Correction….they “WERE” a leader in the mobile device arena. Now, they are a has-been and have a lot to prove. Let’s see how serious they are about getting back into this space.

Jerry G – agree with some of that, but I think HP can still be considered a leader in some ways. Name recognition / image for one. Also, I would say the iPAQ 47xx series still compares well to any non-phone PDA out there, and is much beloved. But … they don’t seem to have ever really made an impact in the converged device / smartphone arena. They don’t have a Treo yet. It will be interesting to see how (or if) they can gain momentum again. I hope they can.

I tend to disagree with Jerry G here. Aside from Dell, HP has made some of the best non-phone edition PPC’s available. Sure, they have fallen off of late, but most non-converged devices have.

Or maybe I am just pining for the days of my HP Jornada.

Doug

Plus, let’s not forget that HP has outright refused to provide any type of upgrade to WM6, even for its “flagship” 6900 series. It’s part of a history that goes back to the days of even their Pocket PC’s. I remember owning an Ipaq 4150 and screaming bloody murder that HP wouldn’t provide an upgrade path from PPC 2003 to PPC 2003SE, in many ways an upgrade similar to the WM5/WM6 in terms of added features.

Like I said, they have a lot to provide before they would win me (and many others) back as customers.

That upgrade policy (or lack thereof) is atrocious. Hadn’t realized it was that bad even with the 6900 series. You are right that in many ways they face an uphill battle.