PalmPilot users will soon be able to receive pages and other wireless messages through their handheld device. A co-development between PageMart Canada Ltd, Motorola Inc and the Palm Computing Unit of 3Com Corp, the Synapse pager card is designed to work with the IBM WorkPad and with most PalmPilot models except the latest, the PalmIII organizer. The card is slated for pan-Canadian launch in mid-August. It includes 2MB Flash memory and replaces the standard Pilot memory card. Once installed, it can receive text messages up to 300 characters. Specially formatted messages can automatically update the PalmPilot calendar. The application looks up numeric pager messages in the address book and if it finds a match, identifies the sender. If that’s not enough in the way of cute little features for you, don’t despair: Motorola has promised a software development kit. Connectedness won’t come cheap, as the device is expected to be priced around $299 Canadian. On the other hand, it cuts pocket clutter and it travels well. Coverage should eventually include NAFTA countries and beyond.
