of it. HP has stated that it will offer Sonata batteries in several new models, each of which will be accompanied by a three-year warranty on the battery, and it will also offer Sonata replacement batteries for several existing notebook models. For the time being, pricing is still unknown but we have to say – we’d gladly pay some extra cash for a battery we knew would stay fresh for three years and charge in less than half the time it takes for most current batteries to charge. Gladly.

[Via SlipperyBrick]

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HP recently launched the Mini 1000 and now it has added integrated WWAN as an option during checkout. Users can select between an EV-DO modem for Verizon Wireless or an HSPA modem for AT&T. The integrated WWAN option will cost you an additional $199 for the modem and another $50 for 1GB RAM and a 60GB hard drive which are requirements for purchasing the integrated modem. All these extras bring the total cost of a 3G enabled Mini 1000 to a whopping $650. This is in stark contrast to the Dell Mini 9, which offers an AT&T subsidized 3g option that drives up the cost of the netbook by a mere $5 when you sign up for an AT&T data plan. If you just can’t resist the Mini 1000 and want integrated 3G without the additional cost, you can always crack open the case and install your own 3G card. Unfortunately, HP has locked the Bios so you can’t just pop in a card and have it work. You need to do some fancy hacking to get around the Bios lock but it reportedly is possible.

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HP announced on Wednesday the availability of its latest convertible tablet PC, the Touchsmart tx2. The Touchsmart tx2 sets itself apart from other tablets in the HP lineup by adding multi-touch to its list of features. The tx2 includes a capacitive multi-touch touchscreen that supports the use of gestures such as pinch, rotate, arc, flick, press and drag, and both single and double tap. The touchscreen has two modes of operation, the multi-touch interface to be used with your fingers and an “active digitizer” mode that is initialized with the stylus. When you are using the tx2 with a stylus, the multi-touch capabilities are turned off and the palm rejection feature is turned on. The tx2 ships with a fancy “imprint” finish, making it a consumer oriented notebook appropriate for a coffee shop and likely not a high powered business meeting. The base model starts at a reasonable $1,149 and has the following features:

• Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (32-bit)
• AMD Turion(TM) X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-72 (2.1GHz)
• 12.1″ diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen (1280×800)w/Integrated Touch-screen
• 3GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• ATI Radeon(TM) HD 3200 Graphics with 64MB Display Cache Memory
• 250GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
• Webcam with integrated microphone
• HP Imprint Finish (Reaction) and HP Color Matching Keyboard
• Wireless-G Card
• SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
• 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• Microsoft(R) Works 9.0

The base model can be upgraded for an additional cost to include a faster AMD processor, additional RAM, larger 5400RPM hard drive, Wireless N, bluetooth, a fingerprint reader and Windows Vista Ultimate. The Touchsmart tx2 is available now at HP’s online store.

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HP announced a new line of netbooks today that will debut in three different variations: The very much consumer oriented Mini 1000, the Linux-based Mobile Internet Experience (MIE) edition and the very fashionable Vivienne Tam edition. The new models will compliment and not replace their current netbook offering, the Mini Note 2133. All variants of the Mini 1000 will share the following features:

• Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz Processor
• 8.9″ or 10″ Brightview Backlight LED display with 1024×600 resolution. (Vivienne Tam is only available in 10″)
• up to 1GB DDR2 RAM
• black matte casing with a swirled imprint finish (Mini 1000 Standard and MIE version)
• vibrant red casing with a peony-flower inspired design (Vivienne Tam edition only)
• 92% full-size keyboard
• 8GB or 16GB SSD or a 60GB 1.8-inch hard drive
• expansion slot for a proprietary HP Mini Mobile flash drive (max of 8GB)
• 802.11b/g WLAN
• future mobile broadband/3G support
• 3-cell battery (3 hours run time)
• 10.3 in (L) x 6.56 in (W) x 0.99 in (H)
• 2.23 Lbs

The new Mini 1000 line will have a starting price of $379 for the Linux version and $399 for XP. The Windows XP versions of the Mini 1000 will be available from HP starting Wednesday, while those hoping to snag a new Linux machine will have to wait until next year. Hit the jump for a quick roundup of the features of the the fashionable Vivienne Tam edition and Linux-based MIE edition.

[Via Press Release]

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The Vivienne Tam edition is meant for the ladies, with its bold red keyboard and vivid floral design. If you open this netbook at your local Starbucks you’ll certainly turn some heads. It has the same specs as the plain Jane Mini 1000 but will come only in a Windows XP version with a 10″ display. Sorry ladies, no linux or 8.9″ display for you. The Vivienne Tam edition is expected to start around $699, though final pricing has not been released.

