Would You Like a Webbed Palm?

Dec 14 1998

Last week 3Com raised eyebrows when it announced plans to release a new version of its hot PalmPilot organizer. Palm VII will feature that holy grail of handheld organizers - wireless connectivity.

3Com won't even start testing the product until early next year, and the new Palm VII will need strong developer support to create the applications that will actually make it useful. Sharp -eyed PalmPilot fans might wonder what happened to the Palms IV, V and VI - the current version is designated the Palm III. The answer: 3Com says it skipped numbers to leave room for new models between today's Palm III and its wireless model.

So will you be browsing The Standard on the train this time next year? Not exactly. The Palm VII won't actually browse the Web. Instead, the device will run small applications from various information providers, including Yahoo , Mapquest, USA Today and Bank of America. You won't be able to access actual Web pages, but you will be able to query applications and access information such as news and weather, as well as conduct simple transactions like buying movie tickets.

"Browsing just doesn't work really well on a 160-by-160, black-and-white resolution screen, anyway," says Joe Sipher, 3Com's director of wireless communications. "It's also not a great e-mail machine. But it can be an awesome messaging machine."

Microsoft has similar goals for its Windows CE organizers. And Wireless Knowledge, Microsoft's joint venture with Qualcomm, already has the support of more than eight wireless carriers, including 3Com's only wireless partner for the Palm VII, Bell South.

Qualcomm, meanwhile, has a product to rival 3Com's PalmPilot in its PDQ smartphone, which combines a cell phone with a wireless modem. 3Com's sudden announcement may have scored some points, but Microsoft is quick to point out that its Windows CE machines, through third-party add-on devices, are already capable of wireless data communications. In theory, it should be relatively easy for Redmond to copy 3Com's strategy if it proves popular.

The Palm VII follows some dismal early failures in the category, including products from Apple , ATT , Eo and Motorola . What the new Palm VII has going for it is a growing army of PalmPilot fans - over 2 million units shipped and counting. But they'll have to pay up. At $800, the Palm VII will be roughly twice as expensive as today's Palm III, and users will be charged at least $10 a month for access. The company estimates frequent users will end up spending closer to $30 a month.