Way back in the day, there was a company called Compaq that made IBM compatible personal computers. In fact, they invented the "compatible" market and paved the way for the PC industry as it is today. Absent Compaq, there would be IBM and Apple making proprietary personal computers. So its fair to say that Compaq had a major impact on the market. Then Compaq made PDAs that they called iPaqs, appropriately enough. But Compaq's life ended when HP bought them, and since that there has been what I would call an inconsistent strategy for mobile devices. HP has made some PDAPhones, gotten out of the market, gotten back in the market, etc. Through it all, they've not really been much of a player in the market, hardly showing up on market share comparisons.

In recent years, Microsoft has also had their struggles with Windows Mobile as Apple, RIM, and even Palm have cranked it up a notch and put significant pressure on Microsoft to get innovative. HP today has now announced plans to support the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system on future PDAPhones.

Their announcement says that, "Windows Mobile 6.5 on HP smartphones will offer key enhancements to business productivity, personal messaging and mobile Internet capabilities, making it even easier for mobile customers to communicate and to manage critical business and personal information. With its new visual appeal, enhanced mobile Internet experience and greater personalization capabilities, the new operating system boosts the opportunities for Windows-based smartphones in broader market segments."

It remains to be seen if these enhancements will be solely because of the presence of the newest version of Windows Mobile, or if HP is going to be adding their own innovative layer to Windows Mobile 6.5, as HTC and LG are doing. Competition is good for the PDAPhone market, so I hope HP is serious and will really bring the power of their massive resources to these devices.

For more information, refer to the HP announcement.