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Technology Stocks : Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: re3 who wrote (79471)	10/3/1999 7:49:00 PM
From: Jenne	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 164684

October 3, 1999 Amazon.com Going Wireless Filed at 6:48 p.m. EDT By The Associated Press SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- A week after moving to offer online shoppers just about anything they could want to buy -- from yard sale trinkets to buffalo steaks -- Amazon.com is giving customers a chance to place their orders from just about anywhere they go. Amazon planned to announce Monday it will become one of the first e-commerce companies to sell its products through new wireless devices. The move is timed to coincide with this week's nationwide release of 3Com Corp.'s new Palm VII, a hand-held computer that will provide wireless Internet access to allow users to read e-mail, shop and browse popular Web sites. ''Last week, we announced our new zSHOPS, which was about anything. This is about anywhere,' said Warren Adams, an Amazon executive who lead the 'Amazon Anywhere' initiative. ''Now our customers can have their shopping mall in their pockets instead of having to be at their desktop.' Seattle-based Amazon in just a few years has become an Internet shopping powerhouse, going from selling books to electronics and toys, as well as hosting auctions, in a bid to become a one-stop shopping site for consumers. The company has been announcing several new initiatives to raise consumer awareness of the site ahead of the holiday shopping season during which online commerce sales are expected to rise sharply over last year. Amazon's stock soared last week after it announced zSHOPS, which lets almost anyone sell online, regardless of product size and quantity or location. ''Amazon's always been about convenience and selection and taking the friction out of the shopping experience,' Adams said. ''We want to make sure you can shop whenever you want, for whatever you want, wherever you are.' To accomplish its goal, Amazon announced it had acquired Convergence Corp., a software firm specializing in wireless technology, for $23 million in Amazon's stock. The company developed the software that must be downloaded, initially to the Palm device, and later to other wireless devices. Analysts say Amazon and other companies are hedging their bets by building software to allow consumers to shop without being connected to a fixed phone or cable line. Indeed, worldwide sales of hand-held computers are expected to exceed 5.7 million units in 1999, a 47 percent increase over 1998, according to research firm Dataquest. The market is projected to grow more than 30 percent through 2003, when sales are expected to reach 21 million units. Hand-held computers initially allowed users just to keep schedules and take notes. The small boxes could, in turn, be plugged into desktop computers to synchronize information. The devices have been improving over the past few years. While other attempts have been made to provide wireless Internet access, 3Com's is notable because the Palm organizer is already highly popular. However, the Palm VII is a bit pricey. It will cost $499 under a $100 price cut effective Monday. And users must sign up for Palm's Internet service provider Palm.net, which costs about $10 a month. Heavy users of the service would pay more -- as much as $100 a month. The Palm VII reformats Web pages to fit the smaller screen using a technology known as Web clipping that limits the content somewhat. Still, Web sites as diverse as the sports site ESPN.com, Moviefone.com, package deliver United Parcel Service and the online brokerage ETrade Group Inc. have signed on to provide content to the new Palm organizers. Amazon's application on the Palm VII also will allow people to check on the status of auction items, although they will not be able to bid in the first version. zSHOPS also will not be available in the first version. Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company