MILPITAS, Calif.-Palm Inc. today released three new personal digital assistants, and though none includes support for wide area wireless networks, the devices nonetheless acknowledge the growing influence and importance of the wireless industry.
Indeed, one of the three devices includes Bluetooth technology, a short-range wireless service that allows Palm users to link their phones and their PDAs. But more notably, two of Palm’s new devices feature Sun Microsystems Inc.’s Java platform, a technology rapidly gaining support within the wireless industry.
Indeed, Strategy Analytics forecasts that this year mobile-phone makers worldwide will sell about 127 million phones with Java technology, a number that represents around 28 percent of the total market. Although the Java platform has been available for some time, Palm’s move now to include the technology on its devices highlights the collective force of the wireless industry. Further, Palm plans to use the mobile-phone version of Java rather than the PDA version, due to the support that Java enjoys among mobile-phone developers.
The move to Java “made a lot of sense,” said Stephane Maes, senior product manager for Palm’s wireless business. Palm will use IBM Corp.’s Java virtual machine in its PDAs.
Palm introduced its new Tungsten T3 PDA, which features an expandable screen and support for multimedia content. The device features Bluetooth and Java and will sell for around $400. Palm also introduced its Tungsten E for $200, which also features Java. Palm’s new Zire 21 is a gray-screen device selling for $100.
