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Sony debuts Palm OS prototype at PC Expo

PC World

June 29, 2000
Web posted at: 8:29 a.m. EDT (1229 GMT)

(IDG) -- Handheld personal digital assistant makers better put up their dukes, because the Japanese giant, Sony, will be going to fisticuffs with the competition when it brings to market its first highly-touted PDA later this year.

Little had been known until Tuesday about Sony's plan for the hotly contested handheld market, but some of those questions were answered when the electronics behemoth showcased its first offering. First off, don't expect a Palm clone.

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Despite the fact the PDA runs the Palm operating system, its design and functions take a noticeable departure from other Palm products. The yet-to-be-named device, for example, will offer a JogDial control that allows an owner to scroll through menu choices and navigate the screen with one hand. The PDA will also support Sony's Memory Stick, allowing it to seamlessly integrate with dozens of other devices that use the same storage technology.

In addition, the Sony PDA is narrower and thinner than other Palm handhelds and weighs in at 5.3 ounces. There is no wireless component to the device yet, says Kevin J. Mizuhara, marketing manager for Sony's Software and Peripheral Products Personal Network Solutions Company. But he says Sony is in talks with a number of telecommunications companies, and also is considering adopting the Bluetooth short-range wireless specification.

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Sony has not set a price but says the PDA will be available this fall with both color and monochrome display options. Another unknown will be its effect on the PDA market that currently is dominated by Palm, to which IDC attributes around three-fourths of sales. Experts say Sony's adoption of the Palm OS will likely strengthen Palm's position over Microsoft, whose Windows CE/Pocket PC devices lag with only 10 percent of the market. Handspring Visors control about 2.3 percent of the market.

Mizuhara says Sony chose the Palm OS because it has better third-party support than the Pocket PC and is easier to use. Other features to be introduced with Sony's PDA are a docking cradle and a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.




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RELATED SITES:
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