Last but not least is the Mini 1000 Mobile Internet Edition (MIE). Linux lovers can say bye, bye to the SUSE Linux of the Mini Note 2133 and say hello to the new Mobile Internet Experience (MIE), a proprietary OS built on top of Ubuntu Linux. The MIE version features an Instant-On Dashboard Interface and comes with pre-installed applications for web browsing, instant messaging and email as well as Skype for online video chat.

HP added two new Windows Mobile handsets, the Data Messenger and Voice Messenger, to its enterprise messenger line of smartphones on Monday. The Data Messenger is a touchscreen slider while the Voice messenger is non-touchscreen candy bar with a Blackberry Pearl-style SureType keyboard. The two phones are business oriented and lack some of the high end features normally found on consumer-oriented phones. The touchscreen Data Messenger has a plain Jane touchscreen that is not multi-touch and does not support gestures. It also ships with an unmodified version of Windows Mobile Professional 6.1. No TouchWiz or TouchFlo-like interface for this baby. Both the Data Messenger and the Voice Messenger also have QVGA resolution screens which is fine for email and texting but not for multimedia or web browsing. HP does step out of box by dropping the traditional D-pad navigation and replacing it with an optical mouse pointer, similar to what is seen on many Samsung phones. They had to add something to the phone to give it just a smidgen of “coolness”. HP did not slack on connectivity either as both phones are quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and tri-band UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (900/1900/2100 MHz). The Data Messenger and Voice Messenger are expected to retail for €499 ($665) and €399 ($532), respectively and are expected to launch in November on Vodafone. Hit the jump for the specs on each handset.

Read [iPaq Data Messenger]

Read [iPaq Voice Messenger]

HP iPaq Data Messenger:

• 2.8-inch QVGA Touchscreen display
• Side Slider QWERTY keyboard
• Windows Mobile Professional 6.1
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Tri-band UMTS (900/1900/2100 MHz),HSDPA Category 8 (up to 7.2Mbps downlink) and HSUPA Category 5 (up to 2Mbps uplink),
• 128 MB RAM and 256 MB ROM
• 3.1 Megapixel autofocus camera with 5X digital zoom and LED flash
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• WLAN 802.11b/g, with WPA2 security
• Integrated GPS navigation (aGPS)
• microSD card expansion (up to 8Gb)

HP iPaq Voice Messenger:

• 2.4-inch non-touchscreen QVGA display
• Front-Facing Suretype Keyboard
• Windows Mobile Standard 6.1
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• Tri-band UMTS (900/1900/2100 MHz), HSDPA Category 8 (up to 7.2Mbps downlink) and HSUPA Category 5 (up to 2Mbps uplink),
• 128 MB RAM and 256 MB ROM
• 3.1 Megapixel autofocus camera with 5X digital zoom and LED flash
• Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
• WLAN 802.11b/g, with WPA2 security
• Integrated GPS navigation (aGPS)
• microSD card expansion (up to 8GB)

Mobile travelers rejoice, your battery woes may be alleviated, at least a little bit. HP announced today that you can get 24 hours of run time on a single charge with their HP EliteBook 6930p. The HP EliteBook 6930p was specially configured with an Ultra Capacity 12-cell battery, a power-saving Illumi-Lite LED display, an Intel 80GB SSD and Windows XP with the latest Intel graphics driver and HP BIOS. Phew, got all that? The battery life rating is based upon “an industry standard benchmark” so your individual performance may be significantly less vary. Versions of this notebook as configured with the low power Illumi-Lite LED display will be available starting October 2008. Now if they can just pack this power into a battery the size of a thick credit card instead of a 12-cell brick, then we really can rejoice!

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Looks like someone had a pretty good 1st Quarter, right? Hewlett Packard has just announced that their net earnings from Q1 of this year amounted to $2.1 billion, which is an increase of 38% over earnings from the same period of time last year. This comes of a 13% hike in gross revenue to $28.5 billion, which is significantly more than most analysts expected. Take that, global recession! Based on these strong numbers, HP has re-tooled some of its estimates for the coming year, and is now projecting a total yearly revenue of $114 billion, which would amount to a 9% increase over last year’s numbers, and is $3 billion more than they initially thought. Even taking fluctuations in currency value and inflation into account, HP seems to be bucking the downward trends we’ve been seeing as of late. Not bad. Not bad at all.

