HP's Airlife, Zeen trademarks hint phones and players
updated 03:45 pm EST, Wed December 30, 2009
HP hints at major mobile push in filings
HP has filed for a pair of US trademarks that hint at a major return to handheld devices. One, for the term "Airlife," would apply to handheld computers, PDAs and phones as well as computers. The other, "Zeen," would apply to a handheld that can play images, sound and text as well as the software needed to do the same. Both trademarks were requested within five weeks of each other and, given differences, that the two are complementary rather than alternate names for each other or for existing products.
The trademarks are no guarantees of product development but imply a major return to home-oriented handheld devices at HP. It has lately resumed making pocketable devices like its Glisten smartphone but has almost exclusively targeted pro users with Windows Mobile; it has long abandoned the Companion line of handheld devices as competing media players and GPS units outpaced them in the market.
No rumors have surfaced of any HP unveilngs at CES, though any Airlife- or Zeen-branded products will have to compete against a slew of handheld mainstream devices from computer-making veterans, ranging from Apple's iPhone, iPod and possible tablet to imminent devices like the Dell Streak. [via New York Times]
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 1999
bleh
"HP Zeen" and "HP Airlife" sound pretty bad. I don't know how I feel about getting a "Zeen", and I certainly would hope never to need an "Airlife", unless I get stranded in the woods somewhere. I'm guessing the Zeen is an e-book (e-magazine, i.e. 'zine' -> 'zeen') reader. Airlife will probably be a smartphone or Mobile Internet Device, but boy is that name bad. Maybe we'll be spared the awkward product marketing and bad jokes at HP's expense, and it'll turn out to be some kind of medical breathing apparatus.