Why Aren't More PDAs Wireless? Part 1
B: Why Aren't More PDAs Wireless? Part 1
Jul. 12, 1999 (PCWorld via COMTEX) -- The large number of wireless
data transmitters for personal digital assistants exhibited at last
month's PC Expo in New York suggests that a new era of portability has
arrived. But long-standing technical and market hurdles remain that are
likely to make ubiquitous computing and Web access a dream slightly
deferred, according to analysts and vendors.
Before the debut last month of 3Com's Palm VII wireless PDA, few
manufacturers managed to squeeze cellular phone circuitry and antennas
into normal-size PDAs. Most "wireless" PDA devices require a physical
link to an actual cell phone for transmission--even the Socket
Communications Digital Phone Card for Windows CE devices, which
garnered much of the attention at PC Expo. But that should change in
the next 18 months as phone vendors such as Nokia and Qualcomm
introduce cell phones on a chip, says Bruce Kasrel, senior analyst at
Forrester Research.
Most wireless networks have their own proprietary standards, and no
single network covers enough geographic areas to dominate. What's more,
radio circuitry in the device will usually work only with one cellular
standard, such as CDPD or GSM. So PDA makers typically pick one or two
networks to support, then form partnerships with vendors of
removable--and thus interchangeable--PC Card cellular modems, or with
the network carriers themselves. It all adds up to a piecemeal setup
that most consumers find cumbersome.
Knowing this, 3Com wanted to make the Palm VII networkable right out
of the box, so it joined with Bell South's Intelligent Wireless
Network, a decade-old radio (not cellular) network available in most
U.S. metro areas, to create Palm.Net. The new network will have special
servers and other infrastructure designed expressly to store and
download personal and public information to the PDA.
"We designed the device and the service to be network independent,"
says Tammy Medanich, a 3Com product marketing manager; the company
plans to support other cellular and wireless standards, she says.
3Com's strategy may point the way to an eventual solution to the
wireless PDA puzzle.
"The network shouldn't have to make much difference," says Kasrel,
pointing out that a so-called 3G (for third generation) standard is
likely to unify cell-phone networks anyway by around 2002. The real
challenge for PDA vendors and major wireless networks is to build the
additional Palm.Net-like infrastructure to deliver content that people
want to read on their PDAs. "It's going to happen," Kasrel says, thanks
to proven demand for such services and the need of cellular carriers to
sell new products and services.
Tuesday: Part 2: Telecom, computer, and Web worlds agree on
ingredients for data-rich, wireless PDAs, but the right recipe remains
elusive.
Wednesday: Part 3: Centrally stored personal data and customized news
may become the real product as wireless devices become more
standardized and interchangeable.
Courtesy of Captain Jack Message 10479891 |
