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To: limtex who wrote (16478)	11/5/2000 10:22:52 PM
From: orkrious	Respond to of 60323

Message 14731585 Springboard, Drop it or Face Death! A Message to Handspring. Expendable PDA was a great idea, and Handspring didn't shy from copying it. It invented the Spingboard standard, which was the touted fame of the Visor. One year after the Visor launch, we are seeing some modules out there. But can Springboard really compete against other expansion standards? And how will this impacts Handspring? Sony is pushing Memory Stick. Palm is planning to use SD. Sony is HUGE, and its total coverage of the consumer electronics space will assure the proper support of Memory Stick expansion modules. Clearly, SD will be the dominant standard supported by everyone. Handsping alone will not be able to support the Springboard. One year after the Visor is out, 3rd party support for the Springboard has been spotty, and none from leading consumer electronics players. If history gives any indication to the future, then I would have say that Springboard is in trouble. What can Handspring do? 1) Keep going with Springboard and ignore everything else. 2) Add an additional device that allows SD devices to be used on Springboard. 3) Dump Springboard and go with SD completely. The result for 1) will be fatal. Springboard with be a standard with little support, and for those who support it, SD versions will definitely be released first. Going with 2) will allow Handspring to continue support of the Springboard while enjoying the expandability of SD. But why not go with SD directly, very few people are using any Springboard module anyway? Probably face saving is the only reason to go with this approach. Going with 3) will be a setback to Handspring, but it would provide long term compatibility and growth. It is the most logical decision. Probably in two quarters, at most four quarters, Handspring will have to make a call. And I think that almost for sure, it will have to take a hybrid solution of 2) and 3), which will lead to the ultimate death of Springboard. Else, Handspring will go down as the Eagle Computer of PDA. Khan

To: limtex who wrote (16478)	11/5/2000 11:57:24 PM
From: Craig Freeman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 60323

Limtex, this is getting very confusing. I said that SNDK had obtained MLC IP via their deal with Hitachi. As I understand your post, SNDK already had MLC IP and SNDK licensed it to Hitachi. Rather than doing deep research on a weekend, I assumed that I had goophed and I thanked you for the correction. To be honest, I don't know for certain who has IP rights to what in the SNDK/Hitachi deal. Maybe Hitachi owns a deal-killer patent or maybe SNDK does. Likely, WE will never know because SNDK does all of its deals in secret. In the interest of the thread, we would all benefit from a definitive description on the MLC technology that SNDK had prior to the Hitachi deal, a discussion of what was gained and/or lost by SNDK when it made the deal, and a resolute statement of the overall results of that cross-license agreement. If you have specific knowledge on these issues, please be forthcoming in answering these important questions. Craig Message #16478 from limtex at Nov 5, 2000 10:08 PM CF - Thanks for pointing out that SNDK has MLC technololgy! That INTC news feels much better now. Best regards, L