HP’s latest iPaq Glistens, but can it hit RIM?

Hewlett-Packard’s iPaq brand is one of the oldest in the mobile market (inherited from Compaq) but that doesn’t stop us regularly thinking it’s been killed off. Not so though – indeed HP has been trying to push it into the consumer market this year with Android plans, though not with notable success. Now it’s back in its enterprise heartland, trying to bash RIM with the new iPaq Glisten.

This will be launched this month by AT&T, but will not come to Europe until next year, and with undisclosed operators and pricing. In the US, the touchscreen phone with Qwerty keyboard will be offered for $179.99 on a two-year contract and with a $50 rebate, and will also be sold with various business accounts. No hint of a crossover phone for the ‘prosumer’ segment that RIM is chasing with Storm – this is “designed to help meet the demands of our business customers” said AT&T’s cellphone VP Michael Woodward firmly.

The handset comes with an AMOLED screen for bright, clear display, a run-of-the-mill 3.1-megapixel camera and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support. Previously codenamed Obsidian, it includes an integrated text/email/voice history inbox and a Microsoft Office document reader. It runs Windows Mobile 6.5 – acceptable in the US business market, but for European release it may need to wait for WinMo 7, or better still, create an Android variant.

AT&T believes a key advantage will be the access to its 20,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, and that will be bundled into most call plans for the phone.