3Com Corp yesterday announced the national roll-out of its Palm VII organizer, its first handheld computer to include access to the Palm.Net web service. The device was originally rolled out in May in the New York City region only, but under yesterday’s announcement 3Com said the handheld PC will be available across all the US, at a discounted price of $400 as opposed to $500.
To coincide with the launch, a spokesperson said the company has added a third internet service plan that enables higher volume users to pay for their web access based on the amount of data they plan to upload and download from the internet. The service costs $39.99 a month. Sample usage under this plan might include 180 messages, 120 stock quotes, 60 sports scores, 60 traffic reports and 60 weather updates.
There is also additional new software that enables users to check non Palm.Net email – Yahoo, Excite, Hotmail and so on – using Palm VII. In addition, 3Com has also upped the number of content providers that users can access via Palm.Net from the 30 or so available before, to around 115 today. The new additions include Amazon.com, eBay and Fidelity Investments, the spokesperson said. The company also announced a new iMac-style clear plastic version of its entry-level handheld, the Palm III, called the Palm IIIe, as well as a higher memory version of its high-end Palm V organizer, renamed the Palm Vx.
