IBM Corp is planning to fill the absence of a personal digital assistant in its product line by re-labeling the highly successful US Robotics Inc PalmPilot – now of course owned by 3Com Corp – instead of building its own. The IBM version will be called WorkPad, and sport the IBM logo and the all black look. IBM says the WorkPad will support organizational and communications software from Lotus and Microsoft, as well as the scores of existing PalmPilot applications. It will be sold through IBM’s dealer channels, and not through the usual retail channels, for $400. E-mail capabilities are available with an optional modem for $130 more.
