How about a new slogan for Compaq?
Compaq, wireless and ready to go<g>
--
Wireless Net Access Heats Up --
AOL, Compaq, Lucent fire up
Wireless 2000 with latest wares
CMP Media Inc. - Saturday, March 04, 2000
Mar. 03, 2000 (VARBusiness - CMP via COMTEX) -- NEW ORLEANS-Hot
computer and communications industry players are turning up the heat in the
wireless market. At the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association
Wireless 2000 show here last week, wireless Internet technologies and
enabling alliances were fired up by America Online Inc., Compaq Computer
Corp., Microsoft Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc., Palm Inc. and others.
Wireless Internet access is the coming technology revolution, pronounced
Microsoft CEO Bill Gates during his opening keynote. "Microsoft wants to provide
the software that makes it happen," he said. In April, Microsoft will ship a new
version of MSN Mobile that gives cell phone users e-mail and online transaction
capabilities, he said.
"Microsoft is showing its usual market savvy and foresight because wireless
Internet access is going to be a huge growth area," says Brian Phillips, an
analyst for ARS Inc., La Jolla, Calif. "Microsoft will have to invest heavily,
however, because companies like Palm are way ahead in the wireless market."
Microsoft was just one of many stoking the wireless Internet fires at
the show:
- Dell Computer Corp. unveiled a wireless technology for notebook PCs.
- Compaq and AOL will sell a wireless Internet pager from Research In
Motion.
- Compaq's new Mobile Internet Platform will enable ISPs and ASPs to offer wireless Internet
services.
- Later this month, Lucent Technologies will ship high-speed wireless networking kits, which will
enable wireless links in homes, offices and public facilities.
- Palm joined Sun and Sun-Netscape Alliance's iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions group to create a
system that enables global wireless access to enterprise apps and services via Palm OS handheld
computers.
Such initial steps could make seamless wireless Internet access to corporate networks a reality within
the next three years, analysts say. "The pieces are coming together," Phillips says.
varbusiness.com
|
