Among long lists of announcements by both companies were releases about their respective GPRS-enabled phone projects.

Hewlett Packard
Hewlett Packard announced that it is developing a GPRS-enabled version of its HP Jornada PDA that will incorporate the voice capabilities of a mobile phone. The Palo Alto, California-based company’s integrated device will operate on the PocketPC platform with a built-n WAP browser, and will offer easy access to the Internet, converged voice and data services, and a range of productivity features.

Motorola
Motorola introduced a complete portfolio of GPRS–enabled phones targeting both the business and consumer market. Besides the small, stylish Motorola V.series™, including models 66 and 120, and the Talkabout phone described as the family communicator, the company introduced two devices that will, more than likely, attract the business professional: Tri-band Timeport™ 260 and Accompli™ 008.

Tri-band Timeport™ 260 offers the mobile worker the ability to switch between data mode and voice calls. The GPRS phone can be used as a modem to access the corporate intranet or the Internet, while TrueSync™ software allows the synchronization of data between phone, PC, PDA, and other devices.

Accompli 008 is being promoted as the ultimate, all-in-one phone for the remote office. The phone features the convenience of a large touch screen and an intuitive user interface. It offers the remote worker fast access to the Internet and full e-mail and data/fax capabilities via GPRS/WAP functions. Handwriting recognition capabilities allow the business traveler to converse easily in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Swedish, Portuguese and Chinese.

It remains to be seen if mobile users will prefer a fully integrated device to perform all tasks or one device specifically designed for each task. More than likely, it will come down to whether HP and Motorola and other handset manufacturers can deliver a highly reliable and highly usable device.