'Mobile Manager' Line Joins Handhelds, Smartphones
MILPITAS, Calif., May 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A growing number of
people today want access to greater volumes of digital business, personal,
entertainment and online content that is as mobile as they are -- and just as
varied. To meet this need, palmOne, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLMO) today signals the
creation of a new category of mobile-computing products -- the mobile manager.
The first product in this category is expected to be announced later this
month.
The introduction of a new category reflects usage patterns palmOne has
tracked over time, especially among customers for its premium products.
Customers of palmOne's high-end Tungsten(TM) T3 handheld computer, for
example, show a strong affinity for taking full advantage of the included
DataViz(R) Documents To Go(R) software, which puts Word, Excel and PowerPoint
documents at their fingertips. Customers also have asked palmOne to provide
them with convenient ways to carry, file and manage rich digital content, such
as music and video. While overlap exists, palmOne has identified three major
customer segments and assigned three corresponding product lines to better
serve them. They are as follows:
-- Mobile managers are designed for customers who are eager to take full
advantage of the trend toward "digital everything" -- from documents and email
to music, images and video, as standalone files or in organized folders;
-- Handhelds attract customers whose first and foremost interest is in
basic organization tools, such as calendar and contacts. These customers often
incorporate additional applications and add music and images to their
handhelds, but their central purchase driver is organization. palmOne's
Zire(TM) branded handheld computers serve consumers, and Tungsten branded
handhelds serve mobile professionals in this customer set; and
-- Smartphones attract customers whose primary interest is in a single
converged device that is an outstanding phone that also delivers excellent
email access and organization. The Treo(TM) smartphone from palmOne serves
this customer set.
"In studying customer trends, we found that some people want to carry
dozens of documents and hundreds of songs while others want to carry a
thousand-plus photos and enjoy videos," said Page Murray, palmOne vice
president of marketing. "Organization functions were highly valued by nearly
all our customers, but some wanted much more business and personal
file-management capabilities. We listened and will deliver a new category of
mobile-computing product that will let customers fuse their own mix of
personal and business content in ways never before possible in either handheld
computers or smartphones.
"We'll bring to market a new type of product that simplifies our lives and
makes work and play more productive and more fun," said Murray. "Stay tuned."
About palmOne, Inc.
palmOne, Inc. -- a leader in handheld computing and communications
solutions -- strives to put the power of computing in people's hands so they
can access and share their most important information. The company's products
include Treo(TM) smartphones, Zire(TM) and Tungsten(TM) handhelds, and
software and accessories.
palmOne products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and
wireless operator channels throughout the world, and at palmOne Retail Stores
and palmOne online stores ( http://www.palmOne.com/stores ).
More information about palmOne, Inc. is available at
http://www.palmOne.com .
NOTE: palmOne, Zire, Tungsten and Treo are among the trademarks or
registered trademarks owned by or licensed to palmOne, Inc. All other brand
and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify
products or services of, their respective owners.
SOURCE palmOne, Inc.
05/09/2005
CONTACT: Yvette Lorenz-Machlan of A&R Partners, +1-650-762-2827, or
ymachlan@arpartners.com, for palmOne, Inc.; or Jim Christensen of palmOne,
Inc., +1-408-503-7472, or jim.christensen@palmOne.com
Web site: http://www.palmone.com