PalmPilot Professional Edition Pre-Release B37 Confidential CD
This is a custom CD containing the PalmPilot Professional Edition Pre-Release B37 software. This is a confidential CD that was likely distributed to third-party developers and partners.
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Artifact Details
PalmPilot Professional Edition Pre-Release B37
Palm Computing, Inc.
United States
English
1997
Writable CD (in original shrink-wrapped jewel case) with printed description on surface.
Approx. 5.5" x 5" (case)
ae69d27411aad946
1997
Acquired directly from developer
2020-07-21
Organizations
History
This CD carries pre-release build B37 of PalmPilot Professional Edition and is marked confidential on its printed surface.1 In early 1997, Palm Computing, Inc. — the subsidiary of U.S. Robotics that designed and marketed handheld computers — introduced a new PalmPilot product family.2 Software developers could build applications for the new PalmPilot Professional and PalmPilot Personal connected organizers using Metrowerks CodeWarrior for PalmPilot, whose Developer Release 2 was announced on April 28, 1997 with direct-to-device debugging support for Palm OS 1.0.3
By the first 3Com PalmPilot Developer Conference, held October 14–17, 1997 in San Francisco, Palm Computing had become a subsidiary of 3Com Corporation, and more than 3,000 PalmPilot software development kits were in use.4
The PalmPilot Professional Edition organizer ran a full suite of Personal Information Management applications — Date Book, Address Book, To-Do List and Memo Pad — and added E-Mail and Expense capabilities that distinguished it from the Personal Edition, with HotSync technology to synchronize data with a desktop computer; it carried a suggested retail price of $369, reduced to $299 in March 1998.5 At Comdex '97 the PalmPilot Professional Edition received PC/Computing magazine's MVP award in the handheld computing category, by which point 3Com had shipped its one millionth unit and held roughly two-thirds of the worldwide standard handheld computer market.6
In March 1998 Palm Computing introduced the Palm III connected organizer, the third generation of the PalmPilot line; the PalmPilot Personal and Professional Editions remained available at $199 and $299 respectively, and registered Professional Edition owners could upgrade to the new operating system, infrared beaming and extended memory through the Palm 2MB Upgrade, expected in June 1998.7
AI generated using primary sources referenced in the footnotes
Footnotes
- Palm Computing, Inc., PalmPilot Professional Edition Pre-Release B37 Confidential CD (image scan), 1997
- iambic Software, Iambic Announces Support for New Models of the U.S. Robotics PalmPilot Connected Organizer, March 11, 1997
- Metrowerks Inc., Metrowerks Introduces CodeWarrior for PalmPilot, Application Development Tools Hosted on Windows 95/NT and Mac OS, April 28, 1997
- 3Com Corporation, 3Com PalmPilot Developer Conference Highlights Opportunities and Solutions for Market-Leading Handheld Computing Platform, October 6, 1997
- Palm Computing, Inc., 3Com Reduces the Price of the Award-Winning PalmPilot Connected Organizers, March 5, 1998
- 3Com Corporation, 3Com PalmPilot Connected Organizer Receives Top Industry Awards at Comdex '97, November 25, 1997
- Palm Computing, Inc., 3Com Delivers the Palm III Connected Organizer, the Third Generation of the Industry-Leading PalmPilot Handheld Computer, March 9, 1998
Oral History
Connections
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