Palm adds 802.11b to Tungsten, digital camera to Zire

IDG News Service - Palm Inc. introduced two new handheld devices today: a Tungsten model with integrated 802.11b Wi-Fi capability for business customers and a Zire model with a digital camera for consumers.
Rumors had been floating around various Web sites about the Tungsten C, which Palm formally introduced today. It's the first Palm handheld to use one of Intel Corp.'s XScale processors and is able to connect to 802.11b wireless networks, said Paul Osbourne, a senior product manager at Palm. All other Palm devices currently use processors from Texas Instruments Inc. or Motorola Inc.
It also uses Palm's new memory technology, with a maximum of 64MB of RAM. All competing handhelds that use the Pocket PC operating system have had the ability to use 64MB of RAM for several years, but Palm subsidiary PalmSource Inc. just recently added that capability to the new version of Palm OS.
Palm bolstered security in the Tungsten C in a bid to ease business customers' doubts about wireless technology. Recognizing the problems with 802.11b's easily circumvented Wired Equivalent Privacy security standard, the Tungsten C comes with a built-in virtual private network (VPN) connection for secure access to corporate networks. Users can also now retrieve e-mail automatically without having to synchronize their handhelds with their desktops or corporate networks.
The Tungsten C comes standard with a battery that lasts eight hours under normal usage before needing to be recharged. Users can pay extra to outfit the device with a battery that lasts almost twice as long, Osbourne said. Priced at $499 with the standard battery, the Tungsten C is available now through limited channels, including Palm's Web site; it will be available at retail outlets May 5.
The Zire 71 is targeted at professionals and consumers who want a relatively inexpensive multimedia handheld, said Raj Doshi, senior product manager at Palm. It uses a 144-MHz OMAP310 processor from Texas Instruments Inc. and features 16MB of RAM, 13MB of which is user-accessible, Doshi said.
The new Zire weighs 5.3 oz. and comes with a transflective thin-film transistor display. Transflective displays can switch between a reflective outdoor display or a transmissive indoor display, depending on lighting conditions. The device slides open to reveal the digital camera, which can take pictures of up to 640 by 480 pixels, Doshi said. Users can store up to 200 pictures on the device without needing an expansion card, he said.
Consumers will also be able to listen to MP3 files through the Zire 71 with the RealOne Mobile Player from Real Networks Inc. TheMobile Player is stored on the device, but users will need Secure Digital expansion cards to store their MP3 files. Those cards are sold separately.
The Zire 71 is available now for $299. Its battery should last slightly more than five hours with the backlight turned off, Doshi said.