New Product: 3Com Delivers the Palm III Connected Organizer,
the Third Generation of the Industry-Leading PalmPilot Handheld
Computer - 09:43 a.m. Mar 09, 1998 Eastern
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 1998
Palm Computing platform product combines infrared capabilities,
increased memory, enhanced user interface and industrial
design with original award-winning technology
Palm Computing, Inc., a 3Com company (Nasdaq:COMS), today announced the
Palm III(TM) connected organizer, the third generation of its award-winning
PalmPilot(TM) products based on the Palm Computing(R) platform. In addition to
the pocket size, seamless desktop synchronization, ease of use and fast data access
that made the Palm Computing platform the de facto open standard in the handheld
market, the Palm III organizer offers infrared (IR) beaming capabilities, increased
memory, an optimized user interface and a sleek new industrial design. The Palm
III organizer runs on Palm OS(TM) 3.0, the new generation of Palm Computing's
highly efficient operating system for seamlessly connected handheld devices. The
Palm III organizer is expected to be available in April, 1998 with a suggested retail
price of $399.
With the Palm III organizer's IR capability users can share records and applications
wirelessly by simply "beaming" information into another user's Palm III organizer at
the touch of a button. This provides new data communications opportunities both for
individual users and organizations. With 2MB of RAM, users have ample room to
add a wide array of applications, allowing greater expandability and customization.
The Palm III organizer is flash upgradable, making it easy for users to upgrade the
Palm OS software without replacing the memory card. In addition, the Palm III
organizer is capable of synchronizing data over corporate Intranets and the Internet,
using Palm Computing's enhanced HotSync(R) technology.
To further add to the product's utility, the Palm III is bundled with the Bonus Pack
from MacMillan Digital Publishing, a CD-ROM containing an extensive array of
third-party applications and utilities valued at approximately $175. The Bonus Pack
includes a financial calculator, a world clock, a Web channel manager, a drawing
application, CNET Snap! Online, conduits to leading desktop PIMs including
Symantec ACT! and Microsoft Outlook 97 and an assortment of games. The Palm
III organizer sets a new standard for value in the handheld computing market, with
an unmatched combination of performance, functionality and ease of use at the best
price point available.
"With the Palm III organizer, our goal was to deliver a product that would delight
our customers by building on the ease-of-use, form factor, instant response,
connectivity and value that made the PalmPilot products the best-selling handheld
devices worldwide," said Ed Colligan, vice president of marketing for Palm
Computing. "To do this, we optimized existing features and produced a new
industrial design that is both elegant and highly durable. We considered numerous
additional features and carefully selected only those that both deliver new
functionality and retain our dedication to portability, simplicity and affordability."
To support its large and loyal customer base, Palm Computing also announced two
upgrade options today. First, all Pilot 1000 and Pilot 5000 owners who purchase the
Palm III organizer are eligible to trade in their Pilot organizer and receive $75 from
3Com(a). This provides them not only with the software and IR benefits of the
2MB upgrade, but also the latest-generation casing and form-factor and the backlit
screen. In addition, all registered users of the original Pilot 1000 and Pilot 5000
organizers, as well as the PalmPilot Personal and PalmPilot Professional Edition
products, can upgrade to the software, IR and extended memory functionality of the
new Palm III organizer via the Palm 2MB Upgrade, expected to be available in
June, 1998.
Built on the Palm Computing platform, which holds 66 percent share of the standard
handheld computing market worldwide (Dataquest), the Palm III organizer
maintains compatibility with the hundreds of software applications and hardware
add-ons that are available from third-party vendors. With over 5,000 developers
working on Palm Computing platform solutions and over 150 developers producing
hardware add-ons, the Palm Computing platform offers the greatest number of
handheld solutions available for both consumers and corporate customers. In
addition, over one million handheld devices based on the Palm Computing platform
have sold, making it the fastest adopted computing platform in history. Palm III
Connected Organizer Features Infrared beaming
Infrared (IR) beaming enables users to share information wirelessly with other
Palm III organizer users by simply selecting an entry, file or application to be
transferred and pointing the Palm III organizer at another Palm III organizer within
a distance of one meter. The information is automatically stored in the proper place
on the receiver's organizer. A special "business card" option allows a user to
automatically transfer the user's business card information to another user by simply
aiming his or her organizer at the receiver's organizer and pressing and holding the
Address Book button. To ensure copyright protection, developers of shareware and
commercial software for the Palm Computing platform can easily add a security
option to their applications to prevent the transfer of applications covered by a
single-user software license. Increased Memory
With 2MB of RAM, the Palm III organizer is capable of storing 6,000 addresses,
five years of appointments (approximately 3,000 entries), 1,500 To Do items, 1,500
memos, and 200 e-mail messages. The Palm III connected organizer is also
equipped with flash memory for software-only upgrades of the Palm OS software,
eliminating the need to replace the memory card to upgrade the operating system.
