What to Expect from the Consumer Electronics Show
The 2001 Consumer Electronics Show will kick off this Friday in Las Vegas and last through the weekend. In the old days, the CES was the poor stepchild of Comdex but in recent years, the CES has grown in importance as high end computers and other gadgets made the jump from the office into the home.
In the handheld arena, we can expect another round of product announcements, though the number of new items debuted at last month's PalmSource has surely reduced the pool of available new products. Hopefully, we'll get our first glimpse at a lot of new hardware, as software was the star at PalmSource. There are rumors that Palm will show a prototype of the smaller, color Palm V with the SD slot, though this may be wishful thinking.
We will certainly get some SD news at the conference, as John Cook, Senior Director of Product Marketing for Palm, will be making a presentation at a Secure Digital press briefing on January 6.
Palm CEO Carl Yankowski is giving one of several keynote speeches and hopefully he will use this high-profile opportunity to shed some more light on what his company plans to accomplish in coming years. Palm Inc. is gong all out at this show and will even have its own pavilion.
Expect Bluetooth devices to be very much in evidence, though largely as demo units and prototypes. Many analysts are predicting that this is the year that the short-range wireless networking technology will break through into the mass market, though many predicted the same thing last year. There are also numerous conference sessions on Bluetooth.
Wireless Internet access will also take up a lot of the show floor. Novatel wireless will have a display booth, showing off its wireless modems for many handheld devices.
There will even be a digital car pavilion, where Palm and Delphi Automotive Systems will show off their Communiport Mobile Productivity Center that allows drivers to use their Palm handhelds and make calls all without taking their hands off the wheel.
Handhelds themselves will get plenty of attention. There will be conference sessions with names like "Consumer Mobile Computing - Why and How" and "Hand-Helds: New Technology Standards to Bridge the Gap Between the Home and Office".
To keep up on the latest news from the conference, you can check out their official website or keep checking back here as we'll be posting Palm-related news from the CES as soon as it comes in.
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I'll tell you why...
Don't get me wrong, I think it would be cool to have one. But it's a bit too late now for Palm. Let's just wait and see if Palm can bring out a PalmV with the specs of a color visor (65,000 colors), memory usage and battery usage that competes and a real price for us. We all don't want batteries lasting 4 hours like the old winCE devices!
RE: I'll tell you why...
I'll probably get good $ for this used unit when the color model comes out---
Comming soon:
For sale-Used Palm Vx
$300?
RE: I'll tell you why... Pocket PC
RE: I'll tell you why...
My anticipation is, of course, tempered by the fact that I do not know what the device will look like, how many colors it will be capable of displaying (I should point out that the display on the Prism and the IIIc are actually identical, it is the system bus that allows for the greater number of colors) or if the memory expansion allowed by the SD will be directly accessible by the device or secondary storage.
Nevertheless, I do not fall into the category of Palm user that feels an irresistable compulsion to belittle Palm, the company. It seems obvious to me that one device does not fit all. If a PDA in the Palm line does not suit your needs, take a look at the Visor/Prism from Handspring or the Clie from Sony or one of the Pocket PC devices, find the one that does for you what you need a PDA to do.
I consider myself a power user but that has not blinded me to the fact that not everyone is and that Palm has, from the beginning, attempted to walk a tightrope between the average joe and the geek. I think they have done this job amazingly well. Not without faltering along the way or some missteps but still amazingly well. On the other hand while Pocket PC devices are truly impressive they also carry the baggage of Windows. I refuse to have the same problems that I have on my PC with a device that I think should approach the usefulness of an appliance (i.e. it just works).
Also don't forget that we live in a world where the average joe has difficulty figuring out how to tape a show on the VCR that they have owned for years. I want everyone to use a PDA, I want everyone to enjoy the convenience of the device the way I do, I want to walk up to someone and ask for his/her phone number and they take out there PDA to beam it to me. In order for that to happen the device has to appeal to both the geeks and the average joe. Ultimately, who can say if Palm's approach is the wrong one to achieve this goal. Certainly, if the evidence of sales is to be relied on then Palm's approach is working and the average joe is actually considering carrying a computer in his hand (some already do and aren't even maxing out on the basic functions). It is a process, the adoption of technology into everyday life, and it takes time.
Be Patient.
P.S. - I assume you own a PC. Have you ever bought one that was not outdated before you got it out of the box, let alone 6 months later?
RE: I'll tell you why... Pocket PC
Steve
RE: I'll tell you why...
RE: I'll tell you why...
RE: I'll tell you why...
a step backwards.
Palm may be commiting suicide!
Personally, if this is Palm's move, then my next PDA will be a Symbian device or even...(gag!) a Pocket PC. I hope to hell I'm wrong, but I am getting some really bad vibes here. Anyone else have this suspicion?
RE: Palm may be commiting suicide!
I don't mind the smaller screen. I would like better color and higher resolution.
RE: Palm may be commiting suicide!
Sorry, I just can't live with "M100 Style" PDAs.
RE: Palm may be commiting suicide!
I am hoping that when Palm release OS5 (ARM Version ?) I can flash it onto an iPaq...
Palm VXC price
Cnet Weighs In
http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=1509&MODE=FLAT
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Plenipotentiary
Palm Infocenter
Palm Vx color
Palm VxC Price
RE: what is the price of palmIIIc
help!!!
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