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

To: Scrapps who wrote (18295)	2/19/1999 10:16:00 PM
From: djane	Respond to of 22053

BusinessWeek. More Palmy Days for 3Com? businessweek.com@@q1zlKGUAZ2cOKwAA/cgi-bin/premium/issue/premium_story.pl?url=premium/99_09/b3618085.htm BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : MARCH 1, 1999 ISSUE NEWS: ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY It's launching new models, but big rivals are circling The Palm Pilot and its progeny have created a whole new market niche--truly useful handheld computers. These gizmos, which store addresses and appointments at the touch of a pen, have long been de rigueur among the digerati. Now, the Palm Computing division of 3Com Corp. has bigger plans. On Feb. 22, Palm will introduce two snazzy new models, then try to convince the world that Palm has set the standard for handheld computers. ''The Palm is evolving from a popular product into a whole industry,'' brags Janice Roberts, senior vice-president at 3Com. The new models are key to making good on that boast. The $369 Palm IIIx is an upgrade of the Palm III that offers more memory and a better screen. The $449 Palm V packs the IIIx's features into a package just half the size. And later this year, Palm will offer new devices for as little as $199. The expanded product line should help Palm boost sales from 1.8 million units last year to 2.5 million in 1999 and 4 million by 2002, figures International Data Corp. (IDC). At this point, 3Com might be expected to coast a bit. Palm has about 77% of the market, according to Dataquest Inc. Software developers have created some 2,500 programs for the Palm. And companies like Coach do a brisk business in Palm accessories such as leather cases. All told, Palm-related business fetches revenue of $1.2 billion, more than half of that for 3Com, figures analyst Ken Dulaney of consulting firm Gartner Group Inc. ''We've started to create a new Palm Economy,'' says Roberts. But rivals crave a piece of the market--without joining the Palm Economy. Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp. will soon bring out new machines using Windows CE, a slimmed-down version of Microsoft Windows for handhelds. Though CE has not caught on big yet, IDC projects that Windows CE will be on 62% of handheld computers by 2002--when Palm's share will fall to 29%. Other market researchers and 3Com dispute that scenario. NET PUSH. Still, competition is rising. Another software ''platform,'' Epoc32, is being readied by Symbian, a joint venture of Britain's Psion Ltd. and cell-phone giants Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola. 3Com is ahead now, says Prudential Securities Inc. analyst Luke T. Szymczak, but ''it's way too early to declare victory.'' That's why Palm is pushing. It took the No. 1 spot in Europe late last year and just rolled out a Kanji Palm in Japan. This summer, it will ship Palm VII, with wireless Internet access. The Palm VII will be key to another 3Com push--handheld computers that go online. The cost of a Palm VII will be partly subsidized by data services customers sign up for, such as stock quotes from E*Trade or driving directions from MapQuest. 3Com will deliver data--and take part of the revenue--via a service called Palm.net. Robin Abrams, named president of the Palm Computing division on Feb. 2, will head the launch. 3Com is also working on distribution and licensing deals. IBM and Symbol Technologies Inc. now sell Palms to corporate accounts, for example, and Qualcomm Inc. has built Palm software into its new PDQ wireless phone. But can Palm stand up to its rivals? Symbian's backers are the top names in mobile communications. Microsoft could be even scarier: It has vast financial resources and strong ties to software writers. For now, Palm has an edge with developers. But in the end, they'll write for the platform with the most users, so the next two years will be crucial. Roberts is convinced 3Com can turn Palm into its own industry. ''All sorts of businesses will be spawned from Palm,'' she says. The trick will be to keep swimming faster than the other fish. By Andy Reinhardt in Santa Clara, Calif. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP FOR MORE INFO From BW's paid archive. (There is no charge to view this list of stories) INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online Copyright 1999, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Policy

To: Scrapps who wrote (18295)	2/19/1999 10:19:00 PM
From: djane	Respond to of 22053

To the thread, I heard a rumor that GSTRF and COMS will have a relationship for the Palm VII. Have you heard anything? Any info would be appreciated. djane From the BusinessWeek article This summer, it will ship Palm VII, with wireless Internet access. The Palm VII will be key to another 3Com push--handheld computers that go online. The cost of a Palm VII will be partly subsidized by data services customers sign up for, such as stock quotes from E*Trade or driving directions from MapQuest. 3Com will deliver data--and take part of the revenue--via a service called Palm.net. Robin Abrams, named president of the Palm Computing division on Feb. 2, will head the launch.