A couple of weeks ago Hewlett-Packard unveiled plans to release a slew of new smartphones over the course of 2005. As expected, it demonstrated the first of these cellular-wireless handhelds, the iPAQ hw6500 (also known as the iPAQ Mobile Messenger), at this year's 3GSM World Congress conference and exhibition in Cannes, France.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also approved the hw6500 for release in the United States this week. The agency reveals Taiwanese original equipment manufacturer High Tech Computer (HTC) designed the Pocket PC. HTC is a vendor known for developing PDAs and smartphones for many different vendors.

At 3GSM, the company said the smartphone would ship during the second half of April from an as-of-yet unnamed carrier. Since HP is using the hw6500's high-speed EDGE network support (average speeds of 100 kbps to 130 kbps) as a selling point for the smartphone, the most likely candidate is Cingular wireless in the United States with its fairly wide deployment of the technology.

The new device will also integrate a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver for navigation with NMEA (National Marine Electronics Association) standards support. Even though it lacks an external antenna, the company asserts the smartphone can still get good reception from GPS satellites. Where that isn't possible, the device turns to cell phone tower triangulation to determine locations.

The hw6500 should sell for the same amount ($600) as HP's current T-Mobile supported smartphone, the h6315.

Other known features include the following:

n an apparent change in strategy, the hw6500 incorporate a built-in keyboard. While the h6315 ships with a keyboard attachment, it seems HP is responding to prospective customers who passed on the earlier model because the keyboard wasn't physically merged into the unit like with palmOne Treo 650 or newer Pocket PC Phones (e.g. Sprint's Audiovox PPC-6601 and Cingular's Siemens SX66) that even have retractable keyboards.

The hw6500 integrates two memory card slots, one for Secure Digital cards and a the other for miniSD cards. It will also support Bluetooth wireless, but not Wi-Fi like some other new and upcoming smartphones. It should measure 4.5 x 2.8 x 0.63 inches.

hw6500 Next to Audiovox SMT5600
(image from msmobiles)

The new Pocket PC Phone is also the first handheld of its type with a square 240 x 240 pixel resolution display, most likely enabled by Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition. Rumors say it will run on a 520 MHz processor.

HP also said the smartphone would deliver expanded Microsoft Exchange and Outlook support and compatibility with Good Technology's GoodLink software for 'push' based wireless access to corporate e-mail, calendar, contacts, and other data. 'Pushed' data is sent automatically to a mobile device, as opposed to requiring users to request the information. The most well-known example of 'push' e-mail is Research In Motion's BlackBerry solutions.