We have a sneaking suspicion most Vodafone faithful have been focusing on other matters, but those who've kept HP's iPAQ Voice Messenger in the front of their mind can finally celebrate. Yep, the Windows Mobile-based smartphone -- which is about as "all-business" as they come, might we add -- is finally available for order at Vodafone UK. It can be claimed right now for anywhere between free and £85.11 ($126) depending on plan.

[Via coolsmartphone]

Given that both the iPAQ Data Messenger and Voice Messenger were spotted on HP's website last night, we didn't exactly need a press release to affirm their ascent into officialdom, but hey, we'll take it. The two WinMo 6.1-powered handsets will soon be loosed on Vodafone in Europe, and starting next month, prospective consumers can buy in for £399 ($677) / £333 ($565) off-contract; as for the subsidized rates, you'll have to hold your horses for those. If you're just interested in the hands-on video, however, you can mosey on beyond the break and mash play.

Looks like that rumor was mostly spot on, as two new consumer-minded iPAQ handhelds have emerged on HP's website. Without much fanfare, the Windows Mobile 6.1-powered iPAQ Data Messenger and Voice Messenger have been granted dedicated sites, complete with imagery, specifications and recommended accessories. Starting with the touchscreen-heavy Data Messenger (seen above), you'll find a 2.81-inch LED-backlit display (320 x 240), a full QWERTY slide-out keyboard, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR / WiFi, HSDPA, quad-band GSM support, aGPS, a 3.1-megapixel camera and a microSD card slot. As for the Voice Messenger (pictured after the break), it's packing a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 LED-backlit screen, a 20-key "keyboard" and most everything else already mentioned on its big bro. There's nary a clue on pricing or a release date, but we imagine both of those snippets will reveal themselves shortly.

Update: We just scored an internal HP doc with prices and ship dates -- expect to see the Voice Messenger for €399 ($532) on November 5th and the Data Messenger for €499 ($665) on November 22nd, both on Vodafone in the Netherlands. One more shot of the Data Messenger with the keyboard slid out after the break.

[Via WMPowerUser]

Read - HP iPAQ Voice Messenger
Read - HP iPAQ Data Messenger

Details on this one are about as light as can be at the moment, but The Wall Street Journal has it that HP is aiming to expand its iPAQ smartphone line into the consumer market with a new model that it'll market to both average consumers and corporate users alike. According to "people briefed on the plan," the phone will have both a touchscreen and a keypad and, naturally, it'll run Windows Mobile 6.1 -- oh, and it'll be able to "send and receive emails, and access the Internet." While there's no indication of a price just yet, word is the device will be available in Europe first within the next two months, with a worldwide release to follow sometime thereafter.

[Via Gearlog]

After missing its July release target by a country mile, we'd thought the Silver may have been canned -- but nope, she's alive and well, strutting her stuff for a few privileged hands around the world. The HSDPA 7.2Mbps handset with GPS and WiFi takes the original candybar Pearl's wildly successful format and applies a hearty dose of Windows Mobile Standard -- not a concept that's going to appeal to everyone, but for the S740 shoppers of the world, a totally viable alternative. So we know Vodafone has a keen eye on releasing this; anyone else?

Dealer documentation seemingly intended for Rogers dealers has, of course, leaked out onto the interwebs, possibly revealing the entirety of the carrier's third quarter offerings. With the exception of the Bold and KickStart / Pearl 8220, there's nothing terribly mind-blowing in the mix, though the lineup does include a pretty healthy range of goodies from the low end to the reasonably high. Highlights include the Sony Ericsson W350a music flip, a phone we've already seen meandering about in AT&T livery, so it comes as little surprise that we'd see it up north as well; the iPAQ 910c Windows Mobile smartphone from HP; and a refreshed RAZR 2 that'll probably mirror the V9x. All of these chewy technological morsels launch (in theory, anyway) by the end of September, which really only serves to makes us wonder: what's on tap up there for the holiday season?

Finally, the 14 people who have been waiting patiently can now get their hands on HP's iPAQ 910 Windows Mobile-based phone. There's not much to say you haven't already read -- the HSDPA, WiFi, and GPS equipped device can be purchased unlocked from HP's online store for the tidy sum of $499.99. They're shipping now... so what are you waiting for?

[Thanks, James]

After you delay a not-exactly-groundbreaking product like the iPAQ 900 for the umpteenth time, there should really be no surprise to find a lukewarm reaction when it actually ships. Nevertheless, loyalists out there that refuse to give up on HP's Windows Mobile 6.1-powered Business Communicator will likely love the lengthy hands-on demonstration at GottaBeMobile. There's nothing there that'll floor you or anything, but if you really needed to see someone handle this thing for 14 minutes before making your purchasing decision, head on past the break and mash that sideways triangle.

