The iPAQ Glisten (right) could be a significant product for HP because recent entries in the once-prominent iPAQ product line, such as last year's iPAQ Voice Messenger, iPAQ Data Messenger, and iPAQ 900 Series Business Messenger have not, as far as we're aware, been picked up by any U.S. carriers. While today's launch seems to have caught the blogosphere by surprise, word of the device first came last May from the Engadget website, which offered details of the "K3" phone as part of a treasure trove of purportedly leaked AT&T documents, and the photo shown below was later served up by the Vietnamese Sohoa website.

According to AT&T, the Glisten includes an AMOLED touchscreen, touted as "among the best displays on the market." Unlike most phones that are so equipped, the device also includes a full QWERTY keyboard and five-way directional pad, "for fast, easy and accurate messaging including SMS/MMS and email."

HP's iPAQ K3
Source: Sohoa

Clearly enterprise-oriented, the Glisten appears to be employing the standard Windows Mobile 6.5 user interface, instead of overlaying it with software add-ons. However, the phone comes with an preloaded Facebook application, while the included Voice Commander software can read messages, emails, and appointment details out loud, while also letting users begin messages and dial contacts using simple voice prompts, AT&T says.

HP says the Glisten includes 802.11b/g wireless networking -- with a dedicated on/off button -- as well as Bluetooth 2.0 and GPS. Cellular connectivity, meanwhile, consists of tri-band UMTS/HSDPA and quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, according to the company.

Equipped with a 3.1 megapixel camera, the Glisten uses a Qualcomm 7200A CPU clocked at 533MHz, with 256MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage. Memory may be expanded via a microSD slot that has a capacity of up to 32GB, HP says.

Features and specifications cited by HP or AT&T for the iPAQ Glisten include:

• Processor -- Qualcomm MSM7200A clocked at 533MHz
• Memory -- 256MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage
• Expansion -- microSD slot
• Display -- 2.5-inch OLED touchscreen with 320 x 240 resolution
• Camera -- 3.1 megapixel
• Keys -- QWERTY keyboard and five-way controller
• Wireless:
  • WAN -- Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM/GPRS/EDGE and tri-band (850/1900/2100MHz) HSDPA
  • LAN -- 802.11b/g
  • PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
  • GPS
• Other I/O -- n/s
• Battery type -- 1590mAh
• Dimensions -- 4.44 x 2.47 x 0.53 inches (112.7 x 62.8 x 13.5mm)
• Weight -- 4.66 ounces (132g)

According to AT&T, the HP iPAQ Glisten will be available "in the coming weeks" for approximately $230, following the usual two year-service agreement. More information on the phone may be found on the HP website, here.

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