Hewlett-Packard Company today unveiled the HP OmniGo 100
handheld organizer, an easy-to-use product for professionals
who need immediate access to personal scheduling information
and financial-analysis tools.
The new organizer, which features a small, flexible design
and a range of information-management tools, is expected to
be available to customers worldwide on Nov. 1 at an estimated
street price of $349 (U.S.).
Small enough to fit into a coat pocket, the HP OmniGo 100
handheld organizer is designed to adapt to the way people
on-the-go prefer to work. It combines the convenience of a
pen and the familiarity of a keyboard with a fully rotatable
screen that allows either horizontal or vertical display. The
HP OmniGo 100 organizer also offers a simple solution for
tracking daily appointments and expenses, taking notes,
organizing addresses and telephone numbers and computing
financial information with an HP calculator and financial tools.
"The HP OmniGo 100 organizer provides customers with
high-quality personal information management and financial
tools in a single, low-cost solution," said Kheng Joo Khaw,
general manager of HP's Asia Pacific PC Division (APCD).
"We 've gained the experience with our calculators and
palmtop PCs to understand what our customers are looking for
in a personal organizer. Until now, customers have had to
compromise on features or deplete their savings to get the
product they want. We're offering all the organizational
tools our customers need at a price they're willing to pay.
It's the right product at the right time."
The Right Product with the Right Features
The HP OmniGo 100 handheld organizer includes a host of
financial- and business-productivity functions designed to
eliminate the need for multiple reference tools. In addition
to incorporating the industry-standard HP 12C financial
calculator, the new product's personal information-management
features include the following:
* pen-navigation and keyboard-input capabilities - to
accommodate user-interface preference;
* a jotter application - to allow customers to capture
information on the go and organize it later;
* a Graffiti handwriting system - for easy-to-learn
handwriting recognition;
* drawing capabilities - to enable the user to scribble
quick notes and design maps and pictures;
* HP financial-analysis tools and spreadsheet
capabilities - for computing cash flow and loan
payments, currency conversions, business calculations,
percentages and margins;
* a notepad feature - to input notes and organize
thoughts via keyboard and pen entry;
* appointment, address and telephone books - to give
users a central repository for access to important
personal appointments, activities and contact
information;
* database capabilities - for personalized list
management; and
* worldtime feature - for locating cities around the
world and obtaining current time and city information.
HP also offers a host of hardware and software accessories
that work with the HP OmniGo 100 handheld organizer to extend
its productivity, communications abilities and entertainment
value. Key solutions currently available include the following:
* Pocket Quicken - Intuit's popular personal portable
financial management software, which will be available
to all customers free when they purchase the new HP
OmniGo 100 handheld organizer;
* HP OmniGo 100 Connectivity Pack - which includes a
cable to allow simple connection to a Windows-based
PC, for automated file management, backup and
synchronization between the OmniGo 100 organizer and a
desktop PC;
* HP OmniGo 100 organizer Clip & Go - which links the
OmniGo 100 organizer clipboard to a Microsoft
Windows-PC clipboard through a serial-port connection,
enabling quick and easy data transfer to a desktop
PC's word processing, spreadsheet or paint programs;
and
* HP OmniGo 100 organizer Strategy Games - which feature
six challenging strategy games to take on the road.
Lightweight, Flexible Design
An important part of the HP OmniGo 100 handheld organizer
is its flexible design, which allows the user to switch
between pen and keyboard interfaces. This flexibility is
enabled by Geoworks' GEOS compact operating system. GEOS is
an efficient graphical operating system that enhances the HP
OmniGo 100 organizer and allows users to personalize the
device with additional applications after purchase.
"The HP OmniGo 100 handheld organizer is the first product
resulting from our collaboration with HP to develop
market-winning organizers," said Gordon Mayer, president of
Geoworks.
"HP's experience in the handheld market, combined with
Geoworks' expertise in developing robust software, uniquely
enables the partnership to deliver low-cost, multifunctional
devices for the mobile customer."
"The GEOS operating system was the natural choice for HP,"
said Khaw. "It provides all the flexibility and ease of use
that today's consumer needs from an organizer - not to
mention an extensive array of user-friendly, intuitive,
aftermarket software solutions."
For maximum convenience and flexibility, the HP OmniGo 100
handheld organizer also features an innovative 360-degree
rotatable hinge that allows the user to simply fold back the
front cover to reveal a keyboard or screen. In addition, the
unit comes with 1MB of RAM, one standard PCMCIA Type II card
slot for additional data storage and expanded software and
services, and a serial port for PC and printer connectivity.
With 3MB of ROM, the HP OmniGo 100 handheld organizer weighs
just 11.6 ounces - with batteries included - and runs on two
standard AA batteries and one lithium backup battery.
Broad Availability for the HP Handheld Family
With the introduction of its new organizer, HP also has
significantly broadened the retail presence of its entire
family of handheld computer products, including the popular
high-end palmtop PC, the HP 200LX PC.
The HP 200LX palmtop PC remains the industry leader for
customers who need a handheld companion for their home or
office PCs. Popular in such industries as real estate,
insurance, transportation and the medical market, the HP
200LX palmtop PC lets customers communicate wirelessly
through cellular, two-way paging to exchange e-mail and use
messaging and other on-line services.
The HP OmniGo 100 handheld organizer will be available
through a variety of retail outlets and mass merchants,
including Service Merchandise, Staples, OfficeMax, Lechmere
and J&R Office World. HP's handheld products also are
available through a wide range of home-office and
PC/peripherals channels, including computer and
consumer-electronics superstores.
"Those wishing to purchase the new HP OmniGo 100 organizer
will not have to search for very long," Khaw said. "We're
making this product widely available through a large number of
popular retail channels. Meanwhile, for customers desiring
a higher-end handheld companion to their PCs, the HP 200LX
palmtop PC will continue to be on the shelves in
computer/home-office superstores, mass merchandisers and
other channels worldwide."
Graffiti and HP OmniGo Connectivity Pack were developed by
Palm Computing and Bokja Software
Information in this release applies specifically to products
available in the United States. Product availability and
specifications may vary in non-U.S. markets.
Source: Hewlett-Packard
