What to Expect from the Consumer Electronics Show

Posted By: Ed Tuesday, January 2, 2001 8:26:17 AM

The 2001 Consumer Electronics Show will kick off this Friday in Las Vegas and last through the weekend. In the old days, the CES was the poor stepchild of Comdex but in recent years, the CES has grown in importance as high end computers and other gadgets made the jump from the office into the home.

In the handheld arena, we can expect another round of product announcements, though the number of new items debuted at last month's PalmSource has surely reduced the pool of available new products. Hopefully, we'll get our first glimpse at a lot of new hardware, as software was the star at PalmSource. There are rumors that Palm will show a prototype of the smaller, color Palm V with the SD slot, though this may be wishful thinking.

We will certainly get some SD news at the conference, as John Cook, Senior Director of Product Marketing for Palm, will be making a presentation at a Secure Digital press briefing on January 6.

Palm CEO Carl Yankowski is giving one of several keynote speeches and hopefully he will use this high-profile opportunity to shed some more light on what his company plans to accomplish in coming years. Palm Inc. is gong all out at this show and will even have its own pavilion.

Expect Bluetooth devices to be very much in evidence, though largely as demo units and prototypes. Many analysts are predicting that this is the year that the short-range wireless networking technology will break through into the mass market, though many predicted the same thing last year. There are also numerous conference sessions on Bluetooth.

Wireless Internet access will also take up a lot of the show floor. Novatel wireless will have a display booth, showing off its wireless modems for many handheld devices.

There will even be a digital car pavilion, where Palm and Delphi Automotive Systems will show off their Communiport Mobile Productivity Center that allows drivers to use their Palm handhelds and make calls all without taking their hands off the wheel.

Handhelds themselves will get plenty of attention. There will be conference sessions with names like "Consumer Mobile Computing - Why and How" and "Hand-Helds: New Technology Standards to Bridge the Gap Between the Home and Office".

To keep up on the latest news from the conference, you can check out their official website or keep checking back here as we'll be posting Palm-related news from the CES as soon as it comes in.

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Uhh.. why no comments?

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/2/2001 10:27:05 PM #
HELLO!@# Palm Vxc might be unveiled soon!

I'll tell you why...

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/2/2001 11:03:17 PM #
Who cares?! Ooohh a palmVxc (or whatever) is no big deal. It's just a temporary device for Palm to put out so us as palmusers can stop complaining that there is no color palmV form factor. And price? Don't even get me started. I'm not that stupid to plunk down hundreds of dollars on a device that will be outdated in 6 months. Look at the palmIIIc, now it's $329 on palm's website with offers and rebates! There is so much technology out there from other companies that it's no surprise that Palm closed at $23 today.


Don't get me wrong, I think it would be cool to have one. But it's a bit too late now for Palm. Let's just wait and see if Palm can bring out a PalmV with the specs of a color visor (65,000 colors), memory usage and battery usage that competes and a real price for us. We all don't want batteries lasting 4 hours like the old winCE devices!

RE: I'll tell you why...
MadMax @ 1/3/2001 12:24:24 AM #
Hmm, Gee, I bought my Vx in November of '99'. I paid $399 waaay back then, and last I checked the Vx goes for $399 today. As far as I'm concerned, that is excelent for a handheld device; and I'm more than ready to upgrade to a color model.
I'll probably get good $ for this used unit when the color model comes out---

Comming soon:
For sale-Used Palm Vx
$300?


RE: I'll tell you why... Pocket PC
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/3/2001 12:28:25 AM #
iPaq, Jornada, and EM500 beat Palm (and even its licensees) to the punch. I could tell you how many dozens of people are looking at the Jornada over PalmV. iPaq is quite as popular, but somehow they yanked the demo unit. But the point is that consumers and professionals alike are well informed that PalmOS is crap. This is solely based on my observed accounts of average PDA consumers in random shops.

RE: I'll tell you why...
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/3/2001 12:31:00 AM #
I, for one, am looking forward to a color Palm in the form factor of the Palm V. To me, the Palm V is already a near perfect PDA. The size of the device is perfect for my needs and the capabilities of the device (as all Palm devices) are astounding to me for something that I can carry in my pocket. To my mind, color and additional storage space would make it a perfect device.

My anticipation is, of course, tempered by the fact that I do not know what the device will look like, how many colors it will be capable of displaying (I should point out that the display on the Prism and the IIIc are actually identical, it is the system bus that allows for the greater number of colors) or if the memory expansion allowed by the SD will be directly accessible by the device or secondary storage.

Nevertheless, I do not fall into the category of Palm user that feels an irresistable compulsion to belittle Palm, the company. It seems obvious to me that one device does not fit all. If a PDA in the Palm line does not suit your needs, take a look at the Visor/Prism from Handspring or the Clie from Sony or one of the Pocket PC devices, find the one that does for you what you need a PDA to do.

I consider myself a power user but that has not blinded me to the fact that not everyone is and that Palm has, from the beginning, attempted to walk a tightrope between the average joe and the geek. I think they have done this job amazingly well. Not without faltering along the way or some missteps but still amazingly well. On the other hand while Pocket PC devices are truly impressive they also carry the baggage of Windows. I refuse to have the same problems that I have on my PC with a device that I think should approach the usefulness of an appliance (i.e. it just works).

