Palm to Include WiFi in Future Treos

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/16/AR2006051601773.html' target='_blank'>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...6051601773.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Palm will add wireless Internet capabaility to future models of the Treo phone. The company had declined to add Wi-Fi because it drains battery life. Chief executive Edward T. Colligan would not say when the capability would be added. 'We do believe Wi-Fi is an important technology," Colligan said. "There's no question that we'll ultimately put in our products, but at the right time.'"</i><br /><br />All I can say is, about time! Not that it's critical for EVDO users, but there are situations (corporate networks, for instance) where WiFi can be very useful. I also don't buy the battery argument -- Palm has had low-power WiFi implementations for many years, and the 700w can use the Palm WiFi SD card. I'll be curious to see how this implementation works out -- especially if it supports simultaneous connection to both cellular and WiFi networks -- and if this includes both future WM and PalmOS Treos.

[x51vuser]

Also drop that square screen - use VGA.
We are not kids.

[ScottC]

Lets all welcome Palm to the year 2006!

[Janak Parekh]

Also drop that square screen - use VGA.
Unlikely to happen anytime soon -- the formfactor sells very well. That said, I am looking forward to 480x480 support, and the sooner, the better.

--janak

[whydidnt]

I don't read this to say that Palm is going to start including WiFi, just that they will when the time is right -- and they've been saying that for years.

I'm not an expert, but have read on other forums that the current PalmOS' networking stack is limited and unable to maintain multiple network connections simultaneously. The poster indicated this was why users hadn't been able to effectively hack the PALM WiFi card to work on POS Treos. He surmised that if Palm adds WiFi to a POS Treo, the user could either use the phone radio or the WiFi at the a time, not both, meaning you'd have to turn off the phone to use the WiFi.

I'm sorry I don't recall where I read this to properly credit the poster, but the information provided seems very plausible. There was a more technical description, but.... I guess I'm just not that technical. :oops:

[Janak Parekh]

I'm not an expert, but have read on other forums that the current PalmOS' networking stack is limited and unable to maintain multiple network connections simultaneously.
That's not a good reason for omitting WiFi, though; they could have hacked it so that just the cellular data connection is disconnected when WiFi is connected. It also does not explain why the WM Treo didn't include WiFi.

--janak

[x51vuser]

Also drop that square screen - use VGA.
Unlikely to happen anytime soon -- the formfactor sells very well. That said, I am looking forward to 480x480 support, and the sooner, the better.

--janak

Have you seen sales for 480x640 form factor ?
Let's maybe users to decide ...
Mr. Colligan: square factor is cheap ... why did you do this ?

[Janak Parekh]

Have you seen sales for 480x640 form factor ?
Have you? A link would be great if you have one. I don't have any such link, but my anecdotal evidence in NY is that 240x240 and 240x320 devices are far more popular than 480x640 devices, especially with converged devices.

Let's maybe users to decide ...
The success of the Treo, at least here in the United States, sounds like a user decision to me. Admittedly, the scarcity of VGA Pocket PC Phones is also a factor, but even then, I don't see many x50v/x51v's. Heck, I gave up my Universal for a Treo. Are you considering me as a non-user? ;) For me, the omnipresence of the keyboard is significant.

--janak