Palm targets real-time email
By Stephanie Miles
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
May 20, 1999, 1:00 p.m. PT
When Palm Computing unveils its newest handheld with wireless Internet access Monday in New York, it will be taking an important first step toward the goal of providing full Internet access to non-PC users, observers say.
As reported earlier, Palm Computing will launch its Palm VII and complementary Palm.net service in a staggered rollout, starting Monday, sources say. The service still has some kinks to work out, but it offers a glimpse at the future of Internet communication.
The rollout of the Palm VII, accompanied by 3Com's push into the wireless arena, also underscores the heightened competition in the handheld world, which has exploded in popularity. Palm currently enjoys 72 percent of the market, according to market research firm International Data Corporation, but Microsoft and its Windows CE manufacturing partners are close on its heels, and they're expected to roll out their own wireless products sometime next year.
The $599 Palm VII is nearly identical to its predecessor, the Palm III, except for the antenna which enables wireless connectivity. This antenna connects the user to the Palm.net "Web clipping" service which offers pared-down Internet content optimized for the small screen of the Palm VII |
