Caxton...Anyone...does this device
from DELL use the Q's technology...?.....I haven't a clue...
By Michael R. Zimmerman and Carmen Nobel, PC Week
November 16, 1999 6:57 AM PT
LAS VEGAS -- After years of pooh-poohing the handheld market, Dell Computer Corp. is on the verge of offering its first palm-sized device.
Sources close to the Round Rock, Texas, direct marketer said Tuesday that the company is very close to announcing a licensing agreement with
Research In Motion Ltd. for its increasingly popular BlackBerry wireless two-way digital communication device, as well as "compelling" forthcoming
versions of the unit.
Unlike many handheld devices, the BlackBerry has built-in wireless support for Microsoft Corp.'s Exchange through a single mailbox. As with
regular e-mail, BlackBerry lets users read, reply to, create and forward messages. And like 3Com Corp.'s popular PalmPilot, the BlackBerry
features a cradle that connects directly to a user's PC for synchronizing contact information.
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The BlackBerry is powered by an Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) 386 processor, and its wireless service is based on a flat monthly fee.
Initially, the Blackberry will not be available to the general public; only large corporate accounts will be able to buy the device through Dell account
executives. But it is likely to be available on Dell's Web site next year, according to sources.
Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) officials here at Comdex declined to comment. Company Chairman Michael Dell has steadfastly denied any interest in the
product category, saying there has not been a compelling product. Perhaps the BlackBerry has changed his mind. A source close to Dell said he
carries one.
Wireless push for PCs, too
Elsewhere on the wireless front, Dell plans to give wireless LAN access to its Optiplex line of PCs, with an Aironet brand radio that fits into a card
slot on the PC and works with an Aironet access point, which can support up to 50 users at distances of 300 feet and data rates of up to 11M bps.
Dell's logic is that many companies move their employees around so much that desktop PCs have almost become mobile devices. If an IT manager
can avoid rewiring a PC every time an employee changes cubes, then the company stands to save money. Dell will do a site survey for companies
wishing to install wireless LANs for desktops to make sure their offices are able to handle such networks, officials said.
"It makes a lot of sense," said an employee at Toyota Motor Sales in Torrance, Calif., about Dell's plans. "I've had to move my PC four times this
year already."
Dell is at www.dell.com. |
