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Comdex visitors hone in on wireless

itworld.com

(IDG) -- Long considered the premier high-tech show for the introduction of the latest hardware products, the buzz this week at Comdex in Las Vegas will be about wireless technology.

Not to be seen on the show floor but much talked about in the hallways and in the private meeting rooms will be the upcoming deal between Research in Motion and America Online to cobrand the RIM wireless devices, several industry experts said.

 
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RIM units are unique in using a packet-based network to offer a persistent wireless connection that automatically updates corporate e-mail accounts.

AOL will customize the RIM device to include instant messaging and AOL mail, sources familiar with the project said.

RIM is also set to upgrade its 957 handheld PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and 950 pager to include automatic receipt of calendar updates as well as e-mails. "If this were next year, while you are at Comdex your secretary could make a new appointment for you, put it in your calendar, and it would synchronize wirelessly with your RIM," a source said.

Although RIM and AOL want to make their deal privately, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates will openly discuss one of the wireless industry's worst-kept secret projects, a Tablet PC that will also feature a persistent wireless connection to home and office networks.

The unit, which is meant to be used as a fully-functioning PC, will have wireless capability that incorporates instant messaging, paging functionality, and Web browsing.

Some analysts have said the focus on wireless technology at Comdex this year is proof that the PC hardware show is no longer relevant.

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"Comdex is a large animal that doesn't have a focus anymore as the industry moves into a wireless and appliance area," said Tim Scannell, analyst at Mobile Insights, based in Mountain View, California.

"Most companies don't know if and how wireless will be used," Scannell said. "They would like to believe it will interact seamlessly but there are a lot of variables that have yet to be answered."

One wireless infrastructure provider with an alternative to outsourcing a wireless solution is Mshift in San Jose, Calif. MShift will announce a tool kit targeted at in-house developers.

The MobileShift Toolkit and MobileShift Engine will reformat any content on devices that use Wireless Markup Language, Palm or Windows CE platforms, and HDML.

The ODBC-compliant development package will allow companies to retrieve data from almost any database or from their current Web sites. As wireless needs increase, the package can add functionality without relying on an ASP, said Scott Moeller, co-founder and CEO of Mshift.




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RELATED SITES:
Research in Motion, Ltd.
Mobile Insights, Inc.
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