HP Rumors of the Day: New HP Prototype Images + hw6515 Recall Rebuttle

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I should just start a whole new daily column dedicated to HP rumors! ;) First up, those pictures you see below come from the Poland-based site, <a href="http://www.pdaclub.pl/view.php?news_id=10538">PDA Club</a>, and while I can't read the actual posting, it appears they are reporting on a couple of new HP prototypes. Hey, the styling on the left one looks like it was inspired by one of those old scientific calculators. Can anyone else confirm these prototypes as legitimate?<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/ekkie_hp_prototypes.jpg" /><br /><br />The second report comes courtesy of <a href="http://www.pocketpcitalia.com/cms3/templates/PPC-NEWS.ASP?articleid=2670&amp;zoneid=1">Pocket PC Italia</a>. They have published an article (in Italian) that allegedly refutes the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=42822">previous rumors</a> regarding the recall and the lack of Windows Mobile 5 support. According to them, there is no recall; there are no GPS issues and WM5 support is confirmed. For anyone frustrated by all these rumors, please don't shoot the messenger!

[ctitanic]

excuse me but those pictures look like "Photoshop prototypes"! :devilboy:

[MG]

The first one looks like an (old) BB and the second looks like the HTC Wizard. Way to invent guys! I think innovation has left the building at HP.

Mark

[ctitanic]

The first one looks like an (old) BB and the second looks like the HTC Wizard. Way to invent guys! I think innovation has left the building at HP.

Mark

is not the second one an ONO?

[Silver5]

I hope those are not going to be released by HP. They have already ruined the iPaq's name as the leader of innovation in the PPC world, and these two devices are just ugly!

I read the slight against this site over at another PPC website and I'm glad to see you haven't responded to what appeared to be a fairly childish number of remarks.

[MacBirdie]

excuse me but those pictures look like "Photoshop prototypes"! :devilboy:
Wow, hello Mr. Obvious.
They're prototypes which may not even see the light of the day and even if they do, they're more than a year ahead. Would you really expect photos? :roll:

[jickbahtech]

One on the left looks like a cross between the 6515 and a Dell Axim...

[Jason Lee]

i like the one on the right. just as long as it runs the ppc os and not smart phone os.

[mr_Ray]

In the spirit and tradition of HP PPC-phone devices, have they scheduled the recall yet?

Jokes aside, I'm starting to wonder if HP have given up on non-phone devices...

[dommasters]

The first one looks like an (old) BB and the second looks like the HTC Wizard. Way to invent guys! I think innovation has left the building at HP.

Mark
Shame the Wizard is slug slow ... I'm sure HP would choose a good processor. Mock up on right looks great to me. Would have bought a Wizard but I'm guessing the battery life runs out before it fully boots up it is so ssssssslllllllooooooowwwww.

[Scott R]

Shame the Wizard is slug slow ... I'm sure HP would choose a good processor. Mock up on right looks great to me. Would have bought a Wizard but I'm guessing the battery life runs out before it fully boots up it is so ssssssslllllllooooooowwwww.What are you basing those comments on? Actual user experiences or the slow CPU speed spec? If the former, please provide me with a link. I had been anxiously awaiting the Wizard/Apache release.

[dommasters]

Shame the Wizard is slug slow ... I'm sure HP would choose a good processor. Mock up on right looks great to me. Would have bought a Wizard but I'm guessing the battery life runs out before it fully boots up it is so ssssssslllllllooooooowwwww.What are you basing those comments on? Actual user experiences or the slow CPU speed spec? If the former, please provide me with a link. I had been anxiously awaiting the Wizard/Apache release.
I have the JasJar (which is now on Ebay) and that feels sluggish compared to the Jam ... JasJar is a 500+ Mhz device. The OMAP 200 processor isn't exactly a flying machine and you'd need more than an alchemist to get similar performance from it as compared to the JasJar, which as I said feels a little sluggish. The slow CPU spec is all I need .. to know it will be slow ... and I'm gutted as I have the Jam and saw the Wizard as the logical upgrade ... however it is less than half the speed and of course WM2005 is bound to be more power hungry.

So ... Jam feels faster than JasJar which is 2.5 times the processor speed of Wizard = going to be much much slower than the Jam it replaces.

[Scott R]

Does the JasJar use the same CPU type as the Wizard? Do any other known devices use the same type of CPU as the Wizard? If not, I'll still hold out hope until real user experiences and speed tests get reported.