New Industrial Design
Durability and ruggedness have been greatly increased with the Palm III organizer,
while special attention has been paid to softening the edges to increase comfort in
the palm of the user's hand. For extra protection, each organizer comes with a
protective flip cover. The Palm III organizer also comes equipped with an
ergonomically designed metal stylus to provide a more natural fit and feel. File
Linking
With a new "file linking" feature, users can automatically import data from a file
located on a remote server each time the Palm III organizer is synchronized with
the desktop. For example, a salesperson can choose to receive newly updated price
lists, sales leads or other data located on a network each time synchronization
occurs. This feature is ideal for enterprises employing a highly mobile workforce
where remote access to important networked information is critical to business
productivity. Optimized User Interface
The Palm III organizer offers a variety of fonts and sizes to improve the readability
of data on the Palm III organizer screen. In the desktop calendar application, the
day view has been improved to provide greater access to the To Do and Address
functionality, so users can easily drag and drop information from one application to
the next. E-Mail
The Palm III organizer offers built-in e-mail compatibility with Microsoft
Exchange(TM), Microsoft Outlook 97(TM), Lotus(R) cc:mail(TM), Microsoft
Outlook Express and QUALCOMM's(R) Eudora Pro(TM). Many third-party
conduits are available that provide connectivity to almost every other major e-mail
application, including POP3 Internet Mail clients and Lotus Notes(TM). Enhanced
HotSync(R) Technology
HotSync technology now enables users to synchronize their data remotely, via
networks or dial-in access, through a TCP/IP connection. PalmPilot Professional
Edition organizer customers using the original Network HotSync(R) software who
upgrade to Palm III functionality via the Palm(TM) 2MB upgrade will automatically
receive the built-in network capability as part of the installation process. New Palm
III organizer customers can download the network synchronization capability for
free from the Palm Computing web site at www.palm.com. Broad Desktop
Application Support
Many vendors continue to build "conduits," desktop links that enable one-button
two-way data exchange between Palm Computing platform organizers and
PC-based software. These include links to CorelCENTRAL8, Franklin Ascend 97,
GoldMine Software's GoldMine, Lotus Notes, Lotus Organizer, Daytimer from
Daytimer Technologies, Microsoft Outlook 97, Microsoft Schedule+, Maximizer
from Maximizer Technologies, ON Technology's Meeting Maker, NetManage Ecco
Pro, Novell GroupWise, Now Up-To-Date and Contact, Oracle InterOffice,
Sidekick and Internet Sidekick from Starfish Software, and Symantec ACT!.
The Palm III organizer is compatible with Windows 95, Windows NT and
Macintosh operating systems. A MacPac connection kit including desktop software
is sold separately for Macintosh connectivity. An upgrade to the currently available
version 1.0 MacPac, is expected in summer, 1998. 3Com will provide a Web
download of the upgrade for registered users from www.palm.com upon release.
This MacPac upgrade is being written specifically for the Macintosh OS and will
provide an extensible conduit architecture. The architecture will enable third party
companies to develop Macintosh OS specific conduits and desktop applications that
seamlessly integrate and synchronize with any Palm Computing platform
based-device. A prerelease version of the conduit software developer kit (SDK) is
already available.
The Palm III organizer is expected to be available in April, 1998 for a suggested
retail price of $399 at leading computer, consumer electronics and office supply
stores nationwide, including Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Computer City,
Egghead, Fry's, The good guys, J&R Computer World, MicroCenter, Office Depot,
OfficeMax, RCS, Service Merchandise, Staples, The Sharper Image and other fine
regional retailers and computer catalogs. The PalmPilot Personal and PalmPilot
Professional Edition organizers also remain available, with suggested retail prices of
$199 and $299 respectively. About 3Com
3Com Corporation enables individuals and organizations worldwide to communicate
and share information and resources at anytime from anywhere. As one of the
world's preeminent suppliers of data, voice and video communications technology,
3Com has delivered networking solutions to more than 100 million customers
worldwide. The company provides enterprises, network service providers and
carriers, small businesses and consumers with comprehensive, innovative
information access products and system solutions for building intelligent, reliable and
high performance local and wide area networks. For further information, visit
3Com's World Wide Web site at 3com.com, or the press site at
3com.com.
(a) For details about the refund offer, please visit palm.3com.com on
the World Wide Web.
(See also: businesswire.com)
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