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Special PDA Report (2/05/02)
By Mark Long, Wireless inSITE Editor -- 2/5/2002 12:57:00 PM


WIRELESS inSITE - SPECIAL PDA REPORT



Companies featured in this special report: Appforge, ATI Technologies, Copytalk, Extended Systems, GoAmerica, Handspring, HelloSoft, IXI Mobile, National Semiconductor, Nazomi Communications, Nokia, Palm, PR Newswire, PrinterOn, Sharp, Socket Communications, Sun Microsystems, Switchboard, Texas Instruments and Widevine Technologies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: ======================================================


1. Battle of the Hands
2. Firms Hop Aboard Palm i705 Bandwagon
3. TI Announces 90-nanometer Process Technology
4. Graphics Companies Target PDAs
5. AppForge Extends Visual Basic To Nokia Communicator Line
6. Bar Code Scanner Takes Pocket PCs To The Next Level
7. Palm OS 5 Beta Rolls Out To Expo Attendees
8. ExpressDSP-compliant Offerings Target Voice/Wireless Applications
9. Widevine Taps OMAP For Encrypting MPEG-4 Streams In Real Time
10. TDK Claims First Bluetooth Adapter For iPAQ
11. SwapDrive Delivers Online Storage Capabilities To Handhelds
12. Slow Charge: The Cry Goes Out For More Battery Life
13. Put an Instrument in Your Palm
14. EDN Hands-on Project: Building Pocket Power
15. Moving Mountains: Portable Digital Devices Take Over Comdex Floor
16. Fit or Miss: Will Java's Potential Be Fulfilled?
17. Java Accelerator Chip To Speed Up 3G Wireless Applications
18. Internet-based Resources for PDA Developers


======================================================


1. Battle of the Hands
By Wireless inSITE Editor Mark Long


The convergence of handheld computers with wireless technology proceeded full steam ahead last week as Palm announced its forthcoming release of its always-on i705 PDA with AOL Instant Messenger and Handspring rolled out its new Treo 180 and 180g pocket communicators in Singapore and Hong Kong. The new Treo handheld units make up for what the i705 currently lacks--the ability to function as a full-featured GSM/GPRS cell phone.

Sharp is also betting on the future of similar convergence products. The Seattle-based company recently entered into a licensing agreement with Parthus that will give Sharp the ability to use the Ireland-based IP company's MachStream Java acceleration platform in future iterations of its own SoC-based convergence designs.

Handspring's new Treo handhelds are compact communicators that combine the functions of a mobile phone and a PDA with Web browsing and text messaging. Weighing in at just 5.4 oz, the steel blue Treo integrates a dual-band GSM radio module, 16 MB of memory, a 33-MHz Dragonball processor, a rechargeable lithium ion battery, a travel charger with HotSync cable, and a headset for hands-free phone use. To read more, go to: ' Battle of the Hands.'

For another take on wireless PDA skirmishes to come, see 'Roamin' Warriors: PDAs and Pagers Wage Wireless Battle' by CommVerge Editor-in-Chief Maury Wright.

2. Firms Hop Aboard Palm i705 Bandwagon

Copytalk, Extended Systems, GoAmerica, PR Newswire, PrinterOn and Switchboard all announce new wireless initiatives in support of Palm's always-on i705 PDA, which features always-on wireless connectivity with Cingular Wireless' nationwide Mobitex-based packet data network as well as AOL instant messaging capabilties.

Copytalk will be providing support for the push capabilities of the Palm.Net wireless service, which allows email and other information dictated to Copytalk to be automatically forwarded to Palm's new i705 handheld device. Using Copytalk with the i705 allows i705 owners to use their cell-phones to call and dictate emails while on the go. Copytalk then pushes the transformed messages back to the owner's i705 to be confirmed and sent.

Copytalk subscribers download and install the free Copytalk software from the company's Web site after indicating that they have a Palm i705 wireless handheld. Then they call Copytalk's toll free number and dictate naturally, as though leaving a message for a personal assistant. Copytalk also integrates 'nicknames' that act as an on-line address book, allowing email to be sent by simply saying the recipient's name and then dictating the message. In addition, the speech recognition-to-text converter can be used to dictate memos, contacts, appointments, to-dos and expenses. To read more, go to: ' Firms Hop Aboard Palm i705 Bandwagon.'

3. TI Announces Move to 90-nanometer Process Technology

Texas Instruments has announced its move to a 90-nanometer (nm) logic manufacturing process that features the ability to pack more than 400 million transistors onto a single chip. Sporting gate widths as small as 37 nm, the transistors implemented in the 90-nm process will be about 2000 times narrower than the thickness of newsprint.

The company expects that its move to the 90-nm process will lead to the production of DSPs and ASICs featuring major performance and power savings. For example, low power TI DSP-based devices such as next generation 2.5 and 3G mobile handsets and wireless PDAs are expected to process voice, video and data two to three times faster without compromising battery life. To read more, go to: 'TI Announces Move to 90-nanometer Process Technology.'

