More Of Palm Product Line To Go Wireless 70
Spasemunki writes: "The NYTimes has an article lurking in their tech page today on Palm's plans to add wireless connectivity to their whole product line. Wireless connected versions of the Palm III and Palm V lines should start appearing "in the reletively near future", with some changes to the product line appearing by the end of this year. Free registration required; you know the drill." From this article, it's not even clear what sort of wireless they're going to choose, but even so: the ubiquitous, wireless personal computer is crawling up onto land. If you had a nearly-a-billion-dollar IPO, you might want some wireless tools / toys, too.
Re:Bluetooth Palm ... range (Score:1)
blackberry (Score:2)
I don't know if it is best to respond to product changes from another company when you're not fully ready to release your latest product. Look @ intel and AMD.... intel seriously didn't want to compete with 1ghz AMDs......... instead they wanted everyone to associate their name with 1ghz, since they are the 'name brand' people will think that they should buy from them, instead of the 'no name' or 'little name player'
this is the story with Palm and RIM.
I like RIM's products, but still the monthly charges are ridiculous considering you don't have a cell phone only a pager...... likely the same story with palm....... just give me a phone PDA any day that can sync with linux!!
nil*
these pads (Score:1)
I'm a bitter old man and want to browse the web from a nice comfy couch. Is there anything, a laptop just seems like overkill for something simple like this...
Re:these pads (Score:1)
Re:Do they need different models at that point? (Score:1)
>
> Color (IIIc)
> Wireless (VII)
> Rechargable (V)
> 8MB or more (x)
Actually, the Palm IIIc doesn't have one of those, and the only one that it's missing is "wireless". It comes with 8MB of RAM and is rechargeable.
>I want it to function as a pager.
Palm Computing has been known to sell a module for earlier PalmPilots that allow them to act as pagers, and adding no significance to the form factor. I don't think they sell a 3+ model (yet?)
>I want real IP (could be there now... I've never used the VII) so that I can do
>(painfully slow) telnet, ssh, VPN, etc..
What do you mean, "real IP"? The PalmOS since version 2.0 Professional has had full IPv4 support.
--
Re:Bluetooth Palm? (Score:2)
short range sync solutions and others long-range wireless networking. Hopefully, some will have both.
--
Palm III Version? (Score:1)
My two cents...
--
Bad idea (Score:2)
I'm not looking forward to this. Okay, maybe it's great for 99% of the population, but I work in a high security government installation, and we aren't allowed to have devices with wireless conductivity. Once it starts becoming a standard integrated feature, we won't be allowed to carry them anymore.
Right now there are hundreds of us carrying palms just to do standard PDA type stuff. Security doesn't have a problem with this as they're all used only for unclassified information, the IR port can be disabled and even if it wasn't, the range is too short for there to be a danger of inadvertant capture of classified information.
But the spread of wireless technology has already had an impact where I work: all the machines and especially printers with IR ports on them that are going to be used for any type of classifed work have to have the IR port physically removed. Not a trivial task for some of these new printers with the fancy injection molded shells.
Anything with any real range, like a cell phone, is right out. Even if it's turned off, because most of these devices don't really turn off, they just go into standby mode which allows for the potential of them being turned on remotely and used for the capture and transmission of sensitive material. We are allowed to carry government owned cell phones, but only if the batteries are removed. Obviously, this isn't an option with the palms.
So keep in mind that the umbicious (sp?) wireless network is probably not a good idea because there are still plenty of places that that is exactly what is not wanted.
Of course, I speak only for myself. Nothing in this message should be considered to be the view of my employeer or the government. I'm not giving away any national secrets - all my info is from the stuff they tell all employees, regardless of whether or not they have a clearance.
Re:USELESS!!! (Score:1)
So 1 meg costs under a buck..
And if you ever just transmit text 1 meg is alot.
-IronWolve
Not bluetooth, CDPD. (Score:1)
Not Bluetooth...