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Engadget’s got some product shots of the rumored HP 2133 UMPC, and we’re hearing it could see a May release. The specs are kind of sexy, too: 8.9-inch 1366 x 766 (WXGA) display, Wi-Fi, almost full QWERTY keyboard, webcam, an option SSD drive, and an ExpressCard/54 slot. Weight? 2.5 pounds. Hey, we’re happy. The more competition in the UMPC sector, the better, no?Read

Nope, we’re not talking about a tree here! It looks as if the HP Silver won’t be the only HP handset sporting some HSUPA action. You now have a pretty decent line, with the Standard version, and now the Professional one making the rounds. The HP Oak sports a nifty slide-out QWERTY keyboard with a traditional number pad on the front, in addition to integrated GPS and Wi-Fi. We’re not really judging here, but it looks like you might have some difficulty with that 1010mAh battery. Release date? Thought you’d never ask! September, guys. It’s a long way to go, and ₤260 couldn’t come soon enough. Whittle the HP Oak, so to speak, after the jump!

HP has fell off for a little bit, but it looks like they might be coming out swingin’. Set to debut also in July, is the HP Silver. It’s a Windows Mobile 6 Standard device, that supports HSUPA! They’re using a 320×240 screen but with a "RIM SureType" keyboard. Virtual BlackBerry OS, anyone? GPS and Wi-Fi aren’t left out, and while it doesn’t specifically state there is Bluetooth, we’d wager on it being included. ₤250 for the HP Silver. Going once, going twice! Fullness after the break!

That’s right, guys! We’re talking about the new BlackBerry, HP’s new Windows Mobile phones, the new Nokia Symbian devices, and even the new Palm devices! CES ain’t got nothin’ on us! Stand by for the busiest Saturday you’ve seen this side of the equator!

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There are gaming PCs, and then there are Gaming PCs. HP isn’t terribly well known for their entries in the gaming market, but they seem poised to make some significant changes with the BlackBird 002, bringing a remarkably powerful gaming experience to the average consumer. Winner of the "Best of Show" designation here at Digital Life, the BlackBird 002 is a marvel of engineering, both on the inisde and out. The Blackbird gives customers a choice between an AMD X2 Dual Core or Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 to 4 GB of standard memory, up to 4 terabytes of on board storage, and a selection of the following three graphics cards:

• ATI RADEON™ X2900 XT 512MB, with 512MB of GDDR3 SDRAM, SDRAM supports Dual-Link DVI (available with liquid-cooling)
• ATI RADEON™ X2900™ XT 1GB, with 1GB of GDDR4 SDRAM, SDRAM supports Dual-Link DVI (available with liquid-cooling)
• ATI RADEON™ HD 2600 XT, with 256MB of GDDR3 SDRAM, supports Dual-Link DVI

This thing runs like butter, and the test models on the floor had no trouble producing seemless framerates and amazing gameplay. All of this savagery comes at a price, however, shipping in October for a base price of $5,500. Ouch!

HP’s booth here at Digital Life is one of the most heavily staffed joints on the floor. It’s literally teeming with HP personnel, showing the latest and greatest from Hewlett-Packard’s catalog. They, like many of the exhibitors here, are focusing on home media and entertainment, but we got a chance to take a look at a product of a different breed. The HP Touchsmart PC is one of the most innovative designs to reach the mass market. As expected, the cornerstone of this thing is a gorgeous massive touchscreen. 19" of touchable goodness? Yes, indeed! The computer is in theory, a massive desktop tablet, though it’s executed in a very consumer friendly way. Media features are on full display here, with the touchscreen facilitating easy and rapid media library browsing. The computer itself is running Windows Vista Home Premium on top of an AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-52 processor. 2GB of RAM come standard, as does a 320 GB hard drive, slot loading DVD burner, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 graphics card with 256MB dedicated video memory, TV tuner, and 1.3 megapixel web cam. It’s a breeze to use, and makes us think that a touchscreen-based PC setup is a truly practical option for the home computer user. Want to see more flicks? After the jump!

What is a home entertainment system these days without a networked media server? Thankfully, HP has a solution for the modern family. The company had its HP MediaSmart Server on full display here today, demonstrating the unit’s impressive capabilities. The system is designed for families / individuals with multiple computers running on a single network. The MediaSmart server acts as a sort of wireless "docking station" for the media libraries of each PC on the network. It runs a copy of Microsoft’s Windows Home Server, and provides a link on each computer allowing access to the collection of media files, including music, movies, TV, and photos. It also functions as a print server. The HP guys had the server hooked up to a MediaSmart TV which, when combined with a Windows Media Center Remote, provided a home entertainment experience fit for kings the whole family. Check out some more shots after the jump.