4. Graphic Companies Target PDAs

As the PC market slows down, will demand for graphics accelerators in handheld devices pick up? One of the biggest names in traditional PC graphics is betting that it will. Canada’s ATI Technologies Inc. tipped its hand at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last month after quietly shopping around samples of its Imageon 100 chip to PDA and cell phone makers since last November. The Imageon 100 is a graphics and video co-processor designed for handheld devices. It is hardwired to perform advanced 2D graphics and MPEG-4 video decoding, and it is going into volume production this month. To read more, go to: 'Graphic Companies Target PDAs.'

5. AppForge Extends Visual Basic To Nokia Communicator Line

AppForge and Nokia are engaged in a cooperative effort that the two companies say will enable the Visual Basic developer community to create applications for the Nokia 9200 Communicator series of wireless handheld computing devices. The new AppForge software has been designed to assist Visual Basic developers in extending existing mobile applications to run on the Nokia 9200 Communicator series as well as develop entirely new applications for Nokia's hybrid cell phone/PDA product line. To read more, go to: 'AppForge Extends Visual Basic To Nokia Communicator Line.'

6. Bar Code Scanner Takes Pocket PCs To The Next Level

Socket Communications has released what it claims to be the world's first plug-in PDF417 laser bar code scanner for Pocket PCs and other handheld computers based on the Windows CE OS, including the Compaq iPAQ, HP Jornada and Casio Cassiopeia. Designed for 3.3-Volt operations, the In-Hand Scan Xtreme is a Type I CompactFlash plug-in card that integrates a high-speed, miniature laser scanning engine that has been designed to decode PDF417 bar codes as well as all other popular linear bar code symbologies. To read more, go to: 'Bar Code Scanner Takes Pocket PCs To The Next Level.'

7. Palm OS 5 Beta Rolls Out To Expo Attendees

Palm, Inc. subsidiary PalmSource is previewing a beta verison of the new Palm OS 5 at the PalmSource Expo in San Jose this week, where the company is providing developers with a preliminary version of Palm OS 5, tools, and 20 compatible software programs on CD-ROM. Conference attendees will also be able to test their applications on pre-release hardware from Intel, Motorola and Texas Instruments. An early Palm OS 5 seeding program for developers is currently underway with downloads available at www.palmos.com with final delivery to licensees scheduled to begin in early summer 2002. To read more, go to: 'Palm OS 5 Beta Rolls Out To Expo Attendees.'

8. ExpressDSP-compliant Offerings Target Voice/Wireless Applications

HelloSoft has released ExpressDSP-compliant voice and wireless communications components for the company's HelloVoice, HelloWireless, and HelloWLAN product lines. Targeted at next-generation VoIP Gateway, IP Phone, GPRS PDA/Handset and WLAN Adaptor/Access Point applications, the components are based on Texas Instruments' TMS320C5000 and TMS320C6000 DSP platforms. To read more, go to: 'ExpressDSP-compliant Offerings Target Voice/Wireless Applications.'

9. Widevine Taps OMAP For Encrypting MPEG-4 Streams In Real Time

Widevine Technologies has joined the Texas Instruments (TI) OMAP Developer Network in order to expedite the company's development of real-time encryption products for streaming MPEG-4 video to 2.5G and 3G mobile phone, and wireless PDAs. The companies say that they are working together to provide wireless device manufacturers with integrated secure MPEG-4 transmissions using the Widevine Cypher system in tandem with TI's OMAP application processor family. To read more, go to: 'Widevine Taps OMAP For Encrypting MPEG-4 Streams In Real Time.'

10. TDK Claims First Bluetooth Adapter For iPAQ

TDK Systems has unveiled what the company claims to be the first Bluetooth clip-on accessory for the Compaq iPAQ to give iPAQ users the freedom of wireless computing without having to upgrade to a new handheld unit. When equipped with the bluePAQ enabler, iPAQ owners can connect to other Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones, laptops, PCs, PDAs and LAN access points. To read more, go to: 'TDK Claims First Bluetooth Adapter For iPAQ.'

11. SwapDrive Delivers Online Backup Capabilities To Handhelds

SwapDrive has announced the release a RIM interface for Blackberry handheld devices that has been designed to enable mobile users to log on to Internet-based Backup and FileShare accounts in order to access, view, and send files. SwapDrive Backup is an online data backup service that provides companies with all the tools required for safeguarding their critical business information. Featuring a Wizard-based installation, secure automatic backups, fast data recovery and ubiquitous service access via the Internet, SwapDrive Backup also integrates strong factor authentication, SSL or Triple-DES encryption options and redundant data storage. To read more go to: 'SwapDrive Delivers Online Backup Capabilities To Handhelds.'

12. Slow Charge: The Cry Goes Out For More Battery Life
By Richard A Quinnell, Contributing Editor, CommVerge 2/1/02


'More battery life' seems to be the universal cry among portable electronics users. All sorts of devices, from laptops to MP3 players, seem to have just enough battery life to be frustrating. That's not due to lack of effort from battery manufacturers, who have delivered substantial performance gains over the last decade. Thanks to them, today's power-hungry devices can run for roughly as long as their more miserly ancestors once did on batteries that weigh about the same and recharge faster.

