Initially slated for launch in late 2004 only to shortly thereafter be delayed until the first quarter of 2005, the Windows Mobile based P50 communicator from BenQ is facing yet another hurdle on its road to retail availability. A BenQ representative today confirmed to infoSync World that the P50 will not be launched in Europe until the third quarter of 2005, and then only in Italy, initially. Similarly, the P50 will not be made available in the U.S. market until late in the third quarter.
The communicator, which would have been the first of its kind to integrate a built-in thumbboard with a slim form factor and extensive wireless capabilities had it launched on time, will now be facing competition from several other Windows Mobile devices by the time it hits shelves. Most notably, devices such as the O2 XDA IIs, T-Mobile MDA IV, upcoming iPAQ hw6500, Vodafone VPA IV and Orange SPV 3G all match the P50 in terms of features with some even surpassing the device by adding 3G to the mix.
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