When U.S. Robotics released the PalmPilot two years ago, it delivered a breakthrough product. With its simple interface and immediate access to a calendar and address book, the PalmPilot widened the audience for electronic organizers from early-adopting gadget freaks to everyday computer users looking for a more efficient time-management system. With Minstrel, Novatel Wireless's IP modem for the PalmPilot and IBM Workpad, the humble organizer is poised to redefine another category - mobile computing - by deftly assuming many of the communications capabilities traditionally found in far heavier laptops.
The Minstrel is a 9-ounce, 19.2K modem that fits around the PalmPilot like a cradle. It can run off rechargeable batteries that last about 2.5 hours in continuous use and far longer when used intermittently, which is how you're likely to use it. I went several days between Minstrel recharges. Because Minstrel is a CDPD (cellular digital packet data) modem, it can be set to sleep, except when packets of data are transmitted. That's ideal for reading Web pages and email. It's also cheap. You don't pay by the minute. Instead, the Minstrel runs off CDPD networks that charge either a flat monthly fee for unlimited use or tiered prices based on data volume. In my case, I used Bell Atlantic's CDPD network at US$56 a month.
The PalmPilot-Minstrel combo replaced my laptop. At home, I checked email while moving from one room to another. I had the pleasure of reading newspapers online while sitting in a coffee shop that had run out of papers. I retrieved email while waiting for the subway 15 feet underground in Times Square.
What we have here is the world's first true electronic book. Holding the PalmPilot 9 inches from your face - as you flip through letters or newly downloaded books - feels right in a way that sitting 18 inches from a deskbound PC does not. Reuters already offers instant stock quotes and financial information specially designed for the wireless set. An increasing variety of new wireless media is bound to appear - from weather reports to entertaining content we have yet to imagine. For those who primarily use their laptops for retrieving email on the road and staying in touch with the office, get rid of the behemoth. Not only will you avoid outrageous hotel line charges, you'll barely feel the weight of the device.
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