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Technology Stocks : 3Com Corporation (COMS) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Captain Jack who wrote (31449)	6/4/1999 7:28:00 PM
From: Richard P. Roberts	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 45548

Palm VII's Little Wireless Secret by Declan McCullagh 2:20 p.m. 4.Jun.99.PDT Even though the Palm VII's manufacturer has tried to restrict sales to just New York tri-state area, stores have been quietly shipping the much-anticipated PDA nationwide. 3Com, maker of the Palm, allows only some retail stores to carry its new wireless computer, and has prohibited online and mail-order sales. The company has said it wants to iron out any glitches in the unit's wireless communication features before rolling it out nationwide. But anxious Palm fans who live far from the Big Apple and can't wait for the scheduled end-of-year rollout have found some places that are willing to give them what they want. "We've been sending them everywhere. I've sent them to Chicago and California," says an employee of a CompUSA store in Manhattan. The store is currently sold out and expects its next shipment in a week. J&R Music World, which has a landmark store across from New York's city hall and a popular mail-order business, sells the wireless, handheld computers for US$539 plus $15 shipping. A representative said J&R had more than 200 of them in stock as of Friday. Mail-order sales may violate the stores' agreements with 3Com, which is serious about trying to limit customers to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The company is intentionally playing down the fact that the Palm VII's wireless email and web-clipping features can currently be used nearly anywhere in the nation. "Due to the regional rollout, they're only available in regional stores in the New York tri-state area," said Scott Lincke, engineering director for wireless products. Allowing stores to sell the Palm VII through the mail or online "would defeat the purpose of the regional rollout," Lincke said. 3Com's palm.com Web site includes an area where prospective customers can sign up to learn when the Palm VII is available in their area. A document supplied by 3Com to its public relations firm said: "To ensure good face-to-face contact at the respective location, [the stores are] not authorized to sell the device mail order or via the Internet." At least some retailers are following 3Com's wishes. The Sharper Image store on West 57th Street in Manhattan said it can only sell a Palm VII to someone who picks it up in person and hands over $599. "This is from 3Com -- they're not letting us ship it," the manager said. "We can only sell it-face-to-face. And we also have to tell customers it only works in the tri-state area." The Office Depot store on East 30th Street said it has plenty in stock at $539 each, but can't ship them. Palm VIIs also have begun to appear on eBay. As of Friday, the top bid for one billed as "new in the box" was $510. The Palm VII debuted a few weeks ago to mixed reviews. For wireless service, it relies on BellSouth's nationwide network.