Roaming Around the Mobile Computing Industry

Users Find PenDOS-Lite Less Filling

Communication Intelligence Corp. (CIC) completed an impressive first quarter of the calendar year featuring several new product announcements and technology licensing agreements. Foremost amongst these was the January introduction of new versions of CIC’s very successful PenDOS operating environment.

The new products, called PenDOS-Lite and PenDOS Handwriter Recognizer, are specifically designed for the expanding breed of smaller, less expensive handheld pen computers. These devices are finding ready markets in several service industries including retail and health care.

Typically, these devices rely on processors less powerful than an 80386, and feature less memory, smaller storage, and non-VGA LCD screens. Devices that fall into this category include the Seiko Epson EHT-30, and Symbol Technologies’ PPT 4100 handheld computer.

Another vendor adopting PenDOS-Lite and PenDOS Handwriter Recognizer is Telxon Corporation, which announced that it will license the software for use with its entire line of pen computers.

The trend towards simple, smaller, cost effective, yet functional pen devices is a very encouraging development. While admittedly lacking the appeal of the high-profile PDAs, these no-nonsense, get-the-job-done devices are doing more to develop and legitimize this industry than most other classes of device.

For more information, please contact Beverly Scott of CIC at (415) 802-7888

RDC Expands Its Distribution Network

Illustrating that the wireless revolution knows no national boundaries—except for the artificial ones created by regulatory agencies—Jerusalem-based RDC Communications has announced new OEM and distribution agreements in the important markets of France and Korea.

Inoval, a leading French systems integrator and distributor, will add RDC’s Wireless PortLAN system to its offerings. Inoval supplies products and services to several leading companies including Air France, Renault, France Telecom, and others.

In Korea, RDC has signed Hyundai & TEC System Co. Ltd. (HTS) of Seoul as an OEM and distributor for that market. HTS, a jointly owned company of Hyundai and the Tokyo Electric Company of Japan, is a leading supplier of computer networks for the retail industry.

RDC’s PortLAN is a wireless local area network solution utilizing the unlicensed 2.4 Ghz band, and operates at 1 Mbps at ranges of up to 50 m. The system is available in both ISA and PCMCIA form factors and can be bridged to an Ethernet backbone using an RDC Access Point.

For information, please contact RDC Communications at +972-2-519311, +972-2-519314 (fax).

Acer Joins PDA Race

It seems strange that even though practically no one is making money selling PDAs, just about everyone wants to produce one. Joining the PDA race (marathon?) is Taiwan-headquartered Acer Inc. with its CeBIT ’94 introduction of the AcerPad 100 to the European market.

The AcerPad, which physically belongs somewhere between a PDA and a tablet in size, is capable of running in “dual” modes, first under DOS and also under an Organiser mode. The tablet is the size of an A5 notepad, making it somewhat smaller than the Toshiba T200 series. By offering the dual modes, Acer hopes to attract business professionals that require a personal electronic organizer, but may also serve the need for DOS-based vertical applications, perhaps using an external keyboard.

The computer features a reflective VGA screen, an infrared port, a standard fax/data modem, and two PCMCIA slots. The system also contains the Organiser and SmartForms software in ROM. SmartForms is a simple database and screen layout application that enables forms to be quickly styled for data collection vertical applications.

The AcerPad includes a trainable recognizer that converts your input into text. However, as expected, you can select to leave your input as ink if preferred. The built-in Organiser software includes the standard personal information applications including a notepad, an address book, a to do list, calendar, and time zone map. The device comes with 2 MB of RAM that is expandable using standard SIMM modules. In addition, Acer states that the ROM is socketed, enabling service technicians to update the device making it what Acer calls “future proof.”

Pricing and availability information were unavailable at the time of release. For more information, contact Acer’s European headquarters at 31-40-501-234, or 31-40-529-124 (fax).