Also don't forget that we live in a world where the average joe has difficulty figuring out how to tape a show on the VCR that they have owned for years. I want everyone to use a PDA, I want everyone to enjoy the convenience of the device the way I do, I want to walk up to someone and ask for his/her phone number and they take out there PDA to beam it to me. In order for that to happen the device has to appeal to both the geeks and the average joe. Ultimately, who can say if Palm's approach is the wrong one to achieve this goal. Certainly, if the evidence of sales is to be relied on then Palm's approach is working and the average joe is actually considering carrying a computer in his hand (some already do and aren't even maxing out on the basic functions). It is a process, the adoption of technology into everyday life, and it takes time.

Be Patient.

P.S. - I assume you own a PC. Have you ever bought one that was not outdated before you got it out of the box, let alone 6 months later?

RE: I'll tell you why... Pocket PC
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/3/2001 4:03:17 PM #
Well I got tired of waiting for Palm to come out with something new and innovative, so a couple of weeks ago and went and did what I said I never would, I went and bought a Pocket PC (Jornada). This was intended to be a temporary device, something to play around with until the colour Vx came out. I had heard all these comments about PPC OS being unstable, limited amount of third party software etc. Don't believe it. I have suffered less soft resets than I did with my Palm vx, the battery life is very similar and even though there is not as much choice of software, I have managed to replace every Palm app I had with an equivalent PPC version with the exceptions of MultiMail and MonkeyLogo. Limited choice, but quality software. So my "temporary device" has now become permanent, I will not be buying another Palm, and I'm sure many others like me will be moving over to the PPC camp in the near future.

Steve

RE: I'll tell you why...
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/3/2001 5:59:39 PM #
What I have yet to figure out is why so many Pocket PC users continue to hang around the Palm forums...

RE: I'll tell you why...
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/5/2001 3:03:29 AM #
We like hanging out here to make fun.... and fart.

RE: I'll tell you why...
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/5/2001 4:56:35 PM #
Look, Ok PocketPC maybe shit, but let's not undermine all the reality with blaming each other. There is a huge reality of Palm's action against new technologies. Ok. Simpliy Palm. But i think palm is a bit going tooooooooo slow on innovation. I request Palm Engineers to be quick because I am betting on everyone, day after day more people are getting a PocketPC . So make something and make it quick

a step backwards.

scaught @ 1/3/2001 8:12:06 AM #
i dont think palm should waste their time releasing a color palm 5x. wheres the innovation in that? theyre getting their asses kicked in the marketplace right now and a color screen version of an old handheld isnt going to be their saving grace. they need to innovate. they need innovation on the level of the initial release of the palmpilot.

Palm may be commiting suicide!

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/3/2001 12:08:46 PM #
The most disturbing trend I see is that Palm is moving towards smaller displays. Just look at the M100. Only dwarfs and toddlers can read that display. Judging from Carl Yankowski's public statement "The Palm V will become smaller and feature a color screen", that seems to be the new trend.

Personally, if this is Palm's move, then my next PDA will be a Symbian device or even...(gag!) a Pocket PC. I hope to hell I'm wrong, but I am getting some really bad vibes here. Anyone else have this suspicion?

RE: Palm may be commiting suicide!
fleegle @ 1/3/2001 2:28:44 PM #
That is what the trend is today: smaller and lighter. Which is good, in a way. If you want a larger screen break out the old Newton or buy a laptop. ;-)

I don't mind the smaller screen. I would like better color and higher resolution.


RE: Palm may be commiting suicide!
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/3/2001 8:40:55 PM #
Hey, I'm all for smaller/lighter devices. But, smaller displays? I don't see how I would benefit from Palm devices sporting postage stamp size screens. In that case, I may as well carry a cell phone and forget about using a Palm at all. Some of the upcoming Smart Phones from running Symbian OS look promising.

Sorry, I just can't live with "M100 Style" PDAs.

RE: Palm may be commiting suicide!
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/11/2001 12:01:28 AM #
The screen size is the single reason that I will probably NOT buy a Palm in future. For me, the PDA is to access information, and that needs some screen real estate.

I am hoping that when Palm release OS5 (ARM Version ?) I can flash it onto an iPaq...

Palm VXC price

welo @ 1/3/2001 11:12:51 PM #
uff... if a palm VXC is released , i will get one for sure, do you know any of you folks what ll'be the price?
RE: Palm VXC price
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/5/2001 3:06:41 AM #
Too much for your sorry ass!

Cnet Weighs In

Ed @ 1/4/2001 10:43:03 AM #
Be sure to check out Cnet's predictions:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=1509&MODE=FLAT

---
Plenipotentiary
Palm Infocenter

Palm Vx color

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/4/2001 12:43:24 PM #
Why does everyone think this unit will have a smaller screen? Smaller, not smaller screen...people are adding words where they don't exist.

Palm VxC Price

Edward Doan @ 1/4/2001 9:03:48 PM #
If history is any indicator, Palm will introduce it at $499. The Palm Vx, IIIc, and VII were all intro'd at that price point, and price cuts came a few months later.
RE: what is the price of palmIIIc
I.M. Anonymous @ 9/20/2002 8:47:19 AM #
what is the price of the palmIIIc/


help!!!

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/10/2001 12:33:15 PM #
can some one help me with where to find out where your main vains and arterries are?????

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