Hewlett-Packard Showcases First Windows CE-based Palmtop PC with Widest Display in Handheld Market
December 2, 1996 — Hewlett-Packard previewed its new Microsoft Windows CE-based palmtop PC at Comdex, Las Vegas, Nov. 17-22. HP's new palmtop PC offers the industry's widest display among products for Windows CE. It features an 80-column, 640×240 LCD display, providing a comfortable view of documents with pages of standard width. The new HP palmtop PC is expected to be available in mid-1997 in North America, with global rollout expected for the fall of 1997.
HP's new palmtop PC will support Microsoft Windows CE, a scalable Windows operating-system platform that enables users to access and share documents with their Windows-based notebook computers and desktop PCs. The new palmtop PC will feature automatic file synchronisation with Windows 95 and Windows NT, which would make it possible for users to carry anywhere the same appointment calendar, phone books and Microsoft Office files that are kept on a full-sized PC.
"HP is building on nearly 25 years of success in the handheld category," said Kirstine Mayall, HP Palmtops Marketing Manager. "The addition of a new Windows-based palmtop PC will bring HP quality to the 22 million mobile professionals, already using Windows, who need a palmtop PC to make working away from the office more efficient and productive."
"HP has a reputation for quality and innovation in the handheld PC market," said Craig Mundie, senior vice president of the consumer platforms division at Microsoft. "Microsoft's expertise in operating systems and HP's experience and success in the handheld market are a perfect combination for delivering products for the new handheld PC category."
The new palmtop PC will help mobile professionals manage all their important information when they are away from their desks by supporting a wide range of applications, including industry-leading Personal Information Managers (PIMs), word processing, spreadsheets, e-mail and a standard Internet browser.
The new HP palmtop PC will expand HP's existing line of palmtop PCs, which supports every popular DOS and Windows desktop environment. When used with new Intellisync software, the market-leading HP 200LX palmtop PC connects to PCs running Windows 95, as well as those running MS- DOS and Windows 3.1.
In the UK, Hewlett-Packard Limited has 5,000 employees and had a turnover of 1.7 billion pounds in 1995. Winners of the 1995 Queen's award for Export Achievement, HP's five UK R&D and manufacturing divisions exported 700 million pounds worth of telecommunications and microwave test products and systems, information storage products and fibre optic components in 1994, making it the UK's 39th largest exporter. In addition, over one-third of Hewlett-Packard Company's long-range global research is performed at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories in Bristol.
Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global manufacturer of computing, communications and measurement products and services recognised for excellence in quality and support. HP has 112,000 employees and had revenue of $38.4 billion in its 1996 fiscal year.
Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.
Microsoft is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp. Windows is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.
MS-DOS is a U.S. registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.
CONTACT:
Kirstine Mayall, HP Palmtops Marketing Manager
Tel: +44 (0)1344 365387
e-mail: [email protected]
or
Martin Hurren, HP PR Manager
Tel: +44 (0)1344 365381
e-mail: [email protected]
or
Christie Tang/Pamela Smith, PA Consulting Group
Tel: +44 (0)171 730 9000
e-mail: [email protected]