NEW YORK-Sierra Wireless Inc., a Canada-based maker of wireless data modems, will have commercially available in December its new AirCard CE Cellular Digital Packet Data modem for Windows CE 2.0 handheld personal computers.
The modem will be sold through Sierra Wireless resellers and distributors for a suggested retail price of about $500. It will work with a variety of handheld computers, including Hewlett-Packard, Sharp, Casio, NEC, Hitachi and Compaq brands.
The new modem will allow users to receive and be alerted to messages even when their handheld computer is off. Using the AirCard with a device that uses Windows CE users also can access the Internet or corporate intranets.
AirCard CE is a first in that it fits exactly the Type II card slots on handheld computers, said Greg Speakman, product manager for Sierra, which is headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia. Other Type II modems contain an extension for the charger.
The AirCard PE can be recharged from the handheld computer or directly from an alternating current adapter.
It is a power miser, using about 15 percent of a battery’s available energy between charges, according to Sierra Wireless.
“A 15 percent degradation represents a tremendous improvement,” Speakman said.
