from: http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2561607793-12e
08:59 PM ET 10/12/99
Nokia Said To Pick Palm OS
Nokia Said To Pick Palm OS
By DAVID E. KALISH=
AP Business Writer=
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) _ Nokia, a world leader in mobile
phones, is expected to license the software used to run 3Com
Corp.'s popular Palm devices to run a future generation of portable
phones that let people browse the Internet, industry sources said
Tuesday.
The move could give a big boost to 3Com's ambitions to expand
its Palm software business beyond electronic organizers.
Finland-based Nokia, for its part, gets an operating program for
its mobile phones that is already familiar to software developers
and millions of users of Palm's popular hand-held gadgets.
An announcement was expected as early as this week, said the
sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
While only a tiny fraction of the world's 300 million mobile
phones currently give users Web access, the market is expected to
quickly grow as companies forge alliances and new technology. By
2005, a whopping 1 billion people are expected to use mobile
phones, letting more and more users get the latest news, trade
stocks and even pay for purchases no matter where they are.
Analysts say Nokia could be hedging its bets by adding
another
operating system to its existing arsenal of programs for handling
the basic functions of retrieving and viewing Internet-based
information.
Nokia already is part of an effort with two other mobile
phone
makers, Ericsson and Motorola, to develop an operating system for
smart phones. The wireless group, Symbian, uses an operating system
called Epoc from Psion PLC of Britain.
But few software developers have written applications for
Epoc,
in contrast to the scores of applications that have been written to
enable users of 3Com's Palm to organize information and notes and
even play games.
Microsoft Corp. also is vigorously pushing its Windows CE
operating system to mobile phone makers and is a formidable rival,
but the company's program has attracted fewer applications than
Palm, though more than Symbian.
Attracting new applications is seen as crucial to drawing
people
to a new generation of mobile phones that let people perform a
variety of Internet-based functions.
``Epoc has been a poor performer in the application area, and
applications are critical for success,'' said Kenneth Dulaney, an
industry analyst with the Gartner Group research and consulting
firm, which is holding its annual gathering of technology managers
here this week.
``The Palm OS has a rich set of application developers.''
Spokespeople for Palm parent 3Com, based in Santa Clara,
Calif.,
declined to comment. Nokia could not be reached late Tuesday.
Messages left with Ericcson and Motorola were not immediately
returned.
Palm is aggressively trying to shift its business to become
more
of an operating program developer, much as Microsoft licenses its
Windows operating system to makers of personal computers and
hand-held gadgets.
Palm already licenses its software to Qualcomm, a mobile
phone
company, as well to Handspring Inc., which sells a $149 personal
digital assistant that is a less expensive rival to the Palm
computer.
More than 5 million Palms have been sold since they were
introduced in 1996, becoming a sort of mobile badge for on-the-go
professionals seeking a convenient way to store contacts,
appointments and notes. 3Com plans to launch an initial public
offering of the Palm unit early next year in a deal that could
value the new company anywhere from $5 billion to $10 billion.
"Gordon W. Gifford, Jr." wrote:
>
> Todd
> I investigate this extensively, including contact with Nokia in Fort
> Worth. Only one model of the Nokia line can handle digital data. It's a
> matter of a custom TDMA network and some very proprietary stuff. This is a
> shame, and if you come up with anything, I sure would be interested.
> Gordon
>
> Todd Cary wrote:
>
> > If this question does not belong here, please guide me to the correct
> > location.
> >
> > My client is exploring the use of a PalmPilot to send e-mail from the
> > field to the home office. They would like to be able to use a cell
> > phone (Nokia) *or* a land line. Is there a modem for the PP that will
> > provide this connectivity?
> >
> > Todd
> >
> > --
> > Todd Cary
> > Ariste Software
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
