Quanta reportedly wins HP's contract PDA Phone order

Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc. has reportedly won a contract order for a personal digital assistant (PDA) cell-phone model, which is claimed to be the world's smallest in size, from Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) of the United States, and is scheduled to begin shipment in the first half of the year, according to industry sources.

The sources said that Quanta and HP have been in talks on further cooperation in general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) and third-generation (3G) PDA cell-phone models.

Quanta is expected to become HP’s second long-term contract PDA-phone partner, trailing High Tech Computer Corp. (HTC), the world's largest maker of Smart Phone products.

Cell-phone models with integrated PDA functions have become one of the mainstays in handset market from only a trendy product before. In addition to major handset brands that are actively planning to push more such products, big international personal computer (PC) brands are also eyeing such business, including the most aggressive HP.

HP debuts new PDA cell phones annually and its models are often more advanced in concept designs than counterparts launched by Palm. As the PDA handset is not its core business due to limited understanding of wireless communications, HP chose HTC and Compal Electronics Inc., another leading information technology (IT) manufacturer on the island, to be its first two partners for the lucrative business.

Due to poor sales of the iPaq H6300 model, HP terminated its cooperation with Compal in DPA handset business, making HTC became the largest contract supplier of such product to the American company.

Industry sources pointed out that HP tried to find another PDA phone supplier as the global demand for such product is heating up.

Last year, Quanta began to actively transform itself into a maker of Smart Phone, PDA phone and 3G handset products from a producer of general-function handsets. With long-term cooperation with HP in supplying notebook PCs to the American brand, both firms reportedly reached an agreement in mid-2005 on PDA phone supply.

The sources added that the mini PDA phone Quanta supplied to HP is a refined model from the Atom, the smallest of its kind in the world, which has been supplied to telecom carrier O2 of the U.K. by Quanta. The Atom PDA phone (Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system) is available with a 2.0 mega pixel camera, FM radio tuner, Windows Media Player 10, photo albums as well as music and video libraries.

source & copyright: CENS