David Haskin

A report released Monday by a consulting and market research firm claims that devices from Palm and Handspring that combine wireless communications and personal information management (PIM) and other handheld functionality will fail. The report was issued by Strand Consult. Palm recently released its i705 handheld, which provides always-on e-mail access and Handspring recently released […]

Even though it only recently introduced third-generation (3G) wireless service, Japan’s NTT DoCoMo said Tuesday that it had started developing an experimental fourth-generation system. The 4G service is aimed at providing data access speeds of 100 Mbps for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads, the company said in a statement. It said it has started […]

Handspring’s Treo communicator, which currently only works on wireless networks based on GSM technology, is migrating to CDMA networks, the company announced Tuesday. Specifically, Handspring said it would work with Sprint to develop a CDMA version of the Palm OS-based Treo device, which combines personal information management capabilities with wireless telephony. The device will work […]

The battle among wireless platform vendors heated up significantly Monday with a stream of announcements from Microsoft Corp. that it is teaming with several U.S. wireless operators and a high-visibility wireless device developer to deliver new devices. Specifically, Microsoft said it has worked with Audiovox Communications Corp. to develop a Pocket PC-based wireless device, named […]

Worldwide unit sales of wireless phones dropped 3.2 percent in 2001 compared to the previous year, marking the first time sales of mobile phones have dropped, according to a study released Monday by Dataquest, Inc. The study found Nokia strengthened its worldwide sales lead, Motorola held its own and Siemens and Samsung entered the top […]

In a step considered crucial to its success, Sony Ericsson Tuesday unveiled its first significant new portfolio of wireless devices as a unified company. The wireless phone company was launched last autumn after both Sony and Ericsson saw their fortunes in the wireless phone marketplace wane. The new phones unveiled Tuesday represent the company’s largest […]

Responding to the growing trend toward multi-function wireless communications devices, Research In Motion Limited (RIM) Monday unveiled its first handheld for the North American market that supports wireless telephony. The company said its BlackBerry 5810 will support GSM/GPRS networks and is aimed at the North American market. It started selling a similar device, the BlackBerry […]

Worldwide handheld shipments increased 18 percent last year as Palm-branded devices lost significant market share but still hold a substantial lead, according to a market study released Wednesday by Gartner Dataquest. In addition, while Santa Clara, Calif.’s Palm lost market share in the U.S., the picture isn’t as bad for the handheld vendor as it […]

Handspring Inc. Monday started selling its Palm OS-based Treo communicator to U.S. customers via its Web site. Specifically, the company has started selling the Treo 180, which has a built-in QWERTY keyboard, and the Treo 180g, which uses Graffiti handwriting recognition like most Palm-based devices. Both monochrome devices cost $399 if they are purchased with […]

After months of delays and uncertainty, Palm Monday launched its i705 wireless handheld device. The introduction of the long-anticipated device, which will provide always-on e-mail and Web access, is another indication that handheld vendors are moving away from primarily providing personal information management functions and toward wireless connectivity. Handspring is about to launch its Palm […]

Handspring is transitioning out of the handheld business and into the business of creating multi-function wireless communicators such as the forthcoming Treo, CEO Donna Dubinsky said Tuesday. In addition, component shortages may cause some delays in the launch of Treo, she said. Dubinsky made the comments during a conference call discussing the company’s financial results […]

Wireless service provider Motient Thursday filed for 11 bankruptcy protection, becoming the latest in a series of wireless providers to face financial difficulty. Motient said that it has negotiated a debt restructuring plan that will convert its senior notes to equity, a process that the company claimed will eliminate more than $40 million in interest […]