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My phone also does dishes

HP and T-mobile to distribute all-in-one, Wi-Fi loaded iPaq phone.

John Borland Staff Writer, CNET News.com
John Borland
covers the intersection of digital entertainment and broadband.
John Borland

Hewlett-Packard and T-Mobile will distribute a new version of the iPaq handheld that can bounce back and forth between cellular and Wi-Fi networks. It's a phone, it's a camera, it's an MP3 player, and it can leap tall buildings in a single bound.

I have mixed feelings about all-in-one devices . None of them are going to make me throw away my digital camera or my MP3 player, at least not yet. But the network-switching function is a step forward. I use my cell phone at least half the time at home (since I don't use a land line anymore), and having those minutes be sent out my DSL connection might ultimately be cheaper, or more efficient.

Of course, mobile phone operators who want to increase use of their next-generation data networks might not see it that way. I'm guessing they're going to have their own mixed feelings about network switching, particularly when it comes to voice.