Check out http://www.omnisky.com/products/index.html [omnisky.com]
for the wireless palm pilot modems.
Unlimited National CDPD Wireless Service with no roaming..
Side note, Each mobile has its own IP.
Just ssh/vnc into your box remotely, via your palm... oh yeah..
PS. That wap phone that article is talking about is the AT&T Pocketnet phone. (Out now)h ones/pocketnet/mitsubishi_t250.shtml [attws.com]
http://www.attws.com/business/gov/explore/plans_p
Check it out, the phone rocks! (I have one)
-IronWolve
Re:Bluetooth Palm? (Score:2)
Re:Using Palm to Update GeekPress? (Score:2)
"Free registration required..." (Score:4)
Yup, we sure do...
http://partners.nytimes.c om/cnet/CNET_0_4_1697833_00.html [nytimes.com]
sweeet (Score:1)
Re:"Free registration required..." (Score:1)
Alternative (Score:1)
Cellular Digital Packet Data (Score:2)
Re:Bluetooth Palm? (Score:2)
Re:Available Content? (Score:1)
Well, it's extremely difficult to make an OS stable without the aid of a MMU (the reason databases are protected on the palm is because there's hardware RW protection - databases automatically get marked RO). I've found it to be remarkably stable (depending on the app), but without a MMU, it's hard to determine the extent of the damage (trash the stack, trash the heap) since bad memory addresses (due to bad pointers) are not tracked if they fall within the R/W region.
It *is* possible, I suppose (early Suns used two
68k processors, one of which took over if the other exception'ed out and had to be reset), just complex. I have no idea how uCLinux handles this, though.
Do they need different models at that point? (Score:2)
Color (IIIc)
Wireless (VII)
Rechargable (V)
8MB or more (x)
That would be a superset of all the exisitng Palms, and do a lot to eliminate some confusion. Sure, I suppose there will still be a use for models that are cheaper, so they have some of the features knocked off.
Now, for software/sevices..
I want it to function as a pager. This is probably pretty easy.. someone just needs to do the telephone front-end. Possibly a slight improvement in sound would be needed. I could forego a vibrate mode.
I want real IP (could be there now... I've never used the VII) so that I can do (painfully slow) telnet, ssh, VPN, etc..
And of course I want the service to be reasonably priced. Ideally, flat-rate.
Re:yeah but... (Score:2)
Well, why does a $400 Palm have 10x the display space as a $99 Rio? Obviously, the devices are designed to do different things. The Palm is much more versatile than a Rio.
Re: it's the code, not stock (Score:2)
Re:Palm III Version? (Score:1)
vvvvvvv../|__/|
...I../O,O....|
...I./
..J|/^.^.^ \..|.._//|
...|^.^.^.^.|W|./oo.|
Re:offtopic........... (Score:1)
vvvvvvv../|__/|
...I../O,O....|
...I./
..J|/^.^.^ \..|.._//|
...|^.^.^.^.|W|./oo.|
Re:Available Content? (Score:1)
i wish 3com would improve the OS tho.
Wireless-in-office... a huge market segment (Score:4)
Just about every office worker in America sits in front of a computer, which is anchored in their office/cubicle. However, they still have to get up and walk around to ask people questions, deliver papers/material, and have meetings. Questions and appointments generated during these trips usually have to wait until the user walks back to their computer and either queries it or enters the commitment in their calendar.
With a short-range wireless Palm device, users could keep continuous contact with their e-mail and time manager software. They'd be able to take notes in meetings that save straight to their desktop, rather than transferring a note from their Palm. The Palm device would serve as a mobile terminal to the desktop.
IMHO, Palm is looking to create a "must have" accessory for every office worker in America, rather than build more expensive geek toys for those of us who need to check our e-mail fifty times a day (it's a bigger market segment, after all).
WAP Browser (was Re:This time...) (Score:1)
Competetve wireless pricing.. (Score:1)
By comparison, the charges for digital connect time on my PCS cell phone (PacBell in the SF Bay Area) looks like:
~$25/mo for minimum phone service with data.
