See the future – read my palm

1999-05-13

The announcement by 3Com at Networld+Interop, concerning the use of PalmPilots with a wireless Internet connection to access network management information. Just might be the start of something really big. That’s really big, and not just for network management staff.

Sure, such facilities (and 3Com do not have the monopoly on this) will be of great benefit to network operators, particularly those working on distributed networks across multiple buildings. Currently these poor individuals have to rely on a remote terminal or, worse, have to wait until they get back to the control room to update the records, only to find that a second fault has occurred back where they have just come from. Maybe I exaggerate – pagers are in common use these days, but a handheld wireless terminal would be a real boon.

3Com have expertise in both handheld devices and wireless networking, and are using both to enable a whole new set of applications, the potential of which is exciting to say the least. It is not hard to think of other markets than network management for a wireless, Internet-enabled PDA, from warehousing to shopping – markets which 3Com, with other vendors hot on their heels will be keen to exploit.

(First published 13 May 1999)