PC maker unveils devices early to drum support from developers ahead of showdown with Apple, Google, RIM.
H-P introduced a credit card-sized phone dubbed Veer, a larger Pre3 phone for the professionals and the 10-inch TouchPad tablet computer.
The three devices were built with H-P's webOS operating system, a key asset the company acquired when it bought handheld pioneer Palm last summer for $1.2 billion.
The announcement marks its largest push yet to get into mobile devices, where tablets and smartphones continue to enjoy rapid growth that far outstrips its own core businesses. It's one of several PC makers that have turned their gaze in this direction, underscoring the lure of the mobile world. As a result, it is entering a crowded field already dominated by two household names.The tiny Veer has a 2.57-inch screen and is powered by an 800 megahertz Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm Inc. and comes with 8 gigabytes of storage. It will be available in early spring. The Pre 3 features a 3.58 screen, is powered by a 1.4 gigahertz Snapdragon processor and comes with either 8GB or 16GB of storage. It will also be available in the summer.
The TouchPad features a 9.7-inch screen and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, is powered by Qualcomm's dual-CPU Snapdragon processor and comes with either 16GB or 32GB of storage.
The company will release a WiFi version in the U.S. and other markets this summer, with a 3G version available at a later date. Steven McArthur, H-P's senior vice president for applications and services, said in an interview the company was in discussions with multiple carriers in various markets, but he declined to provide additional details.
H-P didn't provide pricing details for the three devices, but McArthur said the TouchPad would be "very competitive" with the iPad, which starts at $499.
H-P's early unveiling of the products means a long wait before they actually hit the market, and more time for its competitors to lengthen their lead.
"The timing is definitely a problem for H-P," said Avi Greengart, research director at Current Analysis, who added he was impressed with the Touchpad.
The company announced the products early to drum up support for the developers, Greengart said, which was necessary given its relatively small collection of available programs for WebOS.
"H-P had to do this," Greengart said.
Many observers have praised webOS as a well-designed platform, but H-P will have an uphill battle to compete with Apple's iPhone and phones built with Google's Android mobile operating system, which it makes available to hardware makers for free, and Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry franchise.
The top smartphone operating system remains Nokia Corp.'s Symbian, but the company ceded much of its market position as customers opt for newer alternatives, according to a recent study by Gartner.
Android made the largest stride, showing a 10-fold jump in the number of smartphone sales last year, vaulting into the No. 2 spot. RIM and Apple followed.
H-P's TouchPad will enter a market dominated by Apple's iPad tablet, which has sold more than 14 million units since it was introduced just over nine months ago.
Research In Motion is preparing to launch a new tablet dubbed PlayBook, while a slew of other hardware makers are set to introduce rival devices built with the latest version of Android, which has been optimized for tablets.
The first of these is expected to be Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.'s Xoom tablet, rumored to be going on sale for $799.99 later this month.
Research firm ISuppli, a unit of IHS Inc., forecasts 57 million tablets will be sold this year and 171 million in 2014, putting pressure on H-P to make its mark soon or get left further behind.
Many observers believe H-P's most significant hurdle in the mobile market will be to convince enough third-party developers to start building applications for webOS devices. Apple has enjoyed a first-mover advantage and already has more than 300,000 apps for its iOS platform. Google's Android Market has more than 100,000 apps.
McArthur said developers have already built about 7,000 apps built for earlier Palm Pre devices and he expects there will be "tens of thousands" of apps available by the time the devices launch later this year.
Todd Bradley, the executive vice president who runs H-P's personal systems group, said the company was committed to extending the webOS footprint this year by adding the software to printers and personal computers. He said the company envisions deploying 100 million devices annually.
"We're investing in a complete build-out. We're committed to helping build the ecosystem," Bradley said.