$.15/min for data connection for the first 30 minutes during weekdays or the first 250 minutes after hours.
$.55/min for each minute after the above freebies.
Tack on another $.60/min if you're roaming (PacBell's service area covers most of California and bits of Nevada only).
If I did the calcs right, for your $40, you'll get a total of about 49 minutes of wireless connectivity for $40/mo if you stay in your home region.
Oh, and I think you'll need an ISP as well.
Include the fact that you've got to carry a cable and deal with hooking things up each time you want to connect versus raising the antennae on the PalmVII to initiate connection and suddenly the cell-phone/cable solution isn't so attractive.
Re:Cell phones about to make Palms obsolete (Score:1)
Why keep all your personal information on the not-so-secure, pain-to-navigate-on-a-PDA-size-screen, DOS-vulnerable, slow-connection web when you've got the only-in-your-hands, built-for-the-small-screen, always-available, directly-connected, Palm address book already in your phone?
I agree with you that the Palm Pilot device will lose a lot of ground to PIM-enabled phones, but I think the Palm OS will be the OS of choice in those phones.
Re:They're smart enough not to use Linux (Score:1)
yeah but... (Score:1)
As an example of an alternative, I have a handspring [handspring.com] visor and a modem. I can dial into my computer at home or in the office and get my email and such. I even have a telnet program (I would kill for ssh on this thing). Once I find a cell phone that I can plug into it I'll be set.
I hope that this kind of freedom will be available to palm users, but I kinda doubt it.
On a different note, why does a $99 Rio have 4x the memory of a $400 palm?
Color is bad (Score:2)
I found that the color screens are actually less readable than the green screens because the color ones are so pixelated. They have so much more glare, too; not much easier on your eyes. Add to this the added couple hundred bucks and the decreased battery life, and you have a dubious feature indeed.
-JD, Certified geek [geeky.org]
Re:This time they should choose a better technolog (Score:1)
Re:blackberry (Score:1)
That's Microsoft's usual tactic.
The key difference is that the BlackBerries are always on, while the Palm needs a login/check-your-email sequence. RIM is tagging datebook stuff onto a pager interface, while Palm is tagging wireless onto an organizer.
Mike van Lammeren
This time they should choose a better technology. (Score:1)
The success of wireless Internet is pretty much a given, considering the success of i-mode in Japan and the WAP wave hitting Europe as we speak. I hope Palm chooses a better technology this time around, rather than the lame "Web clipping" that I could only stand using for about two weeks.
--
BluetoothCentral.com [bluetoothcentral.com]
A site for everything Bluetooth. Coming soon.
Available Content? (Score:3)
My question to those with these things is: is there any content out there for you to read? I imagine they can do email, which is nice. But can they read any regular webpages (the point, for most people, of an internet connection)? With wireless devices like this apparently increasing in popularity, is there anything we should do to our webpages to make them more palm-friendly?
more and better (Score:1)
Colm Atkins
Re:Bluetooth vs. Infrared - Palms already wireless (Score:2)
Re:yes, in response to blackberry (Score:1)
From the article: "Palm is now in a situation where they have a direct competitor (RIM) which has a technological advantage over them," said Matt Sargent, a handheld analyst with ARS. "This makes huge sense for Palm."
___
Bluetooth Palm? (Score:2)
a quote from the article: In the relatively near future, Palm will market versions of the Palm III and the Palm V that contain built-in capabilities for wireless communications. These new products could contain all the technology necessary for direct wireless communications, or they might contain Bluetooth chips. Bluetooth chips are radios that allow devices to hook into networks without wires.
This sounds like it may help get rid of the sync cradle, but is it really a solution for wide area access?