By any rational measure, that's impressive. Trouble is, we're not the slightest bit rational about battery life--we want our cell phones and other devices to operate infinitely. Thus we yearn for a quantum leap in battery technology, an advance that will end our perpetual power shortage. To read more, go to: 'Slow Charge: The Cry Goes Out For More Battery Life.'

13. Put an Instrument in Your Palm
By Jon Titus, Test & Measurement World -- EDN, 1/10/02

By now, you've probably had a close look at a Palm Pilot, Handspring Visor, Sony Clié, or one of the other PDAs that use the Palm. I bet you've wondered how difficult it would be to develop your own software that would run on a Palm-like PDA. Palm OS device suppliers and many third parties offer an abundance of tools and a wealth of assistance. You just need to know where to look. To read more, go to: 'Put an Instrument in Your Palm.'

14. EDN Hands-on Project: Building Pocket Power
By Warren Webb, Technical Editor -- EDN, 10/25/01

Astonishing portable computing and growing popularity and power has lured legions of system developers to the Pocket PC platform. This hands-on project examines the software tools that you can use to build your own pocket applications. To read more, go to: 'EDN Hands-on Project: Building Pocket Power.'

15. Moving Mountains: Portable Digital Devices Take Over Comdex Floor
By Steven Fyffe, Contributing Editor, CommVerge 2/1/02

As Brian Halla walked the floor at the Comdex trade show last fall, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. Sure, the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center was packed with weary attendees, high-volume sales pitches, and ubiquitous banners displaying vaguely silly slogans such as 'The technology you want.' Still, the president and CEO of National Semiconductor felt that something was absent.

'You couldn't find a PC there,' Halla observes, noting the irony that Comdex was originally created explicitly as a showcase for the personal computer. In other words, the PC was a no-show at its very own ball. Taking its place were legions of cell phones, PDAs, and other portable digital devices. The change signifies a significant shift in the electronics industry--one Halla is far from alone in noticing. To read more, go to: 'Moving Mountains: Portable Digital Devices Take Over Comdex Floor.'

16. Fit or Miss: Will Java's Potential Be Fulfilled?
By Margot Suydam, Technology Editor, CommVerge 2/1/02

With roots that go back to the heady days of the Internet boom, Java has been hyped as a panacea for cross-platform computing. The technology, invented by Sun Microsystems, garnered an extensive following among software developers with its central promise: write once, run anywhere. If fulfilled, that pledge would enable developers to deliver applications across the Internet without concern for what hardware or operating system might be on the receiving end.

Though best known as a PC technology, Java holds perhaps even more potential in the post-PC era. Computing is being extended to encompass a panoply of client devices, such as cell phones, PDAs, set-top boxes, and automotive platforms--all driven by different hardware and software. As the number of devices and network tentacles increases, Java could be a key piece of the puzzle, allowing the delivery of new applications and services to a diverse population of pervasive-computing devices.

However, today's client devices present a conundrum when it comes to deploying Java. They have less memory and slower processors than their PC big brothers, so they can't contend with what critics have called Java's bloated code. However, proponents counter that Java is surmounting these challenges, slimming down to become a good fit for resource-constrained convergence devices. To read more, go to: 'Fit or Miss: Will Java's Potential Be Fulfilled?'

(If you're more familiar with Java as an island in Indonesia than as a software technology, this article also provides a quick review of the Java basics).

17. Java Accelerator Chip To Speed Up 3G Wireless Applications

Nazomi Communications has taken the wraps off a new Java accelerator chip that is targeted at 2, 2.5 and 3G mobile applications. Designed to conserve battery life in handheld product applications, the JA108 is the first down the chute in the company's planned rollout of a series of KChip product offerings. To read more, go to: 'Java Accelerator Chip To Speed Up 3G Wireless Applications.'

18. Internet-based Resources For PDA Developers

The Sharp Linux/Java PDA Developer Community Site encourages the creation of Linux and Java software for use on any Linux/Java PDA. It includes downloads, operation manual, hardware specifications, peripheral information and other resources for the Zaurus SL-5000D.
http://more.sbc.co.jp/slj/index.asp

The Sharp Developer Alliance Program provides the latest news, specifications and images for the Zaurus SL-5000D handheld. http://developer.sharpsec.com/news.cfm?Blue=LA

The Handspring Developers Page features a download of Handspring's Development Kit as well the tools and resources for successfully developing wireless applications for Treo communicators and the VisorPhone Springboard module. http://handspring.com/developers/index.jhtml;jsessionid=V11CJ3Z520CPVQFIAE0SFFWAVAAUIIV0

Treo e-newsletter sign-up page: http://handspring.com/products/treo/signup.jhtml

Palm OS Tools and Downloads: http://www.palmos.com/dev/tools/