Wireless Palm V

OmniSky, formally OpenSky was launched today. The new service enables wireless access on a Palm V or Vx. For $299 you get a sleek Minstrel V 19.2 kbs wireless modem and unlimited service until March 31st. Check this map to see if there is coverage in your area.

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Value will vary

Kurt Tappe @ 11/15/1999 12:33:10 PM #
This seems pretty cool. You'd get free service for 4 1/2 months. But when you go to their site, they mention that
the modems will "begin shipping in December." So now you're down to 3 1/2 months of free service. "Begin
shipping" means you might have to wait longer, and even longer if there's a delay. Receive your modem in mid-
January and you're down to 2 1/2 months of free service.

They also say to "compare" their modem "at $399". To what? Are there other wireless Palm V modems out there?
(It's a serious question--are there? I haven't seen any.) Is it a fair comparison price?

I'm not saying this isn't a neat new service; it probably is. Just that it might not be quite as neat as it
might seem at first.

-Kurt

RE: Value will vary
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/15/1999 5:10:20 PM #
Does anybody know of this company's reputation? This thing looks incredible at first glance -unlimited access, palm V compatibility, etc. I just don't know if I can trust the company yet. Good point on the possible shipping delay. I think the "$399" point has to do with the non beta edition retail price, so basically if you buy now, you'll get $100 off. This whole beta thing is pretty spooky too... If they were so confident about it in the first place they wouldn't need to do something like this. Obviously there are a few problems with the service.

Also, they mention that the service will cost no more than $49.95, which really means that it will surely be 50 bucks a month (give or take a nickel). That's a lot of cash, even if the first few months are free.

I'm really tempted to buy it, but I'm not sure if I can trust them yet, although it looks MUCH more appealing than the Palm VII service. I'm drooling just thinking about browsing the web everywhere I take the Palm. While I don't really have a huge need for something like that, I just can't think of anything cooler to dump 300 bucks on :)

RE: Value will vary
John @ 11/15/1999 5:52:14 PM #
Also - coverage is weak. No CDPD in Atlanta??????? It's a good try. You can currently access wirelessly with a GSM phone and a Palm V modem with cable. It's slow at 9600bps but OK for email.
In OmniSky's Defense
Rick @ 12/14/1999 3:01:09 PM #
They have extended the free period till April 30. So that gives you another month, plus they are shipping it 2day included with the cost of the modem. As for pricing, a minstrel 3 is $360 though you may be able to find one for $300. Atlanta is currently being built out and should be ready by 2Q 2000. As far as relying on the company, they are heavily funded by 3com and they really dont do anything except combine att's service with a novatel modem and a custom install for palm. Even if they go belly up you can still use ATT. I talked to them today and they said they were shipping by the end of this week. Give it a try, free Money back guarantee. As for it being expensive, use a 7 for a few months and get back to me on price. Happy surfing
RE: Value will vary
AFernandez @ 3/15/2000 4:18:48 AM #
I have tested the Palm V with Minstrel modem + Omnisky service for a month now and
it is DA BOMB! I've used it in the New York City metro area and Las Vegas and the cell
signal is strong and steady in both places. Sending and retrieving e-mail is a breeze and
surfing the web with Avantgo is very, very acceptable, although Omnisky promises
to roll out the now-nonexistent SSL technology soon. The most recent info from the company
indicates that they've lowered the service fee ceiling to $40 a month, with a 15% lifetime
discount to beta members, so they're apparently bending to customer response. All in all
not an unreasonable fee for the convenience of having access to e-mail and the web almost
anywhere, like in the office, where you can dabble on the web without needing to use the
office PC and leaving a trace for the compliance boys. Plus you can't beat the detachability
factor vis a vis the Palm VII brick. And the web clipping on Avantgo lets me read all the major
newspapers and mags in the morning on the train with no ink on the fingers!! :)

By the way, the modem charges very quickly and lasts pretty much the whole 9 to 5 day,
unless you use it non-stop for 3 hours.

