HP phones looking good for 2011

This year is shaping up to be a great one for gadgets - sorry, executive peripherals.

Not so good for owners of the "latest" devices, maybe, with things like version 2 of the iPad expected some time which will no doubt make we early adopters green with envy again - or at least until we can work out a plausible argument for needing two iPads ...

As a long time sufferer of an HP iPaq Data Messenger I reckon the new HP smartphones for 2011 look particularly good. While my phone is a great mobile email device, it is monumentally useless for virtually every other task, but the class of 2011 looks like a whole new generation of iPhone-inspired devices that actually work.

All the hype surrounds the Pre3 smartphone, which is a shame as it is eclipsing the credit card sized Veer - the looks like the perfect solution for anyone wanting shirt pocket phone. Provided they have good eyesight and tiny fingers, that is.

The Pre3 is a full size phone with all the bells and whistles. It will boast a 3.6-inch 800x480 resolution screen, slide out keyboard and a nippy 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor under the bonnet. It also comes equipped with GPS, 5 megapixel camera, with 720p HD video, and mobile hotspot sharing so you can use your 3G connection over WiFi on your laptop or iPad.

Unfortunately, HP doesn't plan to have these new phones on the market before the summer, so it's likely they will look a bit dated by then. Like my Data Messenger!