Amstrad Delivers Their Mobile Companion

While many PDA manufacturers are talking about mobile companions, United Kingdom-based Amstrad is offering a complete solution that integrates their innovative PenPad PDA600 with a user’s Microsoft Windows environment in the home or office.

Introduced at CeBIT ’94, Amstrad’s PDA bundle includes the PDA600 with a new version of the Eden Organiser for Windows Connectivity Kit. The Windows program creates an environment on the desktop PC that is virtually identical to that on the PDA, and, using the supplied serial cable, users can quickly update information in both directions. Organiser for Windows also includes several translators enabling users to move Excel spreadsheets, Lotus Organizer data, even graphic files in BMP format, to the PDA.

For those unfamiliar with Amstrad’s PenPad PDA600, the device weighs approximately 600 grams and is about the size of an A6 notepad. The device is powered by three AA batteries that will run for 40 hours, and includes a standard PCMCIA slot for memory expansion and applications.

The PDA600 includes several built-in software applications for personal information management including an address book, a to do list, a notes section, and several useful information functions. Reflecting its European base, the package is available in multiple languages including English, French, German, and Italian versions.

For information, please contact Mike Locke of Amstrad at 0277 228888.

MiniStor Pushes PCMCIA Curve

Following the time-proven price-feature curve of computing devices and peripherals, PCMCIA-based hard disk drives continue to pack greater storage and performance into a tighter package. To advance this even further, San Jose, California-based MiniStor Peripherals Corporation has announced that it is incorporating Stac Electronics’ Stacker data compression technology on its leading PCMCIA hard drives.

Dubbed MoreMB, MiniStor’s drives are available in two sizes: 84 and 170 MB. These numbers reflect the estimated 2 to 1 compression that most users will experience, however your mileage may vary depending on the type of data stored. Both drives are listed at US $299, which is a healthy drop in price from the former $499 and $599 respectively.

MiniStor’s 84 MB drive uses the familiar 10.5 mm PCMCIA Type III slot, however the 170 MB drive relies on the less common 13.5 mm, Type III+ slot, which is currently available on certain Toshiba notebook devices.

To help you move data between your desktop and mobile device, MiniStor offers an optional DockIt Socket (PCMCIA slot) that can be installed in any regular PC/AT system. For more information, please contact Miles Walsh of MiniStor at (408) 732-5550.

Asian Manufacturers Bet on Pen Computing

One indication that the pen computing market may be poised to take off is the interest exhibited by several large and small Asian personal computer manufacturers. Indeed, one of the first indications of the true size of the notebook and subnotebook markets came when the myriad of Taiwan, Korean, and Hong Kong-based manufacturers swamped the market with machines of all grades of price and quality.

At CeBIT ’94, one could see the beginnings of a similar, if slightly subdued, trend in pen computing. Several manufacturers displayed a range of pen computing products, many leveraging their design investment in their current line of notebook computers. As such, none of the devices featured technological or conceptual breakthroughs, though a few were well crafted and may serve the role of a catalyst in this market. Also, several of the devices reflected either design prototypes or other engineering works-in-progress.

A sampling of devices seen in Hannover include:

• InnovACE HyperBook 320 Pen Computer, from Taipei, Taiwan-based Sunrex Technology Corporation. The devices use the standard notebook design with a passive, untethered pen. The Windows for Pen Computing-based device uses a Cyrix 486DX2 processor with a 9.5″ monochrome or color display.
• Chicony Notebook, from Taipei-based Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd. This Intel 486-based system enables the screen to be positioned to work as either a laptop or a pentop.
• Pentimedia ME-5000, from Taipei-based Dual Enterprises Corporation. This Intel 486 computer, features a repositionable screen that converts the device from a notebook to a pentop, while including multimedia options using advanced sound and video.
• Instant Pad PDA-3000 Personal Organizer, from Hong Kong-based Group Sense Limited. A small tablet-sized, pen-based personal organizer powered by a 32-bit Motorola MC68330 running at 8 MHz.