HP has officially announced that Microsoft Outlook (the heart and soul of all Windows Mobile-based devices) will no longer be included in the Getting Started CDs of all HP iPAQs manufactured after March 2007, and to rub salt in the wound, no official announcement has been made regarding an accompanying price reduction. Excluding Outlook essentially kills the "out of the box" experience for consumers new to Windows Mobile. No one should have to purchase a new car and acquire the wheels separately from a tyre shop, and so no one should have to purchase a new iPAQ and be forced into acquiring Outlook separately from their local software store. HP simply cannot assume that Microsoft and PC manufacturers will satisfy the other half of the equation. There are still versions of Office 2007 (albeit one) that do not include Outlook, and there are still new PCs that do not ship with Office. Add in the millions of people who already have PCs without Outlook and you can start to see a gaping hole in HP's policy.

If you're a consumer, remember that there are plenty of fish in the sea. Shop wisely. HP isn't your only option.

via [Pocket PC Thoughts]