Increase in HP conference room sales

TAIPEI, TAIWAN: World's largest personal computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co said on Thursday its installations of new Halo video conferencing rooms have more than doubled annually since the product's launch in 2005.

The rooms, equipped with state-of-the-art telecommunications that enable high-definition videoconferences over three large-screen displays, sell for $249,000 per installation, plus a monthly payment.

Most of the rooms are housed within individual company office complexes.

"We're selling more than double the number of rooms (each year)," said Darren Podrabsky, marketing manager of HP's Halo collaborative solutions, via a videoconference with reporters in Taipei.

The company said it had so far sold 140 Halo rooms since the product's launch in December 2005, and the rooms had been installed in 22 countries for dozens of customers.

"Eighty percent of our customers have come back and purchased more," Podrabsky added.

HP posted forecast-beating fiscal second-quarter results on Tuesday, as it sold more PCs and server computers.

Its main competitor in the high-end video conferencing segment is US network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc.