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Thursday November 12, 8:59 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
3Com Gives Users Wire-Free Connection Between Palm Computing Devices
and Mobile Phones
New Infrared Capabilities Point to the Future of Mobile Connectivity
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 1998--3Com Corporation (Nasdaq:COMS - news) today announced the availability of Enhanced IR
update -- free, downloadable software which gives users of the market-leading Palm Computing® platform-based devices the ability to connect to Ericsson's
infrared (IR)-capable mobile phones, including the 888 Series. Application data, including e-mail, memos and address information, can be transmitted across GSM
networks without the need for wiring of any kind.
Enhanced IR update software, when downloaded onto an upgraded PalmPilot™ Professional edition or Palm III™ connected organizer, adds the IrComm
communications protocol to the Palm Computing device. Users merely select the ''IR'' function on the Palm III organizer's intuitive user interface and all serial
communications, both from built-in applications as well as add-on applications from third parties, will be ''beamed'' from the Palm III device's IR port to the mobile
phone.
''The communications possibilities enabled by the Enhanced IR update software are almost endless,'' said Mark Bercow, vice president, strategic alliances and
platform development, Palm Computing, Inc., a 3Com company. ''People will be able to send and receive information from almost anywhere and mobile workers
may have instant access to enterprise information in nearly any environment.''
With over two million 3Com organizers sold worldwide, representing 63 percent of the worldwide standard handheld market (Dataquest), and with Ericsson's
leadership in mobile handsets, customer demand for Enhanced IR update is expected to be significant.
''We are pleased to be a part of this development which is in line with our strategy to support open standards, providing all users of our IR-equipped phones with
connectivity to the leading product in the handheld market. Ericsson and 3Com have been working together in the development of this software and it has gone
through a thorough testing and verification process at Ericsson,'' said Jan Ahrenbring, vice president marketing and communications, Ericsson Mobile
Communications AB.
This announcement is a significant step in the Palm Computing platform's development. The platform is evolving to secure unrivalled functionality in all user
environments through partnerships with hardware and software manufacturers and developers. Enhanced IR update gives the Palm III organizer the potential to be
compatible with devices that support the IrComm protocol, bringing intelligent connectivity to domestic and business environments.
Enhanced IR update is available from the Palm Computing (www.palm.com) and Ericsson (mobile.ericsson.se) Web sites.
About the Palm Computing Platform
The Palm Computing platform is the foundation for the market-leading 3Com Palm III and PalmPilot connected organizers and other handheld computing products
from Palm Computing's strategic partners, all leaders in their respective markets. These include IBM, which sells the IBM WorkPad PC Companion into the
enterprise market, Franklin Covey, which supplies the Franklin Electronic Day Planner for the training and time management industry, QUALCOMM, which will sell
its pdQ CDMA Digital Smartphone in 1999, and Symbol Technologies, which develops and markets the SPT 1500 device with bar code scanning capabilities used
in retail, transportation, parcel and postal delivery, manufacturing and health care.
About 3Com
3Com Corporation enables individuals and organisations worldwide to stay more connected by communicating and sharing information and resources anytime,
anywhere. As one of the world's preeminent suppliers of data, voice and video communications technology, 3Com has delivered networking solutions to nearly 200
million customers worldwide. The company provides large enterprise, small and medium enterprise, carriers and network service providers, and consumers with
comprehensive, innovative information access products and system solutions for building intelligent, reliable and high performance local and wide area networks. For
further information, visit 3Com's Web site at www.3Com.com or Palm Computing at www.palm.com.
Note to Editors: 3Com and Palm Computing are registered trademarks, and Palm, Palm OS, PalmPilot and Palm III are trademarks of 3Com Corporation or its
subsidiaries. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. No products mentioned herein
are manufactured by Pilot Corporation or Pilot Corporation of America, manufacturers and distributors of writing instruments.
Contact:
3Com Europe
Sandra van Vreedendaal, +44 1189 228200
sandra_van_vreedendaal@3com.com
or
The Weber Group Europe
Amanda Harris/Jeremy Morgan, +44 171 240 6189
aharris@webergroup.co.uk
More Quotes and News:
3Com Corp (Nasdaq:COMS - news)
Related News Categories: computer peripheral, computers, internet, networking, telecom
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