HP has launched a credit card-sized smartphone based on the latest version of Palm’s webOS. Targeted at the consumer market, the HP Veer has a 2.5-inch touchscreen, slide-out keyboard and 800 MHz processor. The HSPA device is equipped with Wi-Fi sharing, GPS, multimedia player and a 5-megapixel camera. The HP Veer will be available in the second quarter of 2011.

For anyone who wants a smartphone that packs the features they crave without the extra size they don’t, HP today introduced the powerfully small HP Veer smartphone running HP webOS.
Veer is one of the products HP announced today to introduce a unique experience for customers around connected mobility. It’s one of the building blocks in HP’s vision to seamlessly connect all your worlds through the power of HP webOS.

Veer is the smallest webOS phone to date – the size of a credit card and no thicker than a deck of cards – yet it offers the higher-end features of a smartphone, such as easy messaging and access to apps, social networks and the web, including support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1 beta in the browser for access to rich, Flash-based web content.(1)
It has a full slide-out keyboard, vivid touchscreen and access to thousands of webOS apps(2) in a surprisingly small, modern package that fits easily into a pocket or purse. It’s everything a smartphone should be, but in a smarter size.

“While much of the industry is trending toward larger and larger devices, we believe there’s also a whole lot of room for thinking small,” said Jon Rubinstein, senior vice president and general manager, Palm Global Business Unit, HP. “Veer bridges the gap for a new generation of smartphone users, proving they really can have it all without sacrificing the size they want.”

Less is more

At just 54.5 mm x 84.0 mm x 15.1 mm and only 103 grams, Veer touts an 800-MHz processor; a vivid 6.5 cm (2.57”) glass display; full slide-out keyboard; 8 gigabytes (GB) of internal user storage; a high-performance browser with full access to the web,(1) including support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta; Wi-Fi(1); integrated GPS(3); robust messaging support(4); and multimedia options, including music, photos, video recording and playback, and a 5-megapixel camera.
Veer also includes HP Synergy, which is exclusive to webOS devices. Synergy brings together information from multiple sources across the web automatically, so the information you need is all in one place.(5) In one incredibly small design powered by HP webOS, Veer gives you many features per square inch:

• More than just text – With Veer, messaging means more than just text.(4) Integrated messaging conveniently combines all your text messages, picture messages and IM conversations with one person into a single view. You can read and write email with ease and view your email accounts together or easily toggle between them.
• More ways to connect – Sign in to your Facebook®, Google, Microsoft® Exchange, LinkedIn and Yahoo!® accounts and the HP Synergy feature automatically populates your information on your phone.(5) Mobile social networking apps such as those for Facebook and Twitter allow you to stay connected, update your status and upload pictures in real time.(1) The webOS App Catalog features thousands of apps for fast and easy access to all the things you need from the web, including games, weather, movie info, news, recipes – you name it.(2)
• More than just search – With Just Type, whatever you want to do on your phone – searching the web, texting, updating your status or almost anything – all you have to do is start typing and Veer takes you there.(1,4)
• More apps open – Veer lets you keep multiple websites and apps open at the same time and easily switch between them with just a swipe of your finger. Pause a game, read a text message, check your calendar, reply to the text, then switch back to the game without closing anything.(1,6)
• More ways to get where you want to be – Veer lets you get directions, find points of interest or discover fun things to do on the go. Built-in GPS turns your phone into your personal navigation system, and apps such as OpenTable work with GPS to pinpoint your exact location, get directions, find places of interest around you and provide turn-by-turn directions.(3)
• More power to you – With HP Touchstone (sold separately), Veer gives you a unique and innovative way to charge your phone. Simply place your phone on the dock and it charges automatically; there’s nothing to plug in. And the new Exhibition feature lets you run apps designed specifically for Touchstone. Set your phone on Touchstone, and Exhibition launches automatically, showing you anything from today’s calendar to a slideshow of your photos.(7) Veer also supports the HP mobile hotspot, enabling your phone to act as a mobile Wi-Fi router so you can share wireless internet connectivity with up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including the new HP TouchPad, as well as notebooks, gaming devices and portable media players.(8)

Veer is one of three webOS products announced today (see separate announcements for HP Pre3 and HP TouchPad). Each product plays a distinct role in the growing webOS family, designed to meet the varying needs of customers in a rapidly evolving mobile landscape.

Availability

The HP Veer smartphone is scheduled to be available in the early spring. Exact pricing and availability will be announced at a later date.

HP Veer features and specs

• HP webOS
• High-speed connectivity(1)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7230 800-MHz processor
• 6.5cm (2.57”) multitouch screen with a vibrant, 18-bit color, 320 x 400 resolution display
• Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
• Full slide-out QWERTY keyboard
• 8 GB of internal storage(9)
• High-performance browser with full access to the web, including support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 beta for access to rich, Flash-based web content(1)
• Wireless connectivity:
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n with WPA, WPA2, WEP, 802.1X authentication(1)
  • Integrated GPS(3)
  • Bluetooth® wireless technology 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
  • Wi-Fi router functionality for up to five devices using HP mobile hotspot(8)
• Multimedia options, including music, photos, video recording and playback, a 5-megapixel camera with geotagging and 3.5 mm stereo headphone adapter
• Email, including EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers) and personal email support (Google Gmail push, Yahoo!, POP3, IMAP)(5)
• Robust messaging support (combining IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)(4)
• Proximity sensor, light sensor and accelerometer
• Rechargeable 910 mAh battery
• USB mass storage mode to transfer your media and other files quickly between desktop and device
• Ringer switch, which easily silences the ringer with one touch
• Compatible with HP Touchstone (sold separately)
• Tri-band UMTS, quad-band GSM/EDGE world phone(10)
• Dimensions: 54.5 mm x 84.0 mm x 15.1 mm (2.1 inches x 3.3 inches x 0.6 inches)
• Weight: 103 grams (3.6 ounces)

More information about HP Veer is available at www.palm.com/Veer.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com/.
Source: http://www8.hp.com/uk/en/hp-news/article_detail.html?compURI=tcm:183-848779&pageTitle=HP Veer Packs Big Smartphone Experience into Powerfully Small Package