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Web in the Palm VII of Your Hand

3Com's popular PDA emerges as a solid wireless communications tool.

By Russell Kay, Computerworld   

Complete Coverage

Palm Palm VII

Given that experience, I had my doubts about the usefulness of the Palm VII--essentially a Palm IIIx with built-in wireless communications for e-mail and Internet access.

I didn't expect much, but I was dead wrong. It's a better tool than I imagined, and one that may make you sit up and start supporting PDAs.

The VII has many notable features. For one, wireless setup is simple; and two, it's a complete system right out of the box. Secure wireless access to organizations' private databases has also been simplified, thanks to a Palm Computing tool for developing query applications.

The real potential of the Palm VII, however, may be the control it offers the information technology manager. Access to both public and private information happens over a limited-bandwidth, application-controlled, encrypted access path. So while users benefit from the convenience of wireless information access, the built-in security mechanisms give them few opportunities to do anything improper.

No-Sweat Setup

In developing the VII, 3Com Palm Computing managers learned firsthand how difficult it can be to set up wireless communications: Setting up an account involves an Internet service provider, a third-party wireless modem, and a phone call, and then you have to program (correctly) all the needed parameters into the machine.

But with the Palm VII, setup is quite simple, because Palm Computing controls both the hardware and the communications channel--3Com's Palm.net, a central server farm that acts as the remote host for all Palm VII handhelds.

To connect, you just raise the antenna that tucks alongside the Palm VII's right side. This turns the radio on and checks for access to the BellSouth Wireless Data Network, which covers 260 U.S. cities. If it's the machine's first on-air session, a dialog box prompts for registration information and payment data. When that's done, it calls up Palm.net via an encrypted link, opens an account (service plans begin at $10 per month), and in about 90 seconds you're in business.

Once you're online, you can take advantage of several prepackaged applications, for example, ATM locators or a variety of news, financial, travel, entertainment, weather, and map services. Or you can write your own query applications in HTML to access whatever Web resources you wish. Better yet, your IT department can set up a server outside your firewall to receive queries from Palm.net and provide secure, encrypted access to corporate data.

Bandwidth-Conscious Browsing

3Com recognized that squeezing the Web down an 8-kilobits-per-second wireless data pipe into the Palm VII was unrealistic, so it has developed its own approach to Internet access called Web Clipping. To keep data transmissions small, the Palm VII identifies essential information, sends it to the Palm.net server, which in turn uses its full bandwidth resources to communicate with the desired Web site. When it gets an answer, it extracts the essential information and compresses it for retransmission to your handheld unit.

This two-stage approach reduces both the amount of data that the VII needs to transmit and receive and the amount of power it consumes while doing so. 3Com predicts that a pair of AAA batteries will last up to two weeks (and also recharge the nonreplaceable internal NiCad power cell).

A Few Downsides

As good as the Palm VII is, it has drawbacks. For example, it doesn't notify you that you have e-mail--you have to check manually. Nor does the handheld accept attachments.

Moreover, though the Palm's Graffiti handwriting system is acceptable for inputting very short messages, it can be a real nuisance for longer messages. Even a tiny keyboard, such as those found on Research In Motion's Blackberry or Nokia's Communicator smart phone, would be a welcome improvement for sending e-mail.

But don't let these limitations scare you. All in all, the Palm VII is a dandy package that combines the extensive data storage capabilities of its organizer forebear with easy wireless communications.

For more enterprise computing news, visit Computerworld. Story copyright © 2011 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved.