HP pulls the plug on iPAQ 610: Boooo!

Mobility Site is quoting an e-mail received by one of their staff members saying that HP has decided not to sell the HP iPAQ 610 series in the U.S.

"Well, bad news for everyone looking to get their hands on the HP iPAQ 610 series smartphone. You know, the one with the cool navigation method.

In an email received today by one of our staff members, HP tells us that the 610 is not going to be offered any longer…

You recently registered via HP’s website to be notified when the HP iPAQ 610 Business Navigator is available to purchase.

We appreciate your interest in this product.  However, due to recent legal issues between suppliers of mobile phone technologies, HP has decided not to offer the iPAQ 610 Business Navigator to U.S. customers as previously planned.

Please consider other HP products that may meet your needs and at significant discounts!"

That really is unfortunate. I was never in favor of a non-qwerty phone but this one at least had a touch screen running Windows Mobile 6 Professional. Now, doesn't look like anyone on this side of the world will get the chance to play around with that cool navigation concept they came up with.

But it also continues to leave a hole in HP's phone category.

Visiting their website, they only have the lowly HP iPAQ 510 Messenger available, with a price of $249.99 after rebates. And even though the the iPAQ 6945 series is still up on the initial splash page, it isn't listed either.

Granted, I've long wondered why HP didn't simply give the 69XX series a Windows Mobile 6 upgrade and offer it cheaper than almost $600, especially when they were ramping up to initially release three new phones in the 510, 610 and 910 but now HP has very slim pickings.

As regular readers may also recall, I did happen to spot an HP rep using the 910/912 while at CES so at least that one does exist. But for a line of phones that was supposed to be out starting October of 2007, dropping one device while still being mum on (if/when) the other is coming out is not boding well for the HP phone division.