HP iPAQ 610 First Thoughts

HP has announced, but not yet released, the iPAQ 610 Business Navigator. This 3G smartphone will run Windows Mobile 6 and offer a nice variety of wireless connectivity options.

I recently had a chance to spend some time with a pre-production version of this device, and I thought I'd share some first impressions of it.

It's All About the Wheel

In many ways the iPAQ 610 is a run-of-the-mill device. It's good, but not outstanding. But it does include one genuinely innovative feature that sets it apart from the pack.

This smartphone includes a built-in numberpad, rather than a keyboard. Superimposed on the numbers will be the Smart Touch wheel.

This is a little hard to describe, but imagine holding a phone and putting your finger lightly on the 2 key, then sliding it down past the 6 and on around to the 8, and this causes a cursor on the screen to scroll down. Sliding your finger in the opposite direction makes the cursor move up. It's immediately intuitive, quick, easy to use, and, well, fun.

If it isn't obvious, this will function as the iPAQ's 610's scrollwheel, allowing the user to easily select items on the smartphone's screen display one handed.