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Technology Stocks : Qualcomm Incorporated (QCOM) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Gregg Powers who wrote (41925)	9/20/1999 11:59:00 AM
From: Ruffian	Respond to of 152472

This Is Good, WSJ> The Thin Phone and pdQ Smartphone Qualcomm Inc.'s Internet-enabled Thin Phone lives up to its billing: At two-thirds of an inch thick, the device is one of the most slender handsets available today. Many carriers already are selling the phone, though cellular providers are just starting to roll out Internet access. U S West Inc., the Denver-based Bell telephone company, expects to have wireless Web access available in a few markets before the end of the year. Sue Schaefer, vice president of marketing and sales for U S West's wireless group, says the Thin Phone, with its sleek design and long battery life, will help bring wireless Internet access to a mass market. "We believe there are going to be differing levels of data services, even down to a $24.95-a-month plan," she says. High-end business users, on the other hand, may opt for the Qualcomm pdQ Smartphone, a cross between a wireless phone and a PalmPilot. Several carriers, including Sprint Corp.'s Sprint PCS group and Vodafone AirTouch PLC, have agreed to roll out the service this year. The electronic organizer is based on the Palm Computing platform. It includes e-mail and Internet applications, along with typical address book and "to do" list functions. While a pdQ may lack the cache of a PalmPilot, the Qualcomm gadget has a major advantage over the Palm VII: a phone. Qualcomm says it has integrated the organizer and phone function so that you can make calls straight from your address book by tapping onto a phone number with your stylus. Multitasking types who want to talk and tap at the same time can use a headset, freeing their hands to maneuver through the organizer. Some status-conscious business users might be put off by the size of the tool: about 6 by 2.5 inches when closed and weighing a brawny 10 ounces. "It is bigger than most cell phones today," says Paul E. Jacobs, president of the consumer-products group for San Diego-based Qualcomm. "But it is a heck of a lot smaller than most Internet terminals."