___
Re:Available Content? (Score:2)
First of all, I synced my Palm with our companies mailing list and it slurped up all 5498 contacts (addresses, names, details about each acount) with one push of the sync button. Very kewl
Using AvantGo (www.avantgo.com [avantgo.com] the software and service are free when you buy the thing) When my PDA is synced with the desktop, it goes out onto the net and puts the sites I would like into the avantogo browser for later reading. There are some sites with spacific content dedicated to the Palm screen, but even if the content isn't optimized for the small screen, avantgo does a good job to make sure the page "degrade gracefully" so that the content is still viewable.
One of the nicer things is you can add whatever website you would like to view. Using this feature, we now have a team of salesman who, on their drive into work, can be more educated and informed while they make phone calls (they used to have to wait till they got to the office to get answers).
I'm not even mentioning the wireless modem from OmniSky or the many choices for GPS. In short, 2 thumbs up!
___
Re:Bluetooth Palm ... range (Score:3)
From the FAQ:
Q: What is the range of Bluetooth transmitter/receivers?
Bluetooth is designed for very low power use, and the transmission range will only be 10m, about 30ft. High-powered Bluetooth devices will enable ranges up to 100m (300ft). Considering the design philosophy behind Bluetooth, even the 10m range is adequate for the purposes Bluetooth is intended for. Later versions of the Bluetooth spec may allow longer ranges.
Given the range limitations noted above, I find it doubtfull that bluetooth can be employed as a wide area access solution. I think bluetooth will be a replacement for the IR port, and may help get rid of the sync cradle, but it is hardly a "confirm the-fedex-shipment-from-the-back-of-a-cab" kinda thing.
___
it should be an option (Score:1)
---
Re:go pray to the god of capitalism some more (Score:1)
---
Re:Cell phones about to make Palms obsolete (Score:1)
GSM, folks, come on! (Score:2)
Come on, nice people at 3Com, let's see a GSM-enabled Palm... Look at the mobile coverage in Europe, look at the use of WAP that's rising, look at the number of people willing to use poxy UIs for their text messaging, look at the substandard design gone into the first generation WAP phones...
Frankly, if I could find a reasonably-priced PCN/GSM enabled PalmOS PDA, I'd buy it tomorrow. And I know I'm not the only one. It's far too footery linking it up via IR to an Ericsson SH888, uses up too much batteries... And when wireless broadband comes in this year... Wow.
Re:Bluetooth Palm? (Score:1)
No you're not, historical M$ has never beat anyone to any market. That's not their business plan, they wait for the time to be just right and then pull the carpet out from under their competitors using FUD and TV ads. Millions where spent on that stupid 'Where do you want to go today' ad campain a couple years back. The only purpose of that ad was to cripple Netscape. Now we are seeing ads for MSN Instant Messagener (which for they who have never heard of it: It is a direct ripoff of AIM, and it doesn't even work properly.)
I reckon that soon, after Palm has spent millions developing this technology that M$ will start selling Windows CE at an exterme loss, just to get the market after the technolog has matured.
Anyways..
Re:BOYCOTT PALM UNTIL THEY USE LINUX (Score:1)
It's easy to say that 65% of the code is stolen. But back it up.
Be thankful you are not my student. You would not get a high grade for such a design
There are good wireless options now... (Score:2)
For those with a Nokia phone (and suitable cell service) you can get one of these [tdksys.com] cables and connect to the internet wirelessly for much cheaper (again, depending on your cell service) than the seemingly ridiculous high prices charged for the VII. Combining this connection and the wealth of great Palm online apps you are all set...
Re:it should be an option (Score:1)
Then there's installation....
That having been said, an add-on would be nice for me. I just bought a IIIe and I don't intend to upgrade anytime soon.
--
Re:Palm feeling the heat???? (Score:1)
I own an OmniSky too and getting a signal on a Palm VII is easier, not to mention the networking seems a bit faster then the OmniSky.
earache
Slashdot Posting Guide (Score:2)
The Anonymous Coward's Guide to posting on Slashdot
No matter the topic, the AC post should *not* be on
topic nor should it offer any new, useful information
to the discussion. For the AC, it's not about content,
it's about style.