[dommasters]

Does the JasJar use the same CPU type as the Wizard? Do any other known devices use the same type of CPU as the Wizard? If not, I'll still hold out hope until real user experiences and speed tests get reported.
I'm sure there was a budget device that used this OMAP processor ... let me do some searching. I'll still buy the Wizard (K-Jam) ... should have one within the week so will let you know for definite ... but keeping my Jam ...

[dommasters]

Does the JasJar use the same CPU type as the Wizard? Do any other known devices use the same type of CPU as the Wizard? If not, I'll still hold out hope until real user experiences and speed tests get reported.
The same processor is used in the h6315 Pocket PC ... which apparently is slow (see reviews on net) :(

[MarcTGFG]

dommasters: The sluggishness might be due to the fact, that every screen operation has to render four times as many pixels as a Jam (which I own myself).

I tried the MDA Pro (aka Jasjar) at IFA in Berlin and didnt perceive it as particularly sluggish.

What I think is more of a problem: The Wizard doesnt have buttons for "OK" and "Start menu" below its screen. One handed operation will remain a dream until that is changed. Its CDMA sibling menawhile has almost perfect button arrangement in closed mode.

[MarcTGFG]

and I think the second prototype with retractable keyboard looks fantastic and would be the first PPC phone with a numeric as well as an alphanumeric keyboard. Much more like a phone. The keyboard looks very clean and I certainly like the implementation of two joysticks (on keyboard and front).

The styling overall looks very elegant and classy and very HPish. Business users will be very tempted.

[dommasters]

dommasters: The sluggishness might be due to the fact, that every screen operation has to render four times as many pixels as a Jam (which I own myself).

I tried the MDA Pro (aka Jasjar) at IFA in Berlin and didnt perceive it as particularly sluggish.

What I think is more of a problem: The Wizard doesnt have buttons for "OK" and "Start menu" below its screen. One handed operation will remain a dream until that is changed. Its CDMA sibling menawhile has almost perfect button arrangement in closed mode.
Nope JasJar seems less responsive than my VGA devices ... I've quite a few PPCs as I do some dev work. I'll get the K-Jam for sure but that processor is shxx ...

[dommasters]

I tried the MDA Pro (aka Jasjar) at IFA in Berlin and didnt perceive it as particularly sluggish.

Agreed it's more than acceptable on the JasJar ... but with a 60% slower OMAP processor known to be slow and slated whenever it has appeared in other Pocket PCs ... the K-Jam is going to be slow ... no doubt about it.
Still speed isn't everything ... maybe it's supposed to be more of a phone than a PPC ... afterall they use that processor in non PPC Phones.

[Scott R]

What I think is more of a problem: The Wizard doesnt have buttons for "OK" and "Start menu" below its screen. One handed operation will remain a dream until that is changed. Its CDMA sibling menawhile has almost perfect button arrangement in closed mode.You're talking about when the keyboard isn't open? In open mode there are start and OK buttons. But I'm still skeptical of how well this (or any WM 2005 device) will work without needing a stylus.

In closed mode, I see the need for dedicated OK/Start buttons as less of an issue, since you're more likely to have your stylus out. Though a device like this will need a decent phone interface, since it lacks any dedicated hard buttons for dialing. That's where the Treo/Benq/HP6515 have an advantage. OTOH, if it can support voice dialing over Bluetooth, I think I'll be happy enough without that.

[MarcTGFG]

Scott: I disagree. Besides persistent storage, onehanded operation is THE selling point of WM5.

Therefore I would consider it a total failure if you cant operate it one handed in closed mode. After all, thats the regular mode.

When I tried the MDA pro at IFA I recognized that there are three keys for selecting/executing: ENTER (on alphanumeric keyboard), OK (UI), OK (fourway navigation/joystick).

WM5 sadly doesnt follow a very logical concept when it comes to using these three. Pressing the OK hardware button DOES NOT close a windows as if you were tapping OK on the screen. To get rid of the front window you will have to use your finger or stylus. Thats not how it should work IMO.

[sikkor]

Here's translation of that article from PDA club:

We were able to get information regarding new HP palmtops, which will probably enter the market at the end of year 2006. This information is completly unofficial. Despite them being real, it is possible we will never see these PDAs, as the manufacturer might change the plan. Same as with once presented iPAQ prototype with retractable keypad. We do not have a list of technical data of the new devices, but we can show you how they look like. You will not see these photos elsewhere, only our redaction has them. (which is not true anymore ;) )

[lllr]

The wizard is OMAP850 which is faster than the previous generation of OMAP1510 in the HP 6315.

http://www.brighthand.com/article/HTC_Wizard_May_Be_Coming_this_Fall