Alternatives to Pocket PC are being looked at to run Hewlett-Packard's handheld, according to this article by Paul Grant of ZDNet UK . . .

Hewlett-Packard's Jornada palmtops may drop Microsoft's Windows-based Pocket PC platform in favour of Linux or Palm OS, according to Iain Morris, the new head of HP's recently formed Embedded and Personal Systems group. The firm also announced a Jornada with wireless capability for later this year.

Morris, who joined HP after 23 years with Motorola, promised that one of his first tasks would be to review his group's product range. This includes HP Java clone Chai, calculators, CD recorders, and wireless services. The main focus is expected to fall on the group's flagship product, the Jornada, which Morris admitted has not yet fulfilled its potential.

One option for HP is to switch away from Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system, and onto a different platform such as Linux, or the market-leading Palm OS. “Jornada as a product has an opportunity to become more successful,” said Morris. While Jornada is one of the leading Pocket PC devices, it trails in overall market share, holding less than 5 percent of the US market. Palm and its clones account for around 86 percent.

Tim Mui of analyst firm IDC, said, “HP prides itself on being one of the few enterprise vendors able to provide a complete mobile solution. In keeping with this, I think it would want to provide its users with a range of options, whether Palm OS or Linux.” However, he expressed doubts about whether the firm would move completely away from Pocket PC. “I'm sure [Pocket PC] will remain their primary focus, at least in the short term,” he said.

Morris will also be responsible for wireless services for mobile devices, an increasingly significant area of the group.

At the recent 3GSM event, HP announced that it will release a Jornada with wireless capabilities in Europe this autumn. The device will include a built-in WAP browser and will support GSM and GPRS standards.

 
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