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Technology Stocks : Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Oeconomicus who wrote (2195)	11/14/2002 1:58:49 AM
From: The Duke of URL©	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4345

New iPaqs take high road, low road By Ian Fried Staff Writer, CNET News.com November 13, 2002, 3:05 PM PT Hewlett-Packard plans on Monday to introduce two iPaqs: One the smallest, most affordable iPaq yet and the other a deluxe model with fingerprint recognition and two forms of wireless connectivity. The iPaqs, which debut just as Dell Computer is gearing up to enter the handheld market, offer a new high end and a new low end to HP's line-up. The middle of the market will be served by existing HP models. As previously reported, the low-end model is far slimmer and lighter than previous iPaqs. The iPaq Pocket PC h1910 will sell for $299, in line with a new handheld from ViewSonic. However, it is still considerably more expensive than a low-end Dell device that will debut next week for $199 after rebate. A slightly more powerful Dell model will sell for $299. While Dell may have the edge on price, HP's new slimline iPaq has an advantage in its compact design, said Cindy Box, a marketing director at HP. "Size matters," Box said. "It really does in this market. It's more than the price alone." IDC analyst Kevin Burden said that the Dell models and HP's h1910 all have their advantages. The h1910 features a 200MHz Intel processor, in comparison with the 300MHz and 400MHz chips found in Dell's models. But it has a removable battery, a feature Dell's models lack. "The iPaq name and styling has sold," Burden said, referring to the early popularity of the design. Dell, he said, lacks experience in the market, but "is playing a pricing game." Box said that HP plans to follow the h1910 with more products in the value part of the handheld market and does not plan on ceding any market share to Dell--or anyone else. "We're going to continue to look at 'Can we go lower?'" Box said. Burden said Dell's low prices could leave the rest of the industry scrambling to find ways to cut price tags. "A $199 price point, I think, is going to be very disruptive," Burden said. As for the new high-end wireless iPaq, the Pocket PC h5450 includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, a fingerprint reader for owner authentication and a powerful infrared port that allows the device to work as a universal remote control. (The h5450 received FCC approval last month.) However, the model also features a high-end price: $699. While it is important for HP to keep adding features, models with the latest and greatest features are going to represent a smaller part of the market, Burden said. "This is a niche device," Burden said. "They're not going to sell a lot of them." The h5450 will be available worldwide next week, while the h1910 will initially be available only in the United States.

To: Oeconomicus who wrote (2195)	11/14/2002 10:09:49 AM
From: Kirk ©	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4345

RE: OT: Hey, Kirk, it looks like your WCOM buy at 7 cents was a good move. Yeah, but it will have to get back to high $2 a share for me to be even on all my shares as I bought some earlier when I thought they bottomed in 2001 and the financials back then made WCOM look like a real value stock. Still, it is encouraging. Before the validity of every number they post was in question, I couldn't see how they would have problems meeting their debt obligations from cash flow as all they needed to do was stop all CAPEX and they'd have an extra $5B or so a year available. An idea dawned on me that might have validity. How do you restore confidence in the market and yet not destroy the major banks? Well, you can give them huge fines and break their operations up to seperate investment banking from analysts. You don't want to bankrupt the major institutions that keep our US running so you also allow them to accumulate bankrupt WCOM shares that they are also major bondholders for. Then they slowly break up the company to pay off the bonds but do it in a way that retains some value for the shareholder and eventually the shares they hold go up in value and pay for the "confidence restoration." The losers are those that sold when the talking heads said "this stock will have little or no value after they pay off the bonds." Maybe I am nuts, but if WCOM can break its last high of 27¢, then it could be off to the races. Also, if every asset they held was only worth book value, what does that do for the NASDAQ valuation? Down another 95% perhaps? I still kick myself for not buying Chrysler back in the 1980's.... I won't repeat this mistake.. a grands worth of WCOM now is not too much a risk... for over 5,000 shares. I have never trusted talking heads... and the pat answer was that WCOM was worthless.. Well, I doubt MC would take over the helm just for a salary to pay off bondholders and I think others are getting the same idea. Kirk