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Press Release
Sprint, Palm Alliance to Unleash CDMA Wireless Internet Access on Handheld Computers
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Alliance Will Provide Palm Handheld and Palm OS CDMA Smartphone Users Access
To MyPalm Portal, the Sprint PCS Wireless Web and Corporate Information
Via the Sprint PCS Nationwide Network
KANSAS CITY, Mo. and SANTA CLARA, Calif., Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ --
Sprint PCS (NYSE: PCS), the fastest-growing wireless carrier in the United
States, and Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: lPALM), a pioneer in the field of mobile and
wireless Internet solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers,
today announced an agreement to market and sell wireless solutions for
handhelds using the Palm OS(R) platform, the leading handheld operating
system. This strategic alliance represents the first CDMA solution for
Palm(TM) handheld computers that will enable access to real-time information
on the nation's largest all-digital voice and data PCS network. The CDMA
solution will ensure the fast, secure transfer of data and provide a richer
wireless Internet browsing experience than currently available.
"As Palm's preferred partner, Sprint PCS has extended its leadership role
in the wireless data space. By integrating the Internet and our wireless
technology with the Palm OS platform, we are better positioned to respond to
the needs of Sprint PCS business customers for clear, relevant wireless data
services," said Charles Levine, chief operating officer for Sprint PCS. "Our
strategic alliance with Palm will enable Sprint PCS to provide a valuable and
versatile option for business customers to better manage workflow and be more
productive while they are away from their desks. By offering a CDMA solution
via the largest all-digital nationwide network, this alliance reinforces
Sprint PCS as the clear choice for connectivity for real-time information."
The companies plan to offer a co-branded version of the MyPalm(TM) portal,
which will include Palm wireless PIM services, access to personal and
corporate e-mail(1), e-commerce purchase options, as well as access to
personally relevant information on local and national events, such as movie
listings and sporting event schedules. By extending the availability of the
Sprint PCS network, customers will also have access to a rich suite of
Internet content via the Sprint PCS Wireless Web on their Palm handhelds or
Palm OS smartphones. Additionally, this deal will allow enterprise customers
to access critical information, such as their corporate e-mail, sales tool
applications and corporate directories, as part of the Sprint PCS Wireless Web
for Business suite of products and services and Palm's wireless enterprise
solutions.(1)
"As we aim to provide customers with effective Internet and other
mission-critical information while on the go, wireless connectivity and
location-based services are priorities for Palm," said Carl Yankowski, chief
executive officer of Palm, Inc. "This relationship will ensure that our
customers have a reliable option to wirelessly access the MyPalm portal,
e-mail and other applications to get the information they want when they need
it. It will help mobile professionals to further maximize the functionality
and mobility of their Palm handhelds using the all-digital Sprint PCS CDMA
network."
Multiple wireless connectivity options will be available -- allowing
millions of enterprise customers and Palm handheld users to wirelessly access
valuable information, communicate with co-workers and clients, and perform
transactions on their Palm handhelds or Palm OS smartphones that will enable
them to be more productive in the mobile environment. The agreement will not
only extend the breadth of Palm's wireless services in the United States, it
will provide another wireless technology option for Palm handheld users and
Sprint PCS customers.
Sprint PCS and Palm will work together to enable the growing Palm OS
development community and participants in the Sprint PCS Application
Developer's Program (http://www.developer.sprintpcs.com) to build CDMA wireless
solutions. Applications and hardware devices that utilize the Sprint PCS
wireless network will be introduced throughout 2001, providing added
functionality and utility for Palm handheld users.
Initially, CDMA solutions for the Palm series handhelds will be available
in the form of co-branded connectivity solutions that will allow customers to
connect their Palm handhelds to a Sprint PCS Internet-ready Phone using a data
cable, a Palm handheld adapter and CD-ROM. This solution is expected to be
available through Sprint PCS and online at The Palm Store
(http://store.palm.com) in early 2001. Sprint also intends to distribute
Palm OS based smartphones that integrate voice and data. Availability is
expected in the first half of 2001. An additional solution -- a CDMA wireless
modem for Palm handhelds -- is expected to be available mid-year in 2001.
Sprint PCS and Palm will host a joint, live online news conference today
at 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) with Sprint PCS COO Charles Levine and
Palm CEO Carl Yankowski to provide further details on the announcement. If you
are interested in participating, please visit
http://www.e-conference.com/sprint/palm/ for instructions on how to join.
About Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc. is a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless Internet
solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers (source: IDC, December
1999). Based on the Palm OS(R) platform, Palm's handheld solutions allow
people to carry and access their most critical information with them wherever
they go. Palm handhelds address the needs of individuals, enterprises and
educational institutions through thousands of application solutions. The Palm
OS platform is also the foundation for products from Palm's licensees and
strategic partners, such as CreSenda Wireless; ePocrates, Inc.;
Franklin Covey; Handspring; IBM; Sony; Symbol Technologies; and TRG. Platform
licensees also include Kyocera, Samsung, and Nokia. The Palm Economy is a
growing global community of industry-leading licensees, world-class OEM
customers, and more than 130,000 innovative developers and solution providers
that have registered to support the Palm operating system and platform. Palm
went public on March 2, 2000. Its stock is traded on the Nasdaq national
market under the symbol PALM. More information is available at
http://www.palm.com.
About Sprint PCS
Sprint PCS operates the largest 100 percent digital, 100 percent PCS,
voice and data nationwide wireless network in the United States, already
serving the majority of the nation's metropolitan areas including more than
4,000 cities and communities across the country. Sprint PCS has licensed PCS
coverage of nearly 270 million people in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the
U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, visit the Sprint PCS web site at
http://www.sprintpcs.com.
Sprint PCS is a wholly-owned tracking group of Sprint Corporation trading
on the NYSE under the symbol "PCS." Sprint is a global communications company
-- at the forefront of integrating long-distance, local and wireless
communications services, and a large carrier of Internet traffic. Sprint built
and operates the United States' first nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic
network and is a leader in advanced data communications services. Sprint has
$20 billion in annual revenues and serves more than 20 million business and
residential customers.
NOTE: (1) Depending upon your corporate e-mail setup, additional software
may be required; and such software may be developed and sold by third-party
publishers.
NOTE: Palm OS is a registered trademark and Palm and MyPalm are
trademarks of Palm, Inc. or its subsidiaries.
SOURCE Palm, Inc.
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