See Chin-Teik, vice president for consumer products and the mobile business group of HP, said that the company this year was further realising its vision of mobile freedom through a complete and seamless web of mobile products which allow businesses and consumers access to information, digital content, and services that they want and the devices they want to use.

The firm will introduce various mobile devices, including two handhelds, five consumer notebooks and two digital projectors in the Asia-Pacific region.

The two new handhelds are the HP iPAQ rw6800 Multimedia Messenger series and the hw6900 Mobile Messenger.

He said the rw6800 was the first device released under the DIAFA concept, "to reflect the youth of the Asian consumer". The company previously used the term "Made in Asia for Asia".

"With the DIAFA initiative, we expect to meet the needs of Asian consumers by further cultivating and tapping HP's understanding of Asia and its local markets. The devices also come with fashionable design that lets users experience connectivity, productivity and mobility. Meanwhile, the hw6900 has built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, and integrated GPS navigation.

"The DIAFA initiative allows HP to design, develop, manufacture and sell products for the diverse and unique needs of local Asian markets," said See.

The five consumer notebooks are powered by the latest Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology.

, and include HP Pavilion notebook models dv1600, dv5100 and dv8000 and Compaq Presario notebooks v2600 and v5100.

Lastly, the two new digital projectors are the HP mp3322, a mobile digital projector designed for professionals on the move, and the xp7010/7030, a high-performance digital projector to captivate large audiences.

Jirapan Boonnoon

The Nation

Hong Kong

jirapan@nationgroup.com