Unlimited Wireless for $24.99 a month

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/15/1999 8:52:38 PM #
Check out AT&T (http://www.attws.com/business/data/rates.html)" CLASS=NEWS>http://www.attws.com/business/data/rates.html). They are currently offering $24.99/month unlimited access if you have a Palm III with a Minstrel wireless modem from Novatel Wireless (the same people who make the modem for the Palm V http://www.novatelwireless.com)" CLASS=NEWS>http://www.novatelwireless.com). When Novatel starts selling direct hopefully AT&T will still have the same offer. You can't beat that for a great deal!

Drop Proxiweb (http://www.proxiweb.com)" CLASS=NEWS>http://www.proxiweb.com) on the Palm V for web browsing (with images as well) and ProxiMail for email (both free) and you have a great solution for web and email for only $24.99 a month.

I for one will be going wireless for sure.

RE: Unlimited Wireless for $24.99 a month
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/15/1999 9:04:02 PM #
RE: Unlimited Wireless for $24.99 a month
@tomic212 @ 11/15/1999 11:01:57 PM #
It seems like the code for my linking system has chewed up these links. I may have to scap the auto-link feature and go back to manual html links.

Omnisky is too pricey - TELL THEM !

Lincoln @ 11/16/1999 3:20:32 PM #
This device is awesome! Palm V users have been long awaiting this!
Now I can toss the GSM cable, or wait...
$299 + $49.95 a month? OUCH !!!!!
No way... I'll by a Ricochet first...
Anyhow, we are encouraging all Palm V users to send a kind note Omnisky telling them that you think the pricing is too steep for such a product.
Especially from a company nobody has ever heard of.
We have spent enough $$ on the Palm V as it is.
For the pricing OmniSky is touting, I would either just get a Palm VII or get a Ricochet...
For now I'll keep my Sprint PCS GSM kit.
I think by encouraging OmniSky to rethink the pricing they will ony benefit by a large intial subscriber base...
Maybe Omnisky's marketing is only looking at the target goal of $1.4 Million they will make if they sell all 5,000 "charter memberships".
I am sure there is a catch, like you must sign up for one year service type deal...

Let's all write Omnisky & tell them we'd like to see there great product at a more competitive price...

Why pay for internet service twice?

I.M. Anonymous @ 11/17/1999 7:08:46 PM #
I asked Omnisky if their service would/could replace the current isp service I subscribe to now. No. It is only to add to your current isp service, as a convenience. Given that, I will carry my wired Palm V modem with me, find a data phone at the airport and dial one of the many access numbers that my isp offers world-wide. Once Qualcomm has their adapter for the Palm V finished, I won't need wireless service anyway with nationwide service offered by various cell phone companies. You may carry more, but who these days is caught without their cell phone on hand?
RE: Why pay for internet service twice?
I.M. Anonymous @ 11/18/1999 9:14:39 AM #
I actually got different information from OmniSky about being an ISP. The tech (John) told me that AT&T is the ISP. When you configure the software you'll create a login and be assigned an e-mail address with OmniSky. I specifically asked if I would need a seperate ISP and was told I would not. The OmniSky service would provide everything I needed for my PalmV to connect.

Maybe the tech you talked to thought you wanted to know if you could drop your ISP that you use with your p.c. or Mac. You wouldn't use your computer with OmniSky as the ISP, but your Palm will use OmniSky as the ISP.

Maybe someone could get a third opinion, but the tech I spoke with seemed to know what he was talking about.

Omnisky Modem

Berylium @ 12/24/1999 6:07:12 PM #
I got my OmniSky modem today after ordering it in late November. I am very impressed to say the least. I wanted something like the palm VII but in a Palm V form factor, this does it. Comparitively the Palm V/modem combo is 1.8 oz heavier than a palm VII and .04" thicker than a Palm VII, but it's also .27" shorter and .2" less wide than a Palm VII. But the most important feature, is I can remove the modem unlike a palm VII and I once again have the slim and light Palm V. I also have a Palm Vx which means my Palm is faster than the Palm VII and have 4X as much memory!
I know many people are put off by the supposed pricing plan, but realize that they say the monthly cost will never go above $50 and that $49.95 a month is not set as of yet. Also, I know there's not many days until signup ends but for the $299 beta you geta the Palm V modem (retail $399, supposedly) and unlimmited internet access until APRIL 31, 2000.
For me, the deal made sense, plus I like to have the latest and coolest stuff. But I will tell you the Modem is well made and works great. The back is even covered in the same metal as the Palm V to match! Very cool.

