Dell, Good Teaming on PDA/cell Phone Combo

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.iapplianceweb.com/story/OEG20030506S0009' target='_blank'>http://www.iapplianceweb.com/story/...EG20030506S0009</a><br /><br /></div>"Dell Computer and Good Technology are working together on designing a new wireless handheld for corporate customers, the companies have just announced. The Dell-branded product, expected to be completed next year, would run Good's wireless messaging system. Meanwhile, Dell, which began selling its own Microsoft Pocket PC-based handhelds in November, said Tuesday that it would begin selling Good's G100 wireless messaging device."<br /><br />This news report tells me two things: in the immediate future, Dell is going to be selling current Good Technology hardware. Boring. But they're teaming up on a "new wireless device" that will incorporate Good Technology as well, and will also be a phone. So I'm predicting a Dell Axim X7 Pocket PC Phone Edition device with integrated Good push technology and GPRS data/phone functionality. Considering the number of times I've seen people say "I wish my Pocket PC functioned like my RIM Blackberry..." this may be a potent combo indeed!

[jweitzman]

I love my G100 and the Goodlink service (from Cingular), but the key to it is that it works everywhere. Don't tell the FAA, but it even works at 35,000 feat for some physics-bending reason. The service uses the Mobitex network, a slow but ubiquitous system.

If this service ran on any of the cell phone networks it would not be as useful, since these networks seem to have far less coverage, have roaming issues, less reliable connections, etc.

If they can create a service that is faster, includes voice, and has equally seamless coverage, great. I'm in. But I would not trade connectivity for any other feature. I know RIM is going down this road, but I think it's a mistake, at least for now.

[R K]

"So I'm predicting a Dell Axim X7 Pocket PC Phone Edition device with integrated Good push technology and GPRS data/phone functionality.

Hopefully they'll have a "good" (no pun intended) software implementation to go along with it. I always read about a countless amount of people wishing for a PPCPCE integration into this phone addon or that phone addon (Compaq GPRS Sleeve and Audiovox RTM-8000 for example).
I haven't used these devices before so I don't know how good or bad the software behind these devices are, but I have used a PPCPE and the integration is very slick.

I don't know much about Good's technology, but I'm wondering if there're going to be any standby issues related to the wireless technology. One thing that's found lacking in all the PC/CF Card phone modules is that there's no standby capability, so when your Pocket PC gets turned off, the phone/e-mail gets turned off with it.

[bdegroodt]

Good and Palm already have a deal announced from September of last year and today I read that RIM and Palm (http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030506/tech_researchinmotion_palm_1.html) strike a similar deal today. Looks like next year is going to be the year of wireless connected devices.

[jweitzman]

I'm wondering if there're going to be any standby issues related to the wireless technology. One thing that's found lacking in all the PC/CF Card phone modules is that there's no standby capability, so when your Pocket PC gets turned off, the phone/e-mail gets turned off with it.

Excellent point. Along with the "everywhere" access, another key feature is "always on." I leave the G100 on at all times and it is synchronizing with the Exchange server at all times. When a new calendar item is added to Exchange, it is on the G100 within a minute or so. When I delete an e-mail, it is deleted on the server, and so on. This functionality changes significantly if you have to decide to turn on the device and perform a synch. I can check e-mail whenever I have a moment--literally--not only when I have 5 or 10 minutes.

Along with this is the battery life issue. The G100 goes about 6 days powered on all day and night, being used pretty regularly to send and receive mail. Charging more regularly wouldn't defeat the utility, but it sure is nice to not have to remember to charge every single day, or take along a bunch of chargers on every trip.

[devhen]

they're teaming up on a "new wireless device" that will incorporate Good Technology as well, and will also be a phone.

I haven't read anything that said the new Dell/Good device(s) will be phones. Its obviously a possibility but nothing I have read from Dell nor Good has mentioned anything like that. Where did you get this idea?

[anthonymoody]

My big desire is for such a device to also provide a landscape hard keyboard and landscape screen (ala the HipTop). That, the PPCPE OS, fast GPRS, and Good/RIM push email, (BT and WiFI would be nice bonuses...) is my ideal device.

TM