HP to support discontinued Jornadas

Hewlett-Packard has promised to provide at least three years of technical support to Jornada handheld owners worldwide, despite dropping the product line after merging with Compaq Computer.

All Jornada handhelds will be phased out by year's end--with the exception of the Jornada 720, which resembles a miniature notebook computer, and the Jornada 928, which features telephone capabilities. Jornada was HP's line of handhelds before the merger.

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"HP is committed to supply replaceable parts for a minimum of three years from the date of purchase, including the first year warranty," spokeswoman Cecilia Pang said.

Pang could not commit to repair services beyond that period, adding that "it would depend on the availability of parts."

Support also covers helpdesk services and software upgrades, available from HP's Web site.

Concerns over the level of technical help for the discontinued Jornada series followed HP's decision in May that favored the more popular Compaq iPaq handhelds.

More than 2 million iPaq units have been sold worldwide since its debut two years ago. The sales performance of HP Jornadas has not been made public.

Last month, the Jornada development team in Singapore was disbanded as part of a cost-cutting measure. Although HP would not reveal the number of employees affected, the company reportedly had about 100 engineers and designers in Singapore, where the Jornada products were developed and made.

HP's $18.7 billion acquisition of Compaq wrapped up May 3. By combining, the two companies hope to reduce yearly costs by $2.5 billion, mainly from cutting 15,000 jobs worldwide.

CNETAsia's Irene Tham reported from Singapore.