Palm plans to add wireless to all devices

I'm in favor of adding Bluetooth to the Palm if they also sell a hotsynch "cradle" for it at a reasonable cost and if it didn't raise the price the basic Palm out of the range of the average user.

I use the infrared port on my IIIx fairly frequently to synch to my laptop but it is a bit of a hassle. I'd love to be able to connect to my computer wirelessly to surf the net or get my e-mail. What is the theoretical range for Bluetooth anyway? About 30 feet?

Plus, think about the new possibilities for networked games. A co-worker and I tried to play a head-to-head game via infrared in a meeting one time and we got busted because the Palms had to be pointed at each other constantly so it wasn't easy to hide them. But Bluetooth could remove that problem.

It's gotta be bluetooth; anything cellular/pcs based would have to increase the unit's size, & I for one don't want long-range wireless trapped in my palm. I think that niche will be filled by cell phones, anyway. (besides, isn't the VII a III with wireless?)

If palm can fit bluetooth in the existing III form factor alone it would be a must-have upgrade for many of us. Throw bluetooth relays on the LAN sprinkled throughout an office the possibilities are enormous.

Such a palm could achieve palm VII functionality easily-- just make sure your next cellphone has bluetooth, too. (sure will make Qualcomm's palm phone look silly & clumsy in hindsight.)

I wonder if duracell has started lobbying against using LIon batteries for these new models-- with more & more rechargable models, what's a poor battery manufacturer gotta do to get a piece of 2000/2001's pda pie?

-kirby

These technologies are wonderful. Who would have imagined 10 years ago that we would be able to access the internet or even network via handheld computer? These technologies will revolutionize they way we work. But there are pros and cons about them.

Bluetooth
PROS: The next standardized wireless technology, everything from cell phones to personal computers and of course to our beloved palm. It enables us to network with other palms, sharing applications, datebooks, todo lists. It allows us to hotsync as we are pulling into our garage. And maybe, one day, it will be able to act as the television remote and tell the cofee machine to turn on while you are still watching tv on the couch across the house. The possibilities are endless.
CONS: There aren't many really, except the issue of internet connectivity. For the people who consider themselves a techno geek (such as myself) but who don't have a cellphone(there are a few), wireless conectivity will be hard. It takes a bluetooth cellphone and a bluetooth palm to surf the net or check your mail. This can present a problem because as I mentioned before, some of us don't have a cell phone at hand.
Overall: Worth it. What can beat networking all of the palms into a LAN? Not only that, but Bluetooth has so much potential; we're only seeing the beginning.

Digital/PCS
Pros: Wireless connectivity, where ever you are: access ebay while sitting in a cab or even read our wonderful Palm Info Center on the train. There are many applications because the web is fully of sites.
Cons: No LAN capabilities. Heafty fee. Web Clippings. The list goes on. Oh and of course, it ads an unattractive bulk to anything it is implemented it; look at the VII, the thing is not very pretty.
Overall: It can be worth is, so long as the user is really in need of checking his mail, etc. Great technology, but limited features.

So to choose? The Bluetooth technology, I think. I'm just going to have to get a cell phone. Hopefully, one day, they'll offer free cell phones AND service. How they'll get money, I don't know. Instant internet cabability is a great feature, but I know I can wait to get home to check my mail. I would have more applications for Bluetooth in school because there are many palm users there (nothing like chatting during the test for the answer :-). And, I am a student SA, so I think I'll just add some bluetooth recievers to the LAN.