Palm Computing, a 3Com company, has introduced the Palm IIIe connected organizer, an entry-level version of its popular series of hand-held computing devices. The Palm IIIe has a list price of $229, which is the lowest introductory price for any of Palm Computing’s organizers. It has the same form factor as the original Palm III but also has the improved LCD that was introduced with the Palm IIIx.
“With the Palm IIIe product, we hope to delight a broader segment of users who are new to Palm Computing organizers and who will appreciate the value of the organizer’s ease of use at an extremely affordable price,” said Byron Connell, director of product marketing for Palm Computing. “The organizers have become indispensable tools for managing almost any aspect of daily life.”
The Palm IIIe has 2MB of memory and can store 6,000 addresses, five years of appointments, 1,500 “to do” items, 1,500 memos and 200 e-mail messages. It features version 3.1 of the Palm operating system software and features the infrared “beaming” feature that also appears on the $249 Palm III, $369 Palm IIIx, $449 Palm V and $599 Palm VII.
Palm Computing has also announced a new solution for connecting Palm devices to PC and Macintosh computers via Universal Serial Bus ports. The PalmConnect USB kit is a cable that allows users to connect HotSync cradles and cables to PCs, laptops and Apple USB-equipped systems. The kit, expected to be available in August, includes the latest version of Palm Desktop software for the Mac and is listed at $39.95.
Palm Computing organizers currently hold a 73 percent share of the U.S. handheld computing market, according to a May report from IDC.
