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To: engineer who wrote (9305)	4/26/2000 12:32:00 PM
From: limtex	Respond to of 13582

Eng - POcket PC/wireless/QCOM/SNDK This post is from the SNDK thread in answer to a post from me about the Pocket PC/Flash memory and QCOM..any idea To: limtex who wrote (10633) From: Joe Cittern Tuesday, Apr 25, 2000 11:06 AM ET Reply # of 10659 There will be a wireless one sometime later this year (casiopea 105) I'm convinced and it will have a QCOM chip in it and that will give it internet capabiltiy In that context, I got this today from Computerwire. The vexed question of wireless connectivity was one of the burning issues at the launch of Microsoft's Pocket PC handheld operating system in New York last week. Microsoft Corp knows that wireless capabilities could be a deciding factor in the battle for the US handheld market. However, conflicting wireless network standards in the US are causing the software giant and its hardware partners to hold back from introducing devices which integrate traditional handheld functions with those of a mobile phone. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer used his speech at the launch event to re-emphasize the importance that Microsoft is placing on wireless for handhelds. "Wireless is the key to the future of these devices," Ballmer told his audience. Microsoft claims that it has solved one part of the wireless puzzle with the Pocket Internet Explorer bundled with the OS. The browser leapfrogs wireless markup language, enabling the user to view HTML pages - which are specially rendered for the device on the client-side - and take advantage of the standard socket security layer (SSL) plug-in for online shopping and trading. "No funny clippings, or funny views," Ballmer jeered, taking a sideswipe at the web clipping service offered by Palm for its VII series wireless handhelds. However, giving the user a cool way to view the web on a handheld is only half the story; first they have to get connected. Talking to ComputerWire at the presentation, VP of Microsoft's mobile devices division Ben Waldman, also derided the Palm VII service, and the BellSouth mobile network that Palm uses as "essentially a two way pager network. We give you the whole of the web, not just what they want you to see," he said. Yet Microsoft named only one network partnership at the event. According to Waldman, Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) services for the Pocket PC - which can only currently be accessed by adding CDPD cards to Pocket PC devices will be carried over the AT&T Digital Cellular network. One source we spoke to at the launch said the network was slow - offering average transfer rates of 9.6Kbps - and still didn't cover some major cities in the US such as Atlanta. "Realistically, they used it because its available," said the source. Rebecca Thompson, product manager for Microsoft's mobile devices division, said that she expects the company to announce more network partnerships as Pocket PC rolls out. However, the issue of convergence between handhelds and mobile phones is still a thorny one for Microsoft's hardware partners in the US. Ballmer and his crew spent a lot of time talking about integrated devices and how people wanted one unit they could carry around. However, Thompson reckons that truly integrated wireless devices won't be launched in the US for another couple of years. The problem is - once again - the proliferation of mobile network standards in the US. The Pocket PC hardware partners - Compaq, HP, Casio and Symbol - won't take a risk on one existing standard over another, according to Thompson, preferring to wait for next generation 2.5G and 3G networks to shake out the confusion in the US market. This is bad news both for the US consumer and for Microsoft. Pocket PC can easily be adapted to a wireless format. Casio and Siemens showed an integrated phone/PDA device using the OS at the CeBIT trade fair this year. However, it only runs over GSM networks and is intended for the European market. So it looks as though US customers will have to wait for their all-in-one device, while Microsoft will lose a crucial lead over Palm Inc in the tooth-and-nail domestic handheld market.

To: engineer who wrote (9305)	4/26/2000 1:39:00 PM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13582

engineer (and Peter), << I am confused as to why you have to junk your phone to take advantage of Verizon? >> I do not have to junk my phone (new QCP860) to take advantage of Verizon. I have to junk it to take advantage of their new national single rate plan which requires a tri-mode dual-band mobile (BAM models are the new StarTac and new AudioVox). I am already a Verizon customer (formerly BAM) dating back to 1993. I purchased a QCP800 dual mode (800 MHz) when BAM first started offering digital service in 1997 and subscribed their SingleRate USA plan ($159/mo for 1600 minutes, no roaming, no LD charges) when they first started offering it in September 1998 (using the QCP800). Pricier than 'T's tiered national single rate plans but MUCH better connectivity than 'T' everywhere in the US. I think some of the issues that dictate the necessity for the tri-mode phone: 1. BAM has always operated only in the 800MHz (CDMA/AMPS spectrum) and only offered 800MHz mobiles to date. 2. They have had exceptional roaming partners (the RBOC 'B' cellular carriers including AirTouch). 3. They (like 'T' are losing money on their SingleRate USA plan (even at its higher than 'T' price) 4. The GTE/AT mergers under VOD eliminate some roaming partnerships and alter others (reducing lost revenue from roaming and LD) but dictate access to 1900MHz spectrum. 5. Or something like that <g> Verizon will subsidize my upgrade to a tri-mode dual-band mobile mobile but unfortunately some $400 of accessories (data cables, batteries, car kit, enhanced charger) for the QCP860 will be sunk cost and will need to be duplicated for the tri-mode dual-band mobile. Moreover the QCP860 connects to the oddball Palm Vx serial connector and Motorola/Audiovox don't yet offer a cable for same. Woe is me. Painful to be a road warrior sometimes and my timing on my new mobile purchase was as poor as some of my timing on purchases of equities. <g> - Eric -