Convergence In My Hand

BY RICH TEHRANI

PDA Telephony?
Potentially, these devices have a role in real-time, voice-mediated interactions, combining computing and communications. In this role, communications-ready PDAs might surpass the desktop PC, which has the advantage of being an all-purpose device, but the disadvantage of being, well... clumsy. The desktop PC has been, at best, a mixed success as a substitute or adjunct to the phone, despite the hype over the "PC as phone."

Although some call it "user-friendly," the desktop PC has always been more popular with techies than with end users, whether they happened to be in the corporate or consumer camps. Indeed, the PC, according to Palm CEO Carl Yankowski, is hardly an unqualified success in terms of mass marketing. After all, the PC is roughly 20 years old, and yet its rate of market penetration has never approached that of the phone or the VCR.

But PDA devices might do better, achieving broad popularity, acquiring communications capabilities, perhaps even speech interfaces. My own experiences with PDA devices have been encouraging. I am, I confess, a Palm computing fan. For example, I bought the Palm VII, which offers seamless wireless connectivity, as soon as it became available. If I have a moment to spare, I use the Palm to check e-mail, get stock quotes, and scan the day's headlines. I've even enhanced my Palm's capabilities by adding a portable keyboard, which is manufactured by Targus, and folds to the size of the Palm itself.

Eyeing The iPAQ
At a recent trade show, while furiously typing notes into my Palm VII, I met an exhibitor who produced a shiny, brand-new iPAQ. I had read about this device, but had never seen one. I couldn't believe how bright the screen was. I was blown away!

But my excitement waned when I realized I didn't really need an iPAQ. I was happy with my trusty Palm VII. My Palm VII had AAA batteries that seemed to last forever, no matter how often I used the modem. And my Palm VII greatly simplified my life, allowing me to take copious notes on the fly, disseminating them wirelessly, putting projects to bed all in one sitting, and letting me turn my full attention to new matters.

But then I had second thoughts. I realized I had always been annoyed that the Palm VII would run out of space in the memo program after a few thousand characters. I don't type that fast, but still, after about 30-40 minutes of continuous typing, I would run out of space. Then I would have no choice but to start a new memo, which I would eventually incorporate into a larger file with the first memo.

I began taking an even dimmer view of the Palm after I started trying to synchronize it with my office's Goldmine database. Invariably, I'd soon find myself running out of memory. I had considered upgrading my device to the Palm VIIx, which would have increased my memory from 2 MB to a full 8 Meg. But then I called Palm to ask if they have resolved the limitation with their memo files. To my utter consternation, they said, "No."

Fickle, Faithless Me
I admit it. The Palm was starting to look a little dowdy. So, I strayed from the Palm long enough to check out the iPAQ on the Web. While furtively scanning the iPAQ specs, I found I could get my hands on an iPAQ boasting 32 MB of memory. Gulp! Four times more than the new Palm!

I dashed to CompUSA. (I couldn't even wait to order online.) When I got there, I learned iPAQs were flying off the shelves, even though, as a salesman confided, customers had complained that the devices had an exceedingly short battery life. Undeterred, I bought an iPAQ immediately, one with a CF (CompactFlash) expansion pack, which I figured I needed for wireless access. As it turned out, I needed the PC card expansion pack (or, if you are old-school like me, PCMCIA). I refer, of course, to the laptop card form factor. Various cards may fit in either expansion pack, but the really interesting wireless options are available as PC cards only. Besides, these cards work in your laptop as well. And, best of all, there is an adaptor that allows CF cards to work in a PC slot.

Getting Connected
Although I was all eagerness, my ultimate goal -- establishing a wireless connection with my iPAQ -- was much delayed. Over a month passed before I received a modem from Compaq, and that was after much pleading and cajoling.

I had decided my best service option was Compaq's own iPAQnet service, a partnership with GoAmerica. But it seemed that the iPAQ/GoAmerica partnership was new, and some kinks had to be worked out. Apparently, GoAmerica was negotiating with various providers, assembling a network with extensive coverage, comparable to (or better than) the coverage offered by AT&T and Verizon. So, I waited, encouraged by my positive experience with Palm's palm.net service, which I knew was a partnership arrangement as well. Besides, I thought I should choose a service provider for my iPAQ other than Sprint, the service provider for my cell phone. (I figured that if I were in a dead zone for one carrier, I might have coverage from the other.)

The modem finally came. I plugged it into the IPAQ, and... nothing. I called tech support. They promised to send me an e-mail message with the configuration details. When? In 48 hours. Yikes. I was boarding a train for Baltimore in four days, and I wanted time to get this thing working properly before I left. Fortunately, my message arrived about a day later. I immediately got busy configuring the iPAQ to access the Web. No luck. I called tech support. They told me my zip code took me out of their coverage area. Oh, the agony!

What now? I reconsidered the coverage maps for AT&T and Verizon. AT&T had better national coverage; Verizon, better northeast coverage. I opted for AT&T. Within two hours, I had AT&T's configuration details. (AT&T's customer service was outstanding, by the way.) I entered the information into the iPAQ. Then... nothing. Oh, the agony!

Somehow the modem couldn't lock onto a signal, even though I had supposed the signal in my area was very strong. I coerced a co-worker into driving me across the CT/NY border, 30 minutes away, so I could try to get this modem working. No luck. Oh, the agony!

I returned to the office and called tech support. They suggested my modem was defective. They also suggested I might want to use both the AT&T and Verizon services, to ensure a strong signal and to avoid roaming charges. What? I rejected this idea. Dealing with one service provider is bad enough, let alone two. Oh, the agony!

Time to review my options. I went to Sierra Wireless, the company that made the modem I was using. Sierra had just released their Aircard 510, which works on the Sprint PCS network. Sprint PCS has great coverage, and they don't charge roaming fees, since users can't get onto any other network but theirs. Unlike many other carriers that provide unlimited Internet access on their networks for an approximate $60/month, Sprint allows you to use wireless data minutes as if they are voice minutes. You can even share minutes between your phone and data modem.

So, I settled on Sprint by a process of elimination, even though I had hoped to avoid having the same provider for both my cell phone and data connections. I drove to Sprint's local store, got my modem, and waited 4.5 hours for them to activate my account. Success! I logged onto the Web and started surfing. (Slowly, mind you, at a maximum of 14.4 Kbps.)

Agony Ends, Ecstasy Begins
I got the modem working two days before my trip, and I was able to send and receive e-mail like a pro from the train, and I even swapped the modem out between my laptop and iPAQ at my whim. Was I exhilarated? You bet. Was I productive? Ha! Need you ask?

I should add, though, that I encountered a few serious e-mail issues. I'll describe how I overcame these issues, but I'll have to do that next month, since I'm already out of space. I'll compare the iPAQ to the Palm VII, alert you to pitfalls, and explain how to overcome the limitation of browsing over a low-bandwidth connection. Finally, and most important, I'll keep you up to date on the potential of PDAs as communications devices. I look forward to the day when PDAs stream video and allow GUI-based multi-party conference calls!

Sincerely,

Rich Tehrani
Group Publisher
Group Editor-In-Chief