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Latest Windows CE devices to be on display at CeBIT
By Darren Gladstone
Three of the top Windows CE device manufacturers are expected to show their latest entries in the PDA marketplace at the upcoming CeBIT technology fair in Hannover, Germany.
Casio Inc. is rolling out two new Palm-sized PCs. As reported last month, the Cassiopeia E-100, a 16-bit color handheld, will sell for less than $500 when it is released in April. It is making its first public appearance at CeBIT.
(The Japanese version of the E-100, the E-500, allows a digital video camera to be attached via the CompactFlash card slot. Casio officials would not comment on when the camera would be available in the U.S. market.)
Also slated to ship in April is the $399 Cassiopeia E-15. Announced Monday, the 16MB E-15 is the Windows CE answer to the Palm V. The slim machine (3.25 by 5 by 0.6 inches) has a gray scale display and runs off a 69MHz NEC microprocessor.
Besides the traditional Palm-sized PC applications, Casio is courting corporate users with a software bundle that includes the Pocket Data Base, Enterprise Harmony '99 for conversions from PalmPilots, the AvantGo Client 2.0 Web browser and the Financial Consultant Calculator.
Another key player in the Palm-sized PC market, Philips Electronics North America Corp., is set to make the move to color as well. The new version of the Nino, code-named Atlantis, will be announced next Monday at CeBIT.
The new unit will maintain the Nino 300's profile and cost approximately $499 when available in April. A passive display will provide for longer life with the included lithium-ion battery. The ultimate goal, according to sources at Philips, was to make the unit last at least as long as the gray scale model before a recharge is required.
Meanwhile, Hewlett-Packard Co., which has met with success in the Windows CE handheld market, is bringing its HPC Pro to a smaller form factor. HP will announce at CeBIT that the $899 Journada 680 will be available in North America in April. The 680 is an enhancement of the HP 600 palmtop series, weighing in at 1.1 pounds, measuring 7.4 by 3.7 by 1.3 inches, and sporting a 133MHz processor.
Casio, in Dover, N.J., can be reached at www.casio.com. Philips Electronics, in New York, is at www.philips.com. HP, in Palo Alto, Calif., is at www.hp.com. |
