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To: Ausdauer who wrote (19106)	2/13/2001 8:01:43 AM
From: orkrious	Respond to of 60323

Article in Detroit Free Press on Cassiopeia EM500 Mike Wendland: New handheld system catches eye and heart February 13, 2001 freep.com I'm conflicted. I thought I was addicted to the Palm handheld computer operating system. But then I got my hands on the new Cassiopeia EM500 that runs on rival Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system. It appealed to my eye with its incredibly bright 65,536-color screen. It got my ear with the built-in MP3 music player. And it warmed my heart with its seamless integration to Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook, all the programs I use on my desktop. The Pocket PC moniker is the third iteration for Microsoft's Windows CE handheld operating system. The other two have flopped miserably, resulting in the entire effort being dubbed WINCE (say it out loud ..."wince," as in grating) by wags who love to point out that handhelds running Palm's system account for nearly 85 percent of the market. With Pocket PC, all the attention until recently has been focused on Compaq's Ipaq model. It's impressed industry reviewers for its elegance of style and dazzling color display, so much so that Compaq hasn't been able to meet the demand. But amid all the gushing over Ipaq, Casio (www.casio.com) quietly came out with the EM500 late last fall. I like it. A lot. It comes standard with 16 megabytes of RAM. Compared to the 8 MB on my Palm VIIx, that sounds like a lot. But by putting Pocket PC versions of Word, Excel and Outlook in the device, that onboard memory goes quick and if you want to load some MP3 tunes or beef it up with some third-party software or the nifty Microsoft Pocket Streets mapping application, you'll need extra memory. The EM500 uses MMC Memory cards that are about the size of a postage stamp and fit into a slot at the top. You'll probably want a couple of cards. I'd suggest a 64-MB card for MP3s. That will hold about an hour's worth and cost you $179. You'll probably also want a 32-MB card for extra programs. That's another $99. So, added to the $499 cost of the unit itself, you're up to nearly $800, though there's a $100 mail-in rebate available through March 31. The EM500 also allows music playback with a mobile video player. But this is more gimmicky than useful. Hands down, though, the EM500 has the best display I've yet seen on a handheld. I think it's every bit as good or better than the Ipaq. As far as battery life goes, I'm getting about four days of moderate use before charging is necessary. It seems to synchronize with my desktop faster than my Palm. And it's really nice to be able to directly work on Word documents and Excel speadsheets, instead of having to work through converters as with the Palm. However, I find the handwriting recognition capabilities on the Pocket PC trickier to master than Palm's Graffiti system. And there's no built-in modem, let alone wireless capabilities as with the monochrome $449 Palm VIIx. If only there was some way to combine the best of both ...Palm's ease of use and the Cassiopeia EM500's brilliant display and program functionality. For now, I'm carrying two handhelds. I just can't make up my mind which one best meets my needs. Contact MIKE WENDLAND at mwendland@freepress.com or 313-222-8861. You can also hear him talk technology on Detroit radio stations WXYT-AM (1270) and WWJ-AM (950).

To: Ausdauer who wrote (19106)	2/13/2001 12:20:21 PM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 60323

Tuesday February 13 8:53 AM ET Kodak, Olympus in Digital Camera Cross-Licensing Pact ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Reuters) - Photography giant Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE:EK - news) said on Tuesday that it signed a cross-licensing agreement with Japanese camera maker Olympus Optical Co. Ltd. (7733.T) to help expand the digital photography market. The companies said in a statement that they will cross-license their patented digital camera technology. Each has more than 1,000 patents relating to digital cameras and digital photography technology. Financial terms were not disclosed. The companies also said they will work together to promote improved digital printing of pictures, which should help consumers find better ways of storing and printing pictures. They will use Kodak's online photo services, such as its Print+Kodak Internet photofinishing. Kodak said it was in talks with other digital camera makers over potential licensing agreements. Kodak also said on Tuesday that it had signed an agreement with Dell Computer Corp. (NasdaqNM:DELL - news), under which Dell will provide computer and software systems to more than 3,500 Kodak Express stores in Latin America to help boost their digital technology. Kodak has been trying to redefine itself as a major digital player, in what has become an increasingly competitive market. Recently, the company has been investing heavily in digital and online photo ventures in order to position itself as one of the leading digital photography companies. Kodak's shares have been hovering close to 52-week lows in recent months as investors remain unconvinced of the company's digital strategy. On Monday, its shares closed at $45.20 on the New York Stock Exchange (news - web sites), the lower end of a 52-week range of $35.31 to $65.69.