Palm Rolls Out New Handhelds
Palm Inc., the leader in the PDA market, rolled out its next generation of Palm Pilots this week. The new line includes color displays, USB access and expansion slots similar to those of rival Handspring Inc.'s Visor. Two new models were introduced, the m500 in black-and-white and the m505 with a color display. The PDAs are similar in design to the top-selling Palm V, but have new capabilities, namely the expansion slots. The price of the m500 will be $399, and the m505, $449. Palm has enjoyed more than 70 percent of all sales in the handheld device market, but Handspring Visors and other PDAs using Microsoft's PocketPC operating system are cutting into its territory.
Slots Going Fast at ROAM
An $83 billion market by 2003? Is it Automobiles? Healthcare? Air travel? No, wireless is the answer. Those in the biz are looking to cash in on the staggeringly explosive growth opportunity. But the real question is, will that be you? Introducing ROAM, The Standard's first conference dedicated to the wireless world. To register now, visit http://www.thestandard.com/roam/?ecn=00000RM6. ROAM will bring together the world's leading wireless thinkers and practitioners with senior executives from America's most progressive companies. Only 50 spots remain for this cutting-edge sought-after conference.
Intel Breaks Gigahertz Barrier
Intel Corporation has introduced the mobile Pentium III processor at 1 Gigahertz (GHz), featuring Intel SpeedStep technology, the worlds fastest processor for mobile PCs. The new processor is designed for full-ize and thin-and-light notebooks, the most popular categories for mobile PCs. Over 20 new notebooks with the processor will be available by leading PC makers including: Acer America Corporation, Compaq Computer Corporation, Dell Computer Corporation, Fujitsu Corporation, Gateway Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM Corporation, NEC Corporation, Sony Corporation and Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. Intel also introduced the mobile Pentium III processor at 900 MHz with Intel SpeedStep technology and the mobile Intel Celeron processor at 750 MHz.
Impulsesoft, Infineon Bridge Bluetooth and Windows
Startup Impulsesoft will work with Germany's Infineon Technologies AG in a partnership to deliver Bluetooth wireless functionality for Windows-based PCs and embedded applications. Earlier the two companies had joined forces to enable Infineon's Bluetooth device, code-named BlueMoon, to operate with Impulsesoft's Bluetooth protocol stack software. The solution was intended as an off-the-shelf product that also met criteria specified by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group. Infineon's BlueMoon 1 is a two-chip, point-to-multipoint wireless system solution. The system consists of a single-chip baseband controller, a link manager and host control interface firmware, along with a single-chip RF transceiver and an optional power amp. The partners have launched a joint effort to market Bluetooth solutions.
SNAZ Unveils Mobile Wallet
SNAZ Commerce Solutions, a leading provider of wireless commerce solutions, unveiled today at CTIA's Wireless 2001 event, its next-generation mobile wallet. The new product, which is targeted at mobile operators worldwide, can facilitate a full range of wireless transactions, including micro-payments, retail purchases and time-sensitive services. The newly designed mobile wallet is the result of over six months of extensive requirements analysis of the needs of leading mobile operators in the United States, Europe and Asia.
On2.com Reaches Breakthrough on Video Compression
On2.com Inc., a leading broadband technology and services company specializing in providing high-quality streaming video at the low data rates, announced that its VP4 codec on Equator's MAP-CA Broadband Signal processor (BPS(TM)) has achieved a breakthrough in video compression technology. A tool for the digital set-top box market, VP4 is the first ever compression technology to break the 1-megabit barrier for full resolution, 60 field-per-second digital video delivery; previous technology usually requires 3-8 megabits to achieve comparable quality. On2's new VP4 video compression technology, which has been optimized for Equator's MAP-CA Broadband Signal processor (BPSTM), is delivering comparable quality to MPEG-2 at more than a 75 percent reduction in bandwidth.
Mobile Phone Giants Band Together for Game Platform
Immediately prior to the opening of the CeBIT exhibition in Hannover, Germany, three major players in mobile telephony--Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens--agreed to promote an industry-wide initiative to develop a universal mobile games platform. The companies believe the extension of the games terminal through a merger with the mobile phone into a multi-player environment could provide one of the most successful and lucrative forms of mobile communications. If the trio's proposed game platform triumphs over competing efforts, the companies said the platform would benefit mobile operators and games developers by reducing the number of platforms that need to be supported--and would thereby benefit game players by providing a "rich, interactive, multi-player game experience."
BroadCloud’s SURE-connect Platform Raising Eyebrows
BroadCloud Communications Inc. is delivering a new data enhancement solution designed to make the wireless Internet up to five times more reliable and ten times faster. Because it also utilizes 75 percent less bandwidth, BroadCloud's new SURE-connect platform dramatically increases productivity, provides a competitive advantage and reduces costs for enterprises, carriers and individuals with mobile computing requirements. The breakthrough represents an important advancement in wireless computing. For many years wireless Internet and data applications have been hampered by slow, unpredictable connections. This is because existing communications protocols like TCP/IP were not designed to support wireless data transfer. In contrast, the patented Wireless Internet Protocol used in SURE-connect is designed specifically for wireless computing to transparently deliver the reliability and speed of a 56K desktop modem connection. Mobile professionals can now reliably send and receive e-mails with large attachments, remotely use custom corporate applications, and access graphics-rich, data-intensive content from the Internet via mobile devices.