Portable Office

Enhanced Treo

Handspring, of Mountain View, Calif., and Sprint, of Kansas City, Mo., have entered into a joint branding, marketing and distribution agreement to work together on a new "Code Division Multiple Access" version of the Handspring Treo communicator. The new Treo will operate on Sprint's third generation Network and is expected to launch nationwide mid-2002, says the company.

The companies plan to sell the product initially through Sprint's wireless distribution channels and on Handspring.com beginning this summer.

Reader Response no. 200.

Backpack Bantam

Micro Solutions, Inc., headquartered in Dekalb, Ill., has announced the debut of Backpack Bantam USB 2.0 Triple Play CD-Rewriter. The portable drive includes USB 2.0 parallel and PC Card connection options in one box, simplifying the addition of CD-R and CD-RW capabilities to a laptop or desktop computer. The device weighs 20 ounces, and can be used with disaster recovery and disk imaging software.

Reader Response no. 202.

WIRELESS

Portable Storage

Pocketec, of Chatworths, Calif., has introduced the Pockey USB 2.0 Drive.

It offers up to 40 GB of storage capacity, and can be stacked to create a large library of files.

Pockey is USB 2.0 compliant, but the host computer must be USB 2.0 equipped to achieve USB speeds, which can push transfer rates up to 480 mbps.

The portable drive draws all necessary power through the USB cable, eliminating the need for outside power sources.

It is compatible with laptops and desktops, PCs and Macs, as well as Linux Kernel 2.4 and higher, the company reports.

Reader Response no. 201.

Sprint's Been Busy

Much news from Sprint, of Kansas City, Mo.:

* Short Mail (two-way messaging system) now offers an "Intercarrier Messaging" service that helps users input 10-digit phone numbers and send new or "canned" text messages. (The ability for other carriers' customers to respond will vary by service provider, it notes.) Users can create distribution lists, mini-address books, and macros with text and/or icons.

* Sprint and LG Info Comm U.S.A., Inc., headquartered out of San Diego, have introduced the Sprint PCS Phone 4NE1 by LG. The new wearable phone supports the "Sprint PCS Ringer & More" add-on service allowing users to wirelessly download ringtones and screen savers.

* Sprint is collaborating with Audiovox Communications Corp., Microsoft Corp. and Sierra Wireless to offer Windows Powered Pocket PC Thera, a voice and data wireless device which will operate on Sprint's nationwide PCS wireless network. The small CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) 2000 3G1X device will use Sierra Wireless' new SB555 embedded module and modem management software to enable wireless phone calls, Internet and e-mail.

* Sprint and Samsung Communications America, of Orlando, have joined forces to debut the SPH-n400 and SPH-a500 phones, which combine full-color screens, polyphonic ringers and sounds through CMX technology, and high-speed Internet access.

Reader Response no. 203.

Nokia Catalog

Nokia, of Orlando, reports that it has introduced 11 new products incorporating its latest wireless technologies.

They include two dual-band GSM/GPRS 850/1900MHz handsets, two CDMA2000 1X phones, a combination GPRS/802.11b wireless LAN PC card and a new machine-to-machine (M2M) terminal and gateway.

Two handsets have been introduced: a pair of tri-band GSM/GPRS products.

Reader Response no. 204.

DIGITAL CAMERAS

Olympus' Latest

Olympus America Inc., of Melville N.Y., has introduced:

* The D-520 Zoom, a pocket-sized 3X zoom digital camera. About 30 percent smaller than its predecessor, the D-510 Zoom, it has a 3x optical zoom combining with 2.5x digital zoom for a total of 7.5x zoom; CCD resolution of 2 Megapixels; Quicktime Movie Mode; and USB Auto-Connect for easy connectivity to most USB equipped computers.

* The Olympus D-380 2 Megapixel camera is equipped with a simplified menu system, reports the company.

It has USB Auto-Connect for fast downloads without additional software, and long life battery circuitry for extended battery life.

It includes self-portrait and image resizing options, and allows users to merge two shots into one image.

Reader Response no. 205.

Dump Your Old Phone

Get rid of those old wireless phones cluttering your office, and help the Easter Seals and the National Organization on Disabilities assist people with disabilities, suggests Sprint. Local Sprint store are accepting the phones during Sprint Project Collect They'll be recycled or resold, and portions of the proceeds will benefit the two groups. Marlee Matlin is the national spokesperson; Sprint is making an initial $200,000 contribution to the two charities.

Reader Response no. 206.