Wave Issue 9804 3/27/98 Article 3-01

*** PDA

3Com Delivers the Palm III Connected Organizer
(March 9)

Palm Computing, Inc., a 3Com company, announced the Palm III
connected organizer, the third generation of its PalmPilot
products based on the Palm Computing platform. In addition to
the pocket size, desktop synchronization, ease of use and fast
data access that made the Palm Computing platform the open
standard in the handheld market, the Palm III organizer offers
infrared beaming capabilities, increased memory, an optimized
user interface and a new industrial design. The Palm III
organizer runs on Palm OS 3.0, the new generation of Palm
Computing's operating system for connected handheld devices.
The Palm III organizer is expected to be available in April
1998 with a suggested retail price of $399.

Palm III is also bundled with the Bonus Pack from MacMillan
Digital Publishing, a CD-ROM containing an extensive array of
third-party applications and utilities valued at approximately
$175. The Bonus Pack includes a financial calculator, a world
clock, a Web channel manager, a drawing application, CNET Snap!
Online, conduits to leading desktop PIMs including Symantec
ACT! and Microsoft Outlook 97 and an assortment of games.

Palm Computing also announced two upgrade options. First, all
Pilot 1000 and Pilot 5000 owners who purchase the Palm III
organizer are eligible to trade in their Pilot organizer and
receive $75 from 3Com. This provides them not only with the
software and IR benefits of the 2MB upgrade, but also the
latest-generation casing and form-factor and the backlit
screen. All registered users of the original Pilot 1000 and
5000 organizers, as well as the PalmPilot Personal and
PalmPilot Professional Edition products, can upgrade to the
software, IR and extended memory functionality of the new Palm
III organizer via the Palm 2MB Upgrade, expected to be
available in June 1998.

With 2MB of RAM, the Palm III organizer is capable of storing
6,000 addresses, five years of appointments (approximately
3,000 entries), 1,500 To Do items, 1,500 memos, and 200 e-mail
messages. The Palm III connected organizer is also equipped
with flash memory for software-only upgrades of the Palm OS
software, eliminating the need to replace the memory card to
upgrade the operating system.

With a new "file linking" feature, users can automatically
import data from a file located on a remote server each time
the Palm III organizer is synchronized with the desktop. For
example, a salesperson can choose to receive newly updated
price lists, sales leads or other data located on a network
each time synchronization occurs. This feature is for
enterprises employing a highly mobile workforce where remote
access to important networked information is critical to
business productivity.

The Palm III organizer offers built-in e-mail compatibility
with Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook 97, Lotus cc:mail,
Microsoft Outlook Express and QUALCOMM's Eudora Pro. Third-
party conduits are available that provide connectivity to
almost every other major e-mail application, including POP3
Internet Mail clients and Lotus Notes.

HotSync technology now enables users to synchronize their data
remotely, via networks or dial-in access, through a TCP/IP
connection. PalmPilot Professional Edition organizer customers
using the original Network HotSync software who upgrade to Palm
III functionality via the Palm 2MB upgrade will automatically
receive the built-in network capability as part of the
installation process. New Palm III organizer customers can
download the network synchronization capability for free from
the Palm Computing web site.

The Palm III organizer is compatible with Windows 95, Windows
NT and Macintosh operating systems

The Palm III organizer is expected to be available in April,
1998 for a suggested retail price of $399