Ten, I show them the PALM VII. We were lucky enough to have seen this
several months ago, while it was still in "beta" test... and now, after
great anticipation, 3Com's newest Palm handheld is available in stores. (At
least stores in New York.) For slightly more than $600, you get a larger and
clunkier device than the recently released silvery-smooth Palm V. This
latest version does all the usual synchronized calendar and phonebook stuff,
but the truly great part is what happens when you lift the antenna: instant
"web clipping" and e-mail communication. This new device doesn't give you
unrestricted access to the Internet, though. You have a number of selected
services (offering news, weather, stocks, etc.) and can add or subtract
services as you choose. (In the future, 3Com expects companies that provide
information on the web to join in offering this "web-clipping" service."
The Palm VII uses a wireless radio-frequency transmitter to transfer
information back and forth... and it is easy to set up the service (and get
a new e-mail account in the process.) To use the system, you pay a basic
monthly $10 service fee and also get charged extra if you are a "heavy
user." Very soon after I began using this cool device (sending emails,
reading the news, etc.) I quickly used up the free-time on the basic monthly
service... and began racking up extra usage charges. (Four days of use and I
was up to $17.40!) Obviously, to use the Palm VII, you would either need to
pay the (gasp) $24.99 "frequent user" rate, or wait until 3Com does
something to get the rates down to a more reasonable level. Still, the handy
device is terrific for getting information and e-mail on the go.
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