Palm & Pocket PC Wireless Options

Quote  Unquote:

"There are multiple standards in Canada. Manufacturers have to decide which standard they want to use. They essentially have to place their bets on one set of standards. In these early days of wireless data, this makes it seem risky to bring a device like the WA3050 to Canada."

        -- Adam Anger, business manager, Mobile Devices Group, Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Wireless Access to your data is already a reality for some Pocket PC and WAP-enabled cell phone users, but the breath of options is expanding greatly, as interest in the technologies takes off, thanks to wide media coverage of showcases such as Comdex/Fall 2000, where the gadgets are plentiful and the hype machines working overtime.

But not all of these devices are available in Canada. The industry's first dual-band GSM/GPRS phone-enabled Pocket PC, for example, is currently available only to Europeans.

The SAGEM WA3050, says Microsoft, enables customers to have live wireless access to information, including email, the
Internet, time-sensitive corporate applications and high-end mobile phone capabilities.

Unlike most mobile phones, the WA3050 offers real-time access to email and contacts with Pocket versions of Microsoft Outlook applications, plus the ability to securely surf standard Web sites with Pocket Internet Explorer. The WA3050 also supports Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) sites, which are Web sites specially designed for viewing on the small screens of mobile phones and handheld devices.

The WA3050 also allows users to access business applications that benefit from real-time connections to live data, notably those that link to the financial markets. The Pocket PC software that underlies the SAGEM WA3050 provides this live access through its support for dual-band Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) protocols. Dual band GSM is a wireless digital phone technology that is the predominant network system used in Europe and Asia. GPRS is an air link that allows increased data access speeds in wireless devices. In essence, GPRS takes GSM-inscribed messages and bundles them into packets, which can be sent at much higher speeds. GPRS also enables continuous flows of IP data packets over the system for such applications as Web browsing and file transfer.

There are several companies in Europe and the United States that are already creating software for Pocket PCs that allows investors and day traders to establish a secure wireless connection to a financial markets reporting service, providing streaming, real-time information via a wireless network.

Can't Wait to Buy This in Canada?
In Canada, the current method of wirelessly enabling Pocket PCs is through data-capable cell phones. SAGEM currently doesn't have plans to ship their WA3050 in Canada. Europe and Asia are far more advanced in the development and implementation of wireless Internet services than North America, primarily because many of these regions use the uniform, Europe-wide GSM protocol.

In contrast, there are multiple standards in Canada. Manufacturers have to decide which standard they want to use. They essentially have to place their bets on one set of standards. In these early days of wireless data, this makes it seem risky to bring a device like the WA3050 to Canada.

For more information visit:

• http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2000/Nov00/SAGEMPR.asp

Palm Options
Palm made a big splash at Comdex, announcing add-on wireless options for older Palm units that allow those devices to access wireless networks and the Internet. However, these services are not available in Canada, nor is the company's flagship wireless product, the Palm VII. Palm has not committed to a Canadian release date for any such services.

Comdex: Microsoft Tablet PC, Pocket PC Announcements
Indeed, the opening day of the Comdex/Fall 2000 Expo in Las Vegas was a busy one for Microsoft as the company made announcements highlighting several new innovations in its wireless division.

In the first announcement, Microsoft chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates unveiled a prototype of the Tablet PC that he says will gives users the full functionality of an operational PC through the use of an electronic pen and a few buttons. The Tablet PC, maintains Gates, represents a big step forward in enterprise computing, allowing users to take notes at meetings, annotate existing electronic documents and presentations, and read on screen easily. A CNET streaming video clip shows the Tablet in action.

(Dell CEO Michael Dell, meanwhile, took a swipe at Microsoft in his keynote on Monday with his observation that tablet PCs have been around in one form or another for nearly a decade and seem to produce more trade show prototypes than viable shipping products.)

Microsoft also announced that Pocket PC users are now able to download  Microsoft Windows Media Player to their devices in order to stream their favorite audio and video files at anytime, anywhere. A "technology preview" version for the Compaq iPAQ is available now; releases for the HP Jornada and Casio Cassiopeia will ship, the company says, within 30 days.

Never one to let market share realities get in the way of a good announcement, Microsoft has proclaimed the Pocket PC as a leader in its field, offering more wireless options around the world, the highest-speed mobile access and comprehensive Web access.

Lastly, new to the Pocket PC is the Entertainment PocketPak, a new game add-on for the devices that includes 10 games and that will also allow Pocket PC users to play against each other.

For the full text of these and the company's other press releases, visit: www.microsoft.com

Other Portable Options
Some laptop manufacturers are also getting into the wireless act, but uncertainty prevails here, too. Dell, HP and Compaq, for example, have all recently released laptops with slots for wireless network cards, but the companies, as of mid-Nov. 2000, offer no products that fit their respective slots. Dell blames Lucent for its delays; HP has not announced its plans, and Compaq says its wireless "Multiport" module will ship in Q2 of 2001.

Apple's Public Beta of Mac OS X, due for official release in early 2001, doesn't yet support that company's AirPort wireless networking system, based on the 802.11B standard. Clearly, it's still early in the game. Look for more info on this page in the months ahead.  

For further reading:

• PC Buyer's Guide: Wireless Internet - Accessing the Internet with phones and handheld PCs. New.
• PC Buyer's Guide: Handspring offers expansion offerings and Palm OS
• PC Buyer's Guide: Pocket PC Press Release
• PC Magazine: iPaq H3600 Pocket PC review
• Interactive Week: Will Pocket PC Flourish Or Flounder?
• News.com: New, cut-rate version of Windows CE 3.0 unveiled
• PC World: Pocket PCs Go Wireless With Parts
• Pocket PC Passion: Dale Coffing's "Palm Free Zone" is a rich resource for Pocket PC fans.
• HandHeldMed.com - How to convert Palm documents and databases into a format readable on the Pocket PC.

Also, see our report discussing Pocket PC vs Palm: the pros and cons of each, plus a critique of Windows CE 3.0's GUI.

www.microsoft.com/pocketpc has details on software and hardware expansion options for Pocket PC.
Looking for Windows CE freeware and shareware? Check out http://www.winfiles.com/apps/ce/newapps.html

Wireless Glossary:

• Bluetooth - A wireless technology based on a short-range 2.4GHz signal, designed for creating "personal area networks."
• 802.11B - A popular (perhaps the most popular) wireless networking standard for PCs and Macs. Not interoperable with BlueTooth, but also based on a short-range 2.4GHz signal.
• GPRS (General Packet Radio Switching) - A wide-area wireless standard, not yet in common use but expected to gain in popularity in 2001 and beyond.