Phone attachment for Palmtop

Terry Ford @ 2/24/2000 7:45:15 PM #
I am new to the Palm V, but not to Palm computing. What
I still don't get is why no one has come up with an
add on device to make a cellular phone out of a
palmtop. Think of the possibilities with such an attachment.
I wonder who we would need to contact to investigate
such a possibility?
RE: Phone attachment for Palmtop
Christian @ 2/27/2000 11:09:10 PM #
Well said Terry. If you look at the size of Nokia's new 6210 WAP GSM, you'd think 3Com or some third party vendor would be able to turn our Palm's into a cellphone as well.

RE: Phone attachment for Palmtop
kfricke @ 3/3/2000 5:57:55 PM #
Check out Handgear.com

I have a palm V, NO modem, a Nokia 5190 phone with Voicestream service. I bought the GlobalPlus cable for $129 and HandWeb for $40. They tell me $30 month unlimited access through Infostream, and it doesn't count against my airtime. I'll believe it when I get the bill this month. So far, I've successfully gotten on the web through Earthlink as an ISP and browsed on my palm. Unfortunatly, squeezing big pages onto the palm is messy. There are some optimized sites, but I haven't yet figured out how to get to them all. (aka Avantgo.) any ideas?

New Paqlm V USer

Rob Evans @ 4/18/2000 9:34:11 AM #
I need to know if I can get my Palm V to access
the web via a mobile phone in the UK. Any ideas ?
What software and hardware do I need and from where ?


RE: New Paqlm V USer
Wolfgang Schnellbuegel @ 4/24/2000 3:52:51 PM #
No problem. You need the following:
a) the new Palm OS 3.3 software (unless it is already installed on your palm you can
dowmload it for free from www.3com.com
b) the new ProxiMail and ProxiWeb software - also for free (I don't have the address
at hand, but I am sure you find it - if not, mail me back at wschnellbuegel@yahoo.de
and I tell you later
c) a mobile phone - I am using the Siemens S25, because with this I don't need a cable.
I can contact it from my Palm V via the infrared port and
d) an internet provider that allows access via mobile phone. I am using the AT&T Global
Network which has knots all over the world and of course in the UK!

If you speak German, go and see www.mohnaupt.de - on this site I got a lot of info in
this respect.

Hope I this helps.
Best regards
Wolfgang

Palm V Problem

Roz German @ 5/27/2000 11:33:06 PM #
My screen is not sensitive to the touch of the stylus or my finger nail.. Please help! Roz German

My e-Mail address is coreknow23@aol.com

Palm V Problem

Roz German @ 5/27/2000 11:33:06 PM #
My screen is not sensitive to the touch of the stylus or my finger nail.. Please help! Roz German

My e-Mail address is coreknow23@aol.com

RE: Palm V Problem
Sneekey @ 6/15/2000 11:36:47 AM #
As far as I know it's broken... :(

Palm Vx and Omnisky

dcr1435 @ 6/15/2000 11:39:28 AM #
I have bought (just waiting now) a Palm Vx and an Omnisky modem. I am hoping that I will be able to use it to telnet (ssh preferably) into our differnet unix servers to make small changes and to do 'normal' stuff. I also want e-mail access (IMAP4 and POP) and some limited form of web browsing (other than Lynx).

Should this work for me? What apps do you all recommend?

--
dave

Palm wireless

Candace @ 6/16/2000 3:10:04 PM #
I am a new Palm Vx owner who wants to be able to use the Palm wireless without buying an expensive Omnisky modem. I also have cellular service with Sprint PCS.

Can someone tell me if there is specific phone or kit I have to use in order to use the Palm without having to track down a phone outlet?

RE: Palm wireless
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/3/2000 6:35:23 PM #
If you have a GSM Phone you can link up with a NokPal V Cable from http://www.virsa.com for about 55 Dollars" CLASS=NEWS TARGET=_NEW>http://www.virsa.com for about 55 Dollars

Palm VII

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/3/2000 2:19:43 PM #
Live in United States, have several corporate users
with wireless connectivety using palm.net accounts. I
have a user going to Europe next week and she wants to
know if there are wireless services available in Germany. Anyone?
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