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Technology Stocks : COMS & the Ghost of USRX w/ other STUFF -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Moonray who wrote (16175)	6/18/1998 3:23:00 PM
From: Scrapps	Respond to of 22053

New Pocket Computers Hit the Market DAVID E. KALISH AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Buying a simple pocket computer just got a lot more complex. For two years now, the Palm Pilot was the one hot choice for consumers seeking a portable, inexpensive gadget to store contacts, jot memos and track expenses. The 3Com Corp. product became a sort of mobile badge, with 1.4 million units sold to on-the-go people weary of complicated, general-purpose computers. But a fresh crop of rival machines that look eerily like the Palm Pilot - yet run on Microsoft's Windows software - are now vying to usurp the crown of simple computing. The competition may help push prices of Palm Pilots below $300 and also force more comparative shopping. Philips Electronics, Everex and others showed off sleek hand-held machines this week at the PC Expo trade show here, ranging from $299 for basic units to $500 models that include a modem linking the user to networks for checking e-mail and exchanging notes with far-away computers. The rivals tout the advantage of Microsoft's ubiquitous Windows operating software over 3Com's proprietary system. With the Windows system running the basic functions of the new gadgets, the idea is to prod many of the myriad developers who write programs for Windows-based desktop computers to also write for the pocket-sized ones. The computer industry is waking up to what 3Com realized early on: Many consumers are weary of machines with dozens of specialized functions and instead prefer devices that do a few jobs well. Lacking a keyboard and a color screen, the sparer machines could point to a future direction in remote computing. The Palm Pilot ''has pushed an emotional button that goes beyond their value as a personal organizer,'' said Richard Doherty, an industry consultant with The Envisioneering Group, based in Seaford, N.Y. The computer industry's previous attempt to woo go-anywhere consumers - hand-held Windows devices sporting cramped keyboards and short battery lives - seriously lagged the success of the Palm Pilot, which instead of a keyboard recognizes handwritten notes on a built-in pad. 3Com last year sold more than four times as many Palm Pilots as hand-helds from its closest rival, Hewlett-Packard, according to the research firm Dataquest. Philips hopes to make a splash with its new Nino computers, which hit retail shelves next month at prices ranging from $399 to $459. They sport a silver, futuristic design and a more powerful microprocessor than the Palm Pilot for running demanding applications. ''We think Palm did a great job - people really liked it,'' said Mariel van Tatenhove, senior product marketing manager at Philips Mobile Computing Group, based in Campbell, Calif. ''But after two years now, some people have more sophisticated needs,'' she said. Everex Systems Inc., based in Fremont, Calif., displayed the least expensive of the new Windows CE models, with prices starting at $329. For $399, buyers also get a docking ''cradle'' that recharges batteries. Another $100 includes a modem for remotely linking with other computers. But 3Com executives say they aren't worried, insisting their newly introduced Palm III will ensure their lead. The $399 Palm III has more memory and an easier-to-hold tapered 4.7-by-3.2 inch case. With two megabytes of memory, the Palm III can store as many as 6,000 contacts, 3,000 appointments, 1,500 memos and 200 e-mail messages. The machine retains a single purpose. ''The reason our product has been so successful and the reason we think it will stay in a leadership position is that we haven't tried to cram in a lot of features,'' said Mark Bercow, head of the Pilot's platform development. Indeed, judging by some early reaction at the start of the PC Expo show on Tuesday, the newcomers may have their work cut out for them. Steve Rosenstein, a loyal Palm Pilot user attending the show on Tuesday, cast a skeptical eye at the new Philips' Nino gadget. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the address-book-size Palm Pilot. Pressing a thin stylus to the pads on both models, Rosenstein - a technology systems manager at the Legal Aid Society in New York - decided his was ''much faster'' at recognizing his scribbles and rewriting it as type at the top of the screen.