HP annouces two RIM turf-stealing phones

HP phones are all business, and the latest announcement from them shows us they will stay with that focus. While both are based on Windows Mobile 6.1 and feature a new optical gliding navigation (one upping the BB Pearl) the two phones take different form factors. Both are geared for Europe and are available without a SIM card or as part of a Vodafone package.

The two phones, the Voice Messenger, a candybar style and the Data Messenger, a horizontal slider with full QWERTY keypad look fantastic as compared to other iPaqs. Style has finally infiltrated HP and hopes are high they’ll bring this sense to the US market. Both phones feature Wi-Fi, HSDPA, AGPS and 3.1-megapixel camera with flash.

After seeing HP’s entries into the US market this fall, I was left fully underwhelmed at the codger styling and lack of inspirational thinking. In a market this tight, with some really fine choices for business pursuits that don’t forget that actual people use these, not just drones, HP may have found a way through the clutter. These two new models have me rooting for HP again.

The Voice Messenger will sell for $440 in mid-November and the Data Messenger for $527 in late November; both SIM-free. Vodafone has yet to announce pricing, but expect it substantially lower.

Read [vnunet]