Dell to shake things up; PalmSource to make you go "ho hum"

Dell is expected to shake up the handheld industry with low-priced Windows PocketPC devices today: the low end device at $200. Microsoft is giving the low-end a boost by unveiling a joint effort with Samsung to create a reference design for building inexpensive PocketPC devices. The design can be used as a starting point for other hardware vendors to drive down PocketPC costs, even as they cram in still more features.

By contrast, PalmSource may win again the GoshSoWhat Award at Comdex. The company that brought us such pathbreaking news as designer casual-wear clothes wired for PalmOS handhelds, and that, unforgettably, introduced the Claudia Schiffer brand PalmOS device (who knew she was really a technology entrepreneur?), this year at Comdex brings us the "incredibly useful, yet lightweight, small and powerful" wrist PDA.

The latest PalmOS licensee is Fossil, which describes itself as specializing in "consumer products predicated on fashion and value" -- watches, belts, handbags and sunglasses among other stuff.

Fossil is a design, development, marketing and distribution company that specializes in consumer products predicated on fashion and value. The company's principle offerings include an extensive line of fashion watches sold under the FOSSIL and RELIC brands as well as complementary lines of small leather goods, belts, handbags, sunglasses, jewelry and FOSSIL brand apparel.

At Comdex booth #5242, Fossil is showing prototypes of a wrist device somewhat larger than a standard wristwatch with an illuminated touch screen. A stylus is integrated into the watchband for Graffiti input, It has 2MB internal memory, Rocker switch user interface, infrared port, and rechargeable battery. It comes loaded with Address Book, Date Book, Memo Pad, Calculator and To Do List applications.

Flextronics was Fossil's partner in the device design, especially the turnkey embedded hardware and software. Two Fossil brands will be shipping by mid-2003. No word on price, but it seems unlikely they'll be as cheap a thrill as penny slot machines in Vegas.
Does anyone think there's a market for something like this? I think its more likely to start a run on fake wrist PDAs: a plastic knockoff that looks just like the real thing, lets you flaunt your wrist in public, and doesn't require you either to a)pay for the real thing or b) use the real thing.

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