Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

Palm has announced that it's working it Hong Kong-based manufacturer RealVision to produce a cell phone sled for the Palm V series.

The as-yet-unnamed product will receive GSM voice and data (PQAs and SMS). It's scheduled for release in early 2001 in Europe and Asia, with no word on a U.S. release date. The price is expected to be "less than US $299 when purchased in conjuntion with a service plan."

I think it's odd that Palm would release it in Europe and Asia first. I realise that the US coverage for GSM is spotty, but Europe and Asia are way less Palm-centric than the US. And where I live, in Southern California, GSM actually has better coverage than CDMA.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 1

so Europe and Asia are less Palm-centric than the US?
errr...sure...:-). But I don't think that's really the issue here.

I think you have to take into consideration the bigger picture. You are talking about 2 continents that use the same GSM standard. How much do you want to bet that the users of PDAs and GSM cellphones combined in both continents way outnumber the US? China alone has 52 million GSM subscribers. If you compare that number with the US's user base of 70+ million, most of whom are either analog phones, or if digital, TDMA and CDMA instead of GSM. Can you blame them for taking GSM as the first priority and releasing it in Europe and Asia first? And that's not even taking into consideration Europe where almost everyone walking on the streets has a GSM-based cellphone and Asian countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Korea where almost 3 out of 4 people have a dual-band GSM cellphone. Even if you take just 1% of that group of people as PDA users, I'm pretty sure that market is already more than the US.

Btw, haven't you noticed that most of the latest and greatest electronic stuff come out of Europe and Asia at least 6 months to a year before the US? Sad, but true.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Modesto, CA USA
Posts: 599

GSM

I read somewhere a while back that GSM will be the next standard of cellular technology here in the USA. It will be about 18 months before widespread usage but it makes sense to offer GSM, if it's going to becoming our way.

By the time it's here, Handspring will have worked through the bugs and it'll be much more refined.

Europe and Asia are indeed about 18 months ahead of our technology. In Japan, many teenagers now obtain access directly to the internet using cellular technology and many don't even use a PC as a result....their first internet experience is on a screen the size of cell phone...yuck! but it still cool since internet phones are just now showing up here.

__________________
Moose Man
I may be from the LEFT coast but that's not the correct political view in my mind!

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

Good points vollov, but for me the key question isn't where most of the cell phone users are, but where most of the Palm V users are. Cell phone users that don't own a Palm V/Vx already are going to be tougher customers to win over than the existing Palm V user base. You're asking consumers to buy two devices, not one, and another service plan on top of it.

Most PDA users already see the value of cell phones, but the reverse isn't necessarily true. Given today's component crunch, I can't imagine Palm/RealVision rolling out two continents' worth of units, especially for an as-yet-unproven concept.

Handspring's approach, releasing a global-friendly product in the more limited US market first, seems like a better way to test the waters. In America, Palm only has to worry about Handspring, a partner/rival. But in Europe, Palm is going to have a seriously uphill battle against Symbian, which is doing its own cell phone integration.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 638

quote:

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Originally posted by Gameboy70


Handspring's approach, releasing a global-friendly product in the more limited US market first

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Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 434

I'm glad they're doing their part to help spur North America to get with the program. North America is comparatively in the dark ages when it comes to wireless. The limited GSM coverage is a prime example.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NC, Indiana
Posts: 465

Sheesh!

Why does everyone have an attitude about the US not being GSM friendly. We know about the smartcard features and it being the de facto standard in Europe and Asia already. I wouldn't call CDMA dark age (analog maybe though..). I'm very satisfied with my "dark age" CDMA phone. I really have no need to swap phones with other people. I realize that in the end standardization is what will make things best--and eventually we'll get to that standardization but please don't sit here and whine about how the US is in the "dark ages" with CDMA. You sound like some salesperson explaining the difference between digital and analog phones.

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-Vincent

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: NY, NY, USA
Posts: 39

Do we really want that..?

If you are like me and have been to places like Hong Kong where you can use your phone ANYWHERE because of the number of site and the GSM. You might want to re-thing how great it is. On the subways there you have to deal with the large number of people not only pushing to get to work. Keep in mind I live in New York City so I understand a bust subway system. BUt you also have to deal with most of them being on thier phones. Also it is not uncommon for phone to not only ring but be used all the time in movie theaters.

I'm not sure we as people can be trusted to use our phone at proper times. I use my phone ALL the time for work but when I go to dinner with my wife and/or friends I turn it off. In most other counties everone takes there phone out and puts in on the table. And all you hear all night is Ring, Ring Ring....

This is just a thought.....

Evan

__________________
"No matter where you go... There you are"

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

Microsoft's answer to VisorPhone

It looks like Microsoft's Stinger (cell phone + WinCE) is going to be GSM-based as well (note the cool four-way rocker switch in the middle that I've been advocating for the Visor). If I had money to invest, I'd buy stock in Voicestream.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 638

I don't know, the idea of my phone crashing on me and requiring a reset in the middle of a call doesn't sound great to me.
BEN

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Pembroke,MA
Posts: 307

quote:

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Originally posted by BEN
I may be wrong, but I think that the Handspring phone will only work on the US GSM network.
BEN [/B]

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BEN, the visorphone is not US only... I found this info from a Reuters interview:

quote:

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Handspring Inc. Europe Vice-President Roger Kermisch told Reuters the company, the maker of the Visor palmtop computer, would start selling the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) mobile phone attachment in Europe in early 2001.

Kermisch made the announcement at the sidelines of a wireless conference in Stockholm, adding that the formal announcement would be made later today in the United States.

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BTW this new announcement is set for today!

-Larry