3Com Palm V Modem – IBM WordPad c3

The Palm V Modem is a snap-on accessory modem for the Palm V connected organizer, unveiled by Palm Computing, Inc., a 3Com company, on February 22, 1999 alongside the Palm V and Palm IIIx organizers.¹ Palm Computing described it as a slim, snap-on 33.6Kbps modem that connected through the Palm V serial port and fit snugly onto the back of the device, so that the organizer with the attached modem slipped easily into a shirt pocket.¹ It was equipped to handle various international communications standards and shipped worldwide at a suggested retail price of US$169.¹

The modem was part of a full line of accessories that 3Com designed for the Palm V's sleek form factor, letting customers personalize their devices to suit their individual connectivity needs.¹ It allowed users to synchronize their data remotely via dial-up access, either directly to a primary PC or to a remote access server.¹ The product packaging promised that users could send and receive e-mail on the road in less than a minute over an analog phone line, with e-mail connections through an Internet Service Provider requiring third-party applications sold separately.²

At 33.6Kbps the modem connected to a PC or ISP to exchange data, and HotSync technology let users back up data and update the Date Book, Address Book, To Do Lists, and Memos from any location.² The modem also worked with digital GSM phones, with most Nokia and Ericsson models supported through a separately sold GSM Upgrade Kit.² It ran on two AAA batteries rated to last up to ten weeks depending on usage, and shipped with a handbook, the two AAA batteries, and a ten-foot phone cord with a standard RJ11 connector.²

The accessory was marked as compatible with both the Palm V and the IBM WorkPad c3 PC Companion.² Its bundled e-mail support covered Microsoft Exchange 4.0, Microsoft Outlook 97, MS Mail 3.5, Windows Messaging 4.0, Windows for Workgroups Mail, Lotus cc:Mail, and QUALCOMM Eudora.² The product was made by Palm Computing, Inc., a 3Com company, at 5400 Bayfront Plaza in Santa Clara, California, and carried a 1998 3Com copyright.²

AI generated using primary sources referenced in the footnotes