News

Living in New York has its perks when shows like TechXNY take place (Sept. 16 - 18) and I can jump on the subway to go and talk to all the representatives from the hottest product manufacturers out there.  I attended the kick off event for TechXNY last night and spoke to folks from Dell, Palm, HP, Toshiba and Sony Ericsson about what they'll have at the show and what's coming down the pipe for fall and Christmas.  Yes I said Christmas, and it promises to be a good one as far mobile devices go!

Dell - "any news on a new Axim guys?"

I spoke to two very nice gals from Texas that work hard for and were representing Dell here in NYC.  I asked them of any new Axim releases they might want to fill us in on.  And then I was told that anything said in answer to that question was confidential and not to be discussed or released on our website...and I know they check BargainPDA because they referenced the fact we had posted this article to which I sheepishly admitted we had (information in that article we posted was leaked by a Polish website).  So now just imagine me with a scarf in my mouth and hands tied behind a chair with all the information you'd love to know.  Of course, for all you know my news could be that Dell is scrapping making PDAs and computers altogether and moving into the oil industry as any respectable Texas based company would.  Anyway, sorry guys, but stay tuned for when Dell metaphorically takes the scarf out of my mouth for any Axim news...or non-news...or whatever it might be :-)

Palm - "so, when is Palm going to release the Tungsten T3...or just tell us something new"

I asked the nice lady at the Palm booth about the Tungsten T3 or any other new and upcoming T3 devices.  She smiled and coyly said she couldn't talk about unannounced products.  I knew that, but it was worth a try.  I was able to get the contact info for Palm's Director of Public Relations so we can start haggling him now :-)  Anyway, after strike one of not getting info on new Tungsten devices I was able to see a whole host of new accessories Palm is branding, Palm will be releasing these accessories on October 1.  Below is a list of what they have and then a few pictures I got, here's a link to their press release and media pictures for the new stuff.

• The First Palm Branded Wireless Keyboard - A foldable keyboard that connects wirelessly via IR to a Palm branded handheld.  A battery operated keyboard that features full-sized keys and works with all current Palm handhelds.  Cost $69.95.

• Executive Multifunction Stylus - It's a pen, laser pointer, flashlight and stylus in one for $19.95 (picture below)

• Six new Cases - Zire Hard Case ($14.95), Zire Slim Leather Case ($19.95), Universal Tough Case ($14.95), Executive series cases with three sizes available (small $19.95, medium $49.95, large $69.95).  Sorry, no X-large or Biggie size on that case.
• 1.3 Megapixel Camera (see picture) available in December for $99.95

• Zire Lighted Stylus Pen Pack (see picture, neato!)

• Tungsten Gold Stylus -- 24-carat gold-plated Tungsten stylus for Tungsten C and W $29.95
• Screen Protector Multi-pack for use with every current Palm handheld contains 13 screen protectors and will retail for $13.95.
• Universal Essentials Kit - comes with universal Tough case and universal stylus and six screen protectors, all fit any current Palm.  Retail price is $29.95

Toshiba - "we know you have the e400 and e800 on deck, why won't you admit it and tell us about it?"

The gentleman I spoke to from Toshiba confirmed that they will be refreshing their product line, the e300 series will give way to the e400 series and the e700 series will give way to the e800 series.  However, he was not willing to give dates or even confirm the devices as being definite.  All he would say is that they will be 'refreshing their product line' and was unable to give specs since the products had not been announced yet.  I'll just refer you to this article we posted a few days ago, J&R and Amazon already slipped in posting the e400 and e800 to their sites and releasing a few specs.

HP - "you just released a bunch of new iPaq devices so we know you have nothing new for PDAs, but those are some mighty fine consumer devices you have"

HP is in the midst of releasing a slew of consumer products, 100s in fact, here's a link to an article if you're interested in more on that: http://www.thenewsmarket.com/Newsroom/StoryDetails.aspx?Id=415.  However, no real new PDA news.  They should be releasing a new iPaq 4000 series device around Christmas that has a built-in keyboard but I was unable to get any information on that from their reps at TechXNY -- they were all about the new notebooks and PCs HP has which are of course cool but off topic for this site.

Sony Ericsson - "cool phones, but why would I want to race a car with my phone?"

Sony Ericsson was at the kick off in force with all their new phones that somewhat encroach upon PDA functionality with the ability to synch with Outlook via Bluetooth and act as a PIM, but in general the new products seem to really focus on consumers looking to add a little fun to their lives with trendy and playful gadgets.  Here's some pictures of their Bluetooth car racing setup and upcoming Z200 and Z600 phones:

Unfortunately there was no word on the new Sony Ericsson P810 device that would be the update to the current P800 but I have some contact info for folks at Sony Ericsson and will be chasing them for this information in the next few days.

Stay posted as I bring more news from TechXNY, and especially for any Dell or Palm product updates within the next month.