Here's some quality AC comments to post
1. _____ is dead, get over it.
Example:
Apple is dead, get over it.
Amiga is dead, get over it.
Linux is dead, get over it.
Simple enough, right? Just insert the company/product being
discussed at the beginning of the sentence. It doesn't matter
if they've just announce some new high-technology or a cure
for cancer, they're dead, they're through, nothing will help
revive their poor desicated carcus.
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Example:
You should use perl instead.
You should use visual basic instead.
If someone asks Slashdot for any kind of recommendation for
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And it should be a completely inappropriate solution to the
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3. Wasn't this on Slashdot last week.
Works for every topic. Who's gonna check? Who has the
attention span to remember if it was anyway? Just post
a negative comment on how tired you are with the "same
old" thing again on Slashdot. Maybe throw in a line about
the story only being a rumor and "What is Slashdot? A gossip
column now?".
4. Does it run Beowolf?
Use the above for a subject and put a one liner in the body
of the comment. Something clever - like "drooooool", "Leeeeeet!",
or "I WANT ONE!!!!!" (all caps, lots of exclaimations).
5. Correct there speling.
Point out a spelling or grammatical error with the topic posting
or other comments. Be sure to mix tense and contractions when
you do so. Here's a few obvious examples.
your/you're there/their/they're to/too/two
And be creative. How about these: we've/weave where/wear/we're
Also, leave off, or add on a "not". Say "should" when you meant
"shouldn't" or "cant" (apostrophes optional) for "can".
6. Don't read the article before commenting.
And ask a really obvious question about the topic that was explicitly
answered in the topic posting or article.
Example Topic: "Company claims smallest web server
Your Post: "Hey, thats prety small. Is this the smalest web server?
Imagine a Beowolf of those!! Drooooool. Did I see this on Slashdot
last week?"
(Notice several techniques were combined in the above example.
Although you may only be a novice AC, this will give you something
to aspire to)
7.
The seasoned AC will simply put the above as a subject with no
text. The novice/trainee AC can add a comment like "Is the site
/.ed already? I can't get to it. Did someone put up a mirror?"
As an AC, you want to be sure to let everyone else know that
you couldn't access the site.
8. Not worried. Nothing to hide.
In any post relating to privacy or encryption, state loud and
clear the whatever the government wants to do, it's fine by
you. After all, you aren't doing anything illegal and have
nothing to hide. Ignore everything that indicates our freedom is
slowly being stolen and eroded right out from under us, you'll
be doing your part to stimulate a lively Slashdot discussion.
9. Does it run Linux?
For any hardware story. Palm-tops, set-top boxes, game boys,
game consoles, 8 bit, 16 bit, 32 bit, 64 bit, bucky tubes,
protein chains. Slashdot is Linux. Linux is Slashdot.
10. Story submission
Complain that you submitted the story two days ago and it
was rejected. Wonder why it's posted now that it's "old news".
Wonder out loud if the credited submitter favored one of
the Slashdot authors with a peverted sex act.
11. Duplicate
Not feeling up to AC standards today? Copy someone else's
post and change not more than two words and maybe the
punctuation. Pick a comment only a few before yours so
they'll appear almost next to each other on the same page.
Show everyone that you can take the time to pontificate
your opinion (because it's so valueable) but just don't
care to hear about others. Let everyone know you're a
middle manager.
12. Argue moderation
Post a reply to a moderated post taking the "stupid moderator"
to task. Flamebait should be Troll. Troll should be OffTopic.
OffTopic should be Insightful. Be sure to reference the moderator's
mother in your rant.
And of course
13. First Post?
This is a no-brainer for even the novice AC. If you happen to
load up Slashdot soon after a new topic is posted, wait until
you're assured of being at least the 5th or 6th comment, then
post "First Post?". Don't even bother to add anything else here.
