palmOne Needs to Get on the Wi-Fi Bandwagon

Yesterday, when I was writing an article on some of the upcoming iPAQ models, it hit me that all but one of the handhelds HP is going to debut this year have built-in Wi-Fi. I started thinking about it and realized that just about every Pocket PC -- whether it be from HP, Toshiba, ASUS, Fujitsu Siemens, or some other company -- coming soon includes Wi-Fi. If palmOne wants to keep up, it had better get serious about wireless networking.

palmOne was one of the first companies to commit to Bluetooth, and that's great. But if it doesn't start including Wi-Fi too, it is going to be way behind the curve.

Yes, I know palmOne has a handheld with Wi-Fi, the Tungsten C. But that model came out well over a year ago. Also, its Wi-Fi performance is far from stellar. The Tungsten C needs to be updated or replaced.

Not a Luxury

Not too long ago, Wi-Fi was something only a few people needed or were willing to pay for. Not any more. Wi-Fi makes a handheld significantly more useful, and increasing numbers of companies and individuals are recognizing this fact.

When you're using a handheld without wireless networking, nothing can be updated after you take it out of its cradle. This means you have to anticipate everything you might need before you leave. If you forget to transfer something onto your device, there isn't much you can do about it later.

A handheld with Wi-Fi doesn't have this limitation. You can be in a meeting and look something up on the Web or your company's intranet. With the right software, you can even pull documents off a file server. You can check your email.

In addition, wireless VoIP is becoming increasingly common in the workplace, meaning a handheld with Wi-Fi can do double duty as a phone.

These are some of the reasons why lots of individuals and companies regard Wi-Fi as a required feature in the handhelds they purchase.

A Challenge for palmOne

It's great that palmOne is finally going to release a Wi-FI SD card, even if it only works with the Tungsten T3 and Zire 72. At least some of its models can finally have the benefits of Wi-Fi.

But a WI-FI SD card isn't enough to keep up with the competition. If the Tungsten T4 doesn't include built-in Wi-Fi, it's going to get its clock cleaned by all the new Pocket PCs that do include it.

And palmOne needs a mid-range model with Wi-Fi. Remember those upcoming iPAQs with Wi-Fi I mentioned? Looks like all of them will cost $350 and up. If palmOne can get a Wi-Fi model out for $300 or less, it should sell quite well. This isn't an impossible goal; both Sony and Dell sell sub-$300 handhelds with Wi-Fi.

Gartner Dataquest estimates that by 2006, 60 percent of handhelds will include built-in Wi-Fi. By that time, probably the only models without Wi-Fi will be low-end devices. If palmOne hopes to keep selling mid-range and high-end models, it had better get on the Wi-Fi bandwagon.