ViewSonic announces sub-$300 Pocket PC

ViewSonic, the Walnut Creek, Calif. maker of computer displays, announced today that it would become the 29th licensee of Microsoft's Pocket PC platform and will release its first Pocket PC, the V35, on November 1.

Weighing less than 5 ounces and retailing for $299, the ViewSonic V35 Pocket PC hits two important targets that previous Pocket PC's have failed to hit: it's extremely lightweight and it's relatively low-cost. Microsoft and ViewSonic claim that falling prices in electronic components now allow manufacturers to build Pocket PCs for considerably less -- from $200 to $300 less -- than just a year ago. And component miniturization has enabled Pocket PC licensees to make thinner, lighter devices.

While ViewSonic may be a newcomer to the world of Pocket PCs, it is not a newcomer to Windows CE. It currently markets a Windows CE-based device called the ViewPad 100 SuperPDA. And it also plans to enter the Tablet PC arena with its ViewPad 1000 Tablet PC.

The ViewSonic V35 Pocket PC will run on Intel's PXA250 Application Processor, based on Intel's XScale architecture, running at 300 MHz. It will have 64 MB of memory, a 3.5-inch transflective color screen and a Secure Digital expansion slot.