Vendors Team on Voice-Enabled PDA

Research in Motion (RIM) is set to release by the end of the year a handheld device that will include both voice and data capabilities, thanks to an agreement with Nextel Communications and Motorola.

The personal digital assistant will use RIM's wireless e-mail technology and Motorola's integrated digital enhanced network technology on Nextel's nationwide network in the United States, offering voice and two-way radio service, text and numeric paging, and Nextel Wireless Web online services, RIM said in a statement.

As part of the agreement, Motorola and RIM have signed a cross-licensing agreement under which RIM will use Motorola technology in the device. The handheld devices will support Java 2 Micro Edition applications, as well as messaging and application management services, the company said.

RIM has signed a multiyear agreement with Nextel to supply the BlackBerry Wireless Handhelds with associated software and services, the companies said. Pricing information was not immediately available for the devices, which are expected to launch in the fourth quarter, RIM said.

Other PDAs Pending

Earlier in January, RIM announced an agreement with VoiceStream Wireless that will bring new devices to market with high-speed voice and data capabilities. The devices, which resemble existing BlackBerry units, are expected to hit the market by the end of the first quarter on VoiceStream's General Packet Radio Service, the companies said.

The new model will feature a headphone jack for voice calls, and users will also be able to hook it to a notebook and use it as a wireless modem, VoiceStream said at the time. Pricing on the device has not been announced yet.

Handheld vendor Handspring has just started to deliver its own combination PDA and cell phone, called the Treo. During the company's earnings call earlier this month, Handspring said it expected to announce new carrier and distribution partners for the Treo this quarter.

Handspring officials also said they expect to shift increasing emphasis onto the Treo line, focusing on the combination PDA-phone rather than expanding the PDA-only line.

RIM's BlackBerry wireless "always-on" e-mail devices were used by about 289,000 subscribers at the beginning of December 2001, according to RIM. They are used in more than 13,000 organizations in North America, the company said.