Palm TX Wi-Fi Enterprise Security Update

Posted By: Ryan on Friday, March 17, 2006 7:49:52 AM

Palm has released a Wi-Fi enterprise security update for the Palm TX. The ESU update adds enhanced authentication and secure encryption for many additional wireless 802.1x-based security protocols. Unlike most software update releases from Palm, there is a $5.99 charge to download this update.

Palm TX ESU Wi-Fi Update The Wi-Fi enterprise security update for the Palm TX supports mutual authentication protocols, including EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, EAP-PEAP, and LEAP, as well as separate RADIUS server protocols. Supported encryption methods include WEP, TKIP, and AES-CCMP. ESU offers WPA Enterprise and WPA2 Enterprise security methods, and includes the Wi-Fi security, WEP and WPA Personal (PSK) typically used for home and SOHO networks. It also provides authentication protocols with RADIUS servers.

The ESU update also includes some additional desktop software; Palm Wi-Fi Profile Wizard, a desktop UI and scripting tool to configure security parameters including CA, server and client certificates. The network administrator may use the wizard to create configuration files for network users. Profile installer to install the profile configuration file from the SD card to the Palm TX handheld.

Thanks to Arigato for the tip.

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Article Comments
21 total comments

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Palm is greedy!

jjesusfreak01 @ 3/17/2006 11:10:01 AM #

So, Palm is charging us for an update to their own software, which we payed for when we bought the device? This program seems to only give slight improvements over the installed security, and is not worth anything they are charging for it.

RE: Palm is greedy!

twizza @ 3/17/2006 12:02:47 PM #

While sometimes I agree that paying for an update is wrong, I am guessing that Palm wants to recoup some dev costs. And by charging for it, the would probably get a better idea of who needs it and whether to include it or not into a future model (i.e one model to sell, or sell consumer and corporate level models).

mobileministrymagazine.com
antoinerjwright.com

RE: Palm is greedy!

edporras @ 3/17/2006 6:12:42 PM #

I'd be more than happy to pay for a WPA-wifi update for the T|C personally. Somehow I doubt Palm ever wants to hear anything about it though.

-e

RE: Palm is greedy!

kossello @ 3/18/2006 10:21:21 AM #

I also agree that they should not charge for an update. But since the TX does work as it was sold to work and not everyone would need this update you can choose if you want to buy this or not. I think of it as third party software, it would be great if Palm installed everything I wanted on a new unit but the reality is I have to pay for additional features I want to incorporate to the Palm.

RE: Palm is greedy!

hkklife @ 3/18/2006 11:52:17 AM #

All Palm wants to do is sell new Treos. Anything & everything else is superfluous nowadays.

Selling PDAs if icing on the cake. Supporting older PDAs, no matter how well they still work or how loyal their following, is not Palm's M.O. right now. Never really was---certainly not since the release of the T|T and OS5 models.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX

RE: Palm is greedy!

just_little_me @ 3/18/2006 10:53:12 PM #

It's not greed. Blame the SEC. In financial circles there's a little thing called "revenue recognition". As a public company Palm can't give away new features to existing products. Unfortunately this update includes new features so there must be a negligible charge according to the SEC and financial "rules". You'll note that new purchasers of the TX get this upgrade for free. I know through a friend that Palm did try to figure out how this could be released gratis to all, but it just wasn't possible. I'm not an accountant, but that's the story.

JLM.

RE: Palm is greedy!

Surur @ 3/19/2006 7:35:53 AM #

You mean like the Direct Push update in WM5 will cost extra?(NOT!)

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...

RE: Palm is greedy!

hkklife @ 3/19/2006 12:11:26 PM #

JLM;

That sounds VERY....odd. Are you certain? I've never heard of any such terminology or SEC mandates for public tech companies before.

Look at M$---they've released SP1, SP2, DirectX 9c, Windows Media Player 10, Movie Maker 2, Microsoft Defender/AntiSpyware,

And Apple has regularly added new features to the iPods (the breakout game, the music trivia game, PDA functions etc).

And besides, wouldn't a "negligible charge" potentially be 99 cents or so? Maybe $1.50? $5.99 seems like an awfully arbitrary price point for something they 'wanted' to give away.

No, I think this was intended on being a pay-for-it update all along. And i DON'T have a problem with that. Heck, I'd personally pay $50 for am official, Xerox licensed Graffiti 1 classic plugin that worked as fast & as flawlessly as G1 did on my T|T.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX

RE: Palm is greedy!

SeldomVisitor @ 3/20/2006 7:27:36 AM #

> ...As a public company Palm can't give away new features to
> existing products...

!!!

Giggle.

Be careful what you read here, Kiddies...

The_Voice_of_Reason @ 3/20/2006 12:30:45 PM #

JLM;

That sounds VERY....odd. Are you certain?

hkklife: I would suggest you take anything just_little_me says with a LARGE grain of salt. Let's just say this person has a singificant interest in spreading pro-Palm propaganda and leave it at that. I'll leave it to you to find out WHY that would be.

;-O

TVoR

RE: Palm is greedy!

hkklife @ 3/20/2006 2:01:13 PM #

Ah, Voice, you needen't say more.

At least I can be assured that since you, TVoR, are Carl Yankowski, JLM is someone else.

On an unrelated note:
Can the Voice please bestow his Engrishized VZ90 review/comparison/how-to on the PIC faithful before he/she departs?

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX

RE: Palm is greedy!

just_little_me @ 3/20/2006 3:39:31 PM #

MS are not a hardware company. Therefore different rules apply. Go do some reading - you'll see I'm right. Also I'm not trying to spread propaganda - just trying to inform you peeps of the reasons behind seemingly unbelievable decisions... but if you want to live in your own little fantasy world that's fine by me.

TVoR, you think you know me based of a few posts here?? What sort of idiot are you, really? (Don't answer, I already know)

JLM.

What about the LifeDrive?

Pathdoc @ 3/17/2006 11:20:50 AM #

What about the LifeDrive? Will there be a similar update? I would love to use WPA2 at home and need LEAP at work.

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Finally

MegaManXcalibur @ 3/18/2006 4:19:49 AM #

All I can say is that it's about time. My campus uses LEAP to authenticate with their wireless network so I couldn't use my T|X on it. Finally I can use this thing while on campus.

This just made my T|X about 100 times more uself.

It is not Updating...

howi @ 3/18/2006 4:23:24 PM #

Folks,

When I read the news of this update, I am excited to learn that finally it adds WPA2. I don't mind to pay, though I think this value-added "update" should be free for all TX owners.

However, when I follow the instructions and try to run it, it prompts me that my Palm TX is not a TX?! What da? Many of us should know this is not the first time Palm has the similar issues with other "updates" - be it free or not.

I really want to know why Palm is always dropping the ball when loyal, die-hard fans keep it alive?!

Now, it has been updated...

howi @ 3/19/2006 11:33:00 PM #

*** Update

It turns out I have to do the hard reset BEFORE the update. Thanks to Dmitrygr!

Great News!!

batmon @ 3/19/2006 5:45:09 PM #

Finally! TX has very nice WiFi Sync. Now I can do the same in my office with WPA Enterprise!

Hope Treo 700P will have Wifi with WPA Enterprise too!

Good, Better, Best

kfife @ 3/20/2006 5:16:53 PM #

I'm OK with them charging money for a "bettered" version of their secuirty software. WPA-PSK is good enough for most, if you need fancy authentication schemes, you pay for it. Fair enough. HOWEVER it seems to me that as long as you're paying to upgrade the security stacks they should also insert a PPTP or L2TP VPN client where the big fat VPN hole is.

For crying out loud, there's even a VPN tab in their preferences page which says, "um sorry there's no VPN". I actually paid the $20 for the mergic PPTP client. Works well enough but bummed that I had to pay for it.

Better pay and get something

Tamog @ 3/21/2006 2:32:45 AM #

Hi,
as cheap as the TX is, I would not really care about the 5$ for the upgrade. I beleive that it is better for the average customer if he has to pay a few bucks and get functionality rather than paying lots of extra bucks for featurs that he does not need..

Best regards
Tam Hanna

Find out more about the Palm OS in my blog:
http://tamspalm.tamoggemon.com

Why don't these work with T5?

aximmaxim @ 5/10/2006 11:04:44 AM #

I'm sure there's a reason, but I can't find it. Anybody?
(a technical reason -- not a pseudo-business/SEC reason).

Thanks,
AxMax

RE: Why don't these work with T5?

AdamaDBrown @ 5/10/2006 12:52:35 PM #

The T5 doesn't have WiFi. Even with a WiFi card, it doesn't have the same module and driver structure that the T5 does.

Palm Software on sale