Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Peek at iPaqs to come

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 21:11:15 -0500

Peek at iPaqs to come
Source: InfoWorld
Publication date: 2002-10-14
Arrival time: 2002-12-18

NETWORKS

WIRELESS WORLD

Tomorrow's iPaqs range from a model built for value to one primed for
wireless computing

EARLIER THIS MONTH, I Met with Cindy Box, HewlettPackard's worldwide
marketing director for smart handhelds, and she was kind enough to give me
a peek at the HP iPaq road map. Normal operating procedure is for vendors
to ask reporters for a verbal NDA (nondisclosure agreement) not to reveal
what we're about to be told until the official announcement. Well, Box didn't
ask, and I wasn't about to remind her, so here's what she said.

This fall, sometime between now and Comdex, in mid-November, HP will
unveil two new iPaq models. The first, a low-cost model - HP calls it "value
class" - will be in the $200 to $400 range. From what I could tell from hefting
it, the unit is about 20 percent thinner and 10 percent lighter than current
models. It has an SD (Secure Digital) slot and the full complement of
software but no built-in wireless capabilities.

The second device to debut is far more exciting. It will have integrated
wireless LAN, IEEE 802.llb, and a biometric fingerprint reader, plus
Bluetooth. With Wi-Fi built in, you can also look for HP to offer a range of
solutions on top, including voice over IP and a push-to-talk technology
similar to the Direct Connect capability found on Nextel phones, according
to Box.

In the first half of 2003, the iPaq will have a converged model with both
telephony and handheld features, using a GSM (Global System for
Mobile)/GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) carrier network. As I learn
more, I'll share details.

These handsets also will comply with the FCC's Egli Phase II requirements,
Box said. FYI, the FCC rules provide that handset- based location
technologies must provide the location of wireless 911 calls, with an
accuracy of 50 meters for 67 percent of calls and 150 meters for 95 percent
of calls. For network-based solutions, such as GPS, the required ranges are
100 meters and 300 meters, respectively.

To date, no carrier has completely satisfied the requirements. In the
meantime, AT&T and Cingular are sending in what FCC calls their
"voluntary contribution to the United States Treasury." The contributions
range from $300,000 for the first missed FCC benchmark to $1.2 million for
the third and subsequently missed benchmarks.

End note

Several readers were kind enough to send me emails letting me know how
idiotic I was for extolling the Nextel Direct Connect push- to-talk technology.
Most of the e-mails, however, said the concept was great. I thought that's
what I said? But the vast majority of the writers said Nextel coverage was so
poor it rendered the Direct Connect feature almost unusable. Sorry Nextel;
you'll get a chance to respond in the next column.

Although I am not part of the InfoWorld Test Center, I'm doing a little testing
on my own. Next month I will share the results of my tests of phones using
wireless service from AT&T Wireless, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint PCS, and
T-Mobile.

Do you have any suggestions how to test these services? Contact Editor at
Large Ephraim Schwartz at [email-masked].

http://cnniw.yellowbrix.com/pages/cnniw/Story.nsp?story_id=35248919&ID=cnniw&scategory=Business+and+Finance&

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