Palm Mobile Internet Kit Ships, Links Palm Handhelds With Mobile Phones To Connect Wirelessly to the Web
Palm OS 3.5 Software Upgrade Available as Internet Download or CD-ROM:
LAS VEGAS, COMDEX 2000, Nov. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM - news) today announced that its Palm(TM) Mobile Internet Kit is shipping. The software product allows virtually all Palm handheld computer users to connect wirelessly to the Internet using a data-enabled mobile phone. The kit is available immediately in the United States, with scheduled availability in the rest of the world by the end of the month.
The kit, available for an estimated street price of $39.95 (U.S.), can be ordered via the web or directly from Palm in the United States and Europe, and also is available in the retail channel throughout Europe and Asia Pacific. Products that support the kit include the Palm m100, Palm III, Palm IIIc, Palm IIIx, Palm IIIxe, Palm V and Palm Vx handhelds.
Palm OS Upgrade
The Palm Mobile Internet Kit requires Palm OS® 3.5, and the upgrade software is included on the CD-ROM, enabling those with an upgradeable Palm handheld -- the Palm III, Palm IIIx, and Palm V series handhelds -- to take advantage of many new OS features.
``Palm incorporates Flash memory in the majority of our products so that our customers can enjoy future innovations and enhancements to our operating system,'' said Byron Connell, vice president of Consumer Marketing at Palm, Inc. ``This easy and affordable upgrade option allows extended return on our users' handheld investments.''
The upgrade also is available separately for $14.95 as a download or $19.95 as a CD-ROM when purchased from The Palm Store at store.palm.com. The stand-alone Palm OS 3.5 upgrade is slated to be available later this week for the Palm III, Palm IIIx, Palm V, Palm Vx and Palm VII handhelds.
Access to Internet and Web Content, E-mail, SMS and WAP Content
Palm handhelds can connect to the Internet using an infrared (IR)-enabled mobile phone, a cable (sold separately) or a Palm-compatible modem. Users of the Mobile Internet Kit will be able to access the Internet and web content through web clipping technology, which was first introduced with the Palm VII wireless handheld. Web clipping extracts only a specific set of needed information from a given website, providing users with a quick and efficient means of accessing valuable information wirelessly without the burden of graphics and undesired information.
``The Palm Mobile Internet Kit provides instant access to the information you need, wherever you are, with just your handheld and your cell phone,'' said Connell. ``From e-commerce to breaking world news, the web clipping applications included in the Palm Mobile Internet Kit show off the wide range of content available via the hundreds of applications on the Palm.Net® site.''
The Palm Mobile Internet Kit provides users access to the more than 450 web clipping applications available from the Palm.Net website. More than 30 web clipping applications are included on the Palm Mobile Internet Kit CD-ROM, in categories such as communication, financial, news, reference, shopping, travel and entertainment. The kit includes web clipping applications from ABC News, Amazon.com, Britannica, Buy.com, CBSMarketWatch.com, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Digital Paths, ESPN.com, Etak, E*TRADE, Excite GO Translator, i-tinerary, MapQuest.com, Merriam-Webster, Prudential, Qwest Dex, Real Cities, Rovenet.com, SNAZ.com, Sports.com, Switchboard, ThinAirApps, Travelocity.com, United Airlines, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Weather Channel, and Yahoo!.
The kit also provides e-mail and Short Messaging Services (SMS). It includes the MultiMail solution (Version 2.26), providing easy access to any POP3 or IMAP4 mail account, and HandPHONE SMS (Version 1.3). The Palm handheld's easy input method makes this type of messaging quicker and easier than using phones alone, and the kit's Setup Wizard makes setup quick and easy.
In addition, the Palm Mobile Internet Kit CD-ROM includes an optional WAP browser (Neomar WAP Version 1.5). The WAP software provides much of the same content and filters available on some mobile phones, but can be viewed and manipulated easier via the larger screen of a Palm handheld.
Palm OS 3.5
Palm OS 3.5 was introduced with the Palm IIIc and Palm IIIxe handhelds and includes features that further enhance the user experience. Those features include an agenda view, tappable menus, a shortcut command bar, improved privacy, quick duplication of Address Book entries, faster HotSync® operation, infrared (IR) HotSync operation, Euro symbol support and a ``snooze'' button. |