[Thanks, Rob]

We first heard about HP's iPAQ 900 / 914 3G Business Messenger in September of last year, and after a series of delays (which seem to be endemic to the iPAQ line), it looks like the device is finally set to start shipping. Nothing much has changed, except that a Windows Mobile 6.1 device with a 2.46-inch display, WiFi, GPS, HSDPA, and a 3 megapixel camera isn't exactly the hot sheets it was almost a year ago. That said, that chubby case hides a 1800mAh battery, which should let enterprise users get their business on for the better part of a full day. Should be shipping around the world starting June 30, although specific worldwide dates will vary.

[Via WMPoweruser and Phone Scoop]

Read - HP press release
Read - Hands-on at Mobinaute

There's nothing quite as profoundly unsettling as reading a review about a phone you can't have. For Americans, that's an all-too-common experience -- and thanks to the ongoing Qualcomm / Broadcom drama, even phones that had originally been destined for the colonies have been unceremoniously dropped, destined for regions well beyond the reaches of the legal system. Case in point: HP had originally wanted to bring the interesting iPAQ 610 series here, but backed off at the last second. If you really want one, though, you can still finagle one from an importer -- not to mention that countless Windows Mobile fanatics populate areas of the globe friendlier to HP's latest pocket candy -- so Tracy and Matt's Blog took a close look at the 614c, which is now shipping. Although the reviewer found its Windows Mobile 6 load to be plenty speedy, he also discovered that it was a tad on the chunky side -- not to mention that the 3G radio seemed to be way flaky, the screen is too inset to use entirely stylus-free, and the virtual nav wheel embedded in the keypad (arguably the ace up the 610's sleeve) wasn't much fun to use. Nice try, HP, but on second thought, maybe we're not so broken up that you're keeping it out of the States.

What will it be, the good or the bad news first? How 'bout the good. After an initial rebuff, we finally managed to grab some photos of that exclusive T-Mobile MDA compact IV. You remember: 7.2Mbps HSDPA, GPS, VGA resolution screen, WiFi and 4GB of on-board storage. It'll also launch "mit neuestem Microsoft Betriebssytem" which we can safely assume is Windows Mobile 6.1 at this point. Oh yes, and the bad news. It's only a plastic dummy and our photographs were restricted by a glass cube. Still, this is as close as most of you will get for a long, long time. Full gallery over at Engadget.

So apparently HP just has a very special form of hatred for its native soil, because that iPAQ 610 series with that nifty touch sensitive scroll wheel embedded in the keypad now appears to be canceled only in the US. This bittersweet news comes courtesy of British retailer Devicewire, which reports that it'll have examples of the iPAQ 614 available to its customers as soon as next Monday for the princely sum of £389.99 (about $765). That's fine, though, HP, whatever. We didn't want your stupid iPAQ anyway.

[Via CoolSmartphone]

Ah, iPAQ 610. You were so close, and yet... so far away. According to a handful of tipsters, after a round of delays, HP has decided to cancel the release of its upcoming Windows Mobile smartphone, the 610 (also known as the iPAQ 614, 614c and 600). The company didn't give a lot of information, though they did state that, "due to recent legal issues between suppliers of mobile phone technologies, HP has decided not to offer the iPAQ 610 Business Navigator to U.S. customers as previously planned." It's unclear whether this means the phone will be missing from shelves worldwide, but it certainly won't be popping up on these shores anytime soon.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

What would you do if the US patent office gave you the go-ahead on a far-reaching, non-specific application filed for a "mobile entertainment and communication device"? If your answer was that you would immediately draw up lawsuits against almost every major electronics manufacturer that even looked at a smartphone funny, you get a cookie. Yes folks, as impossible as it is to believe, the holders of the aforementioned patent have just sued Apple, Nokia, RIM, Sprint, AT&T, HP, Motorola, Helio, HTC, Sony Ericsson, UTStarcomm, and Samsung... amongst others. So eager was this company to sue, in fact, that legal papers were filed a day before the patent was granted, and subsequently had to re-submitted. The real sucker-punch here is that the patent simply combines a list of prior technologies jumbled into one product, a practice which has recently been ruled against by the Supreme Court. Still, we doubt it will stop the holders from trying to nab a few dollars in settlements, staying the work of real innovators, and generally making a mockery of our patent system. Bravo!

[Via Slashdot]