"First Post?" then bail. Leave the thinly veiled content to the
registered users who "First Post?" and try to make it seem that
they've added it as an afterthought. And if you're wishing to take
AC to new heights, wait a couple hours after the topic is posted.
Just let that stock drop... (Score:1)
Palm feeling the heat???? (Score:2)
He shunned PalmVII for their per dl and roaming fees. Etc. and Suggested that I get a Palm Vx and aquire a Minstrel modem from Omnisky. Cheaper, more reliable (more established network), better CS...you name it! I remember wondering at the time just how dominant was Palm VII feeling that they could justify the Service Plans being so outrageous.
A little more research revealed that PalmVII had, not more than 5 days prior, wised up and slashed/remodeled their Service plans.
Really makes me wonder just what prompted this latest descision on Palm's part and I'll be curious to watch prices and such for hardware and Service Plans as Palm starts to lose its "mini-monopoly". Capitalism at work, folks!
Ruthless
The light at the end of the tunnel is undoubtedly the headlamp of an oncoming train." - Mrs. Murphy
Re:There are good wireless options now... (Score:1)
Re:For those of us not in CA (Score:1)
Re:Bluetooth Palm? (Score:2)
I thought this was kind of obvious though. The first time I heard of Bluetooth, the first thing I thought was a PDA/Phone combo.
--
Not just office (Score:1)
Remember the consumer market, Palm.
--GrouchoMarx
its happening....wireless computing... (Score:1)
Re:blackberry (Score:1)
Welll...they do run on i386 processors...why not just run Linux on it? Any takers on starting the RIM port?
Re:Available Content? (Score:1)
Avantgo does a good job of processing web pages for the tiny palm screen. It reduces the size and depth of the graphics (which look pretty good in 16 shades of grey) and optionally preserves tables. I'd definately rate it better than lynx, though it isn't as good as a WebTV or Dreamcast.
nice (Score:1)
Cell phones about to make Palms obsolete (Score:1)
Who needs to sync up a palm pilot address book when you can use your yahoo (or other) address book directly through a cell phone?
Using Palm to Update GeekPress? (Score:1)
So my question is: Is the web browsing good enough that I could do simple updating of a news review site? Do enough news sites have Palm-friendly versions? Or should I just get a cellular modem for the very portable Sony Viao I already have? Any thoughts?
-- Diana Hsieh
USELESS!!! (Score:1)
for 300KB of data transfer per month you end up having to pay $40/month .... you can get away with paying $45/month and get unlimited use ....
If I was to purchase a Palm Pilot, it would indeed be the Palm Vx, it's not wireless, it's got a nice aluminum case, it's much lighter weight than the VII and it has 4 times the memory ... Where do you want to go today?
DaiTengu
--------
Damage Inc. BBS
Re:USELESS!!! (Score:1)
DaiTengu
--------
Damage Inc. BBS
For those of us not in CA (Score:1)
I'm contemplating ditching my PalmPilot with PalmIII upgrade card for a Palm Vx - but I don't see the point of the VII, or any other wireless connectivity solution, while I'm living in Edinburgh, Scotland.
evilrooster
- the email of the species is deadlier than the mail -
Re:This time they should choose a better technolog (Score:1)
I agree. Wouldn't it be cool to SSH into your freenix box during a hike?
Seems to me that any web page with a decent text-only version (i.e. one that renders well on lynx) should work on a Palm.
When you surf on a Palm, you're looking for content, not presentation.
Geoff
Re: OmniSky (was: better technology) (Score:1)
I looked at the OmniSky web site; too bad they only support the V (and I have a IIIx). From their service map, Southern Arizona (where I live) seems well covered. Maybe I could hack a patch cord together :/
Also, the website seems to imply that the wireless modems are not shipping yet; are they currently available?
For those, like me, who didn't know about OmniSky, one review I google'd is at The Gadgeteer [the-gadgeteer.com].
Geoff
Can you imagine... (Score:1)
Thank you.