Keen Palm users can stay up to date with what’s on the Web by using AvantGo, but there is a disadvantage: it’s not real time. If you want last minute flight details or bargain auction bids, forget it. AvantGo only updates as often as you synchronise. Palm has spotted this shortcoming (met by the radio-linked Palm VII in the US) and come up with the Palm Mobile Internet Kit.
Existing third party applications already link Palms to the Net by means of mobile phones and special browsers. They usually offer three things: lots of waiting, cramped viewing screens and high phone bills. The Mobile Internet Kit gets around these problems by accessing a range of formatted (clipped) Web sites optimised for the Palm. Access is much faster and the images and displays are Palm-friendly.
Sites with frequently changing information such as stock reports, weather and news with images, graphs and logos are displayed far more effectively than on any WAP device. The kit comprises a CD, a manual and a box to put them in. Selling for a promotional price of S59.95, the software works like a standard Palm application. You install on the host PC which then uploads it at the next synchronising session. Along with the Web-viewing applications, you also get MultiMail email collection (suitable for accessing POP-mail) and PhoneSMS GSM messaging origi
nation and collection.
The applications can link to a wide range of GSM phones and service providers, and can exchange data either through a hard link cable or the Palm IrDA window. Setup is fairly straightforward, but some of the SMTP and POP identifier dialogs could be a little more helpful, considering the wide user base Palm anticipates. Likewise, the CD-only PDF manuals are less immediately useful than a standard printed manual. However, once set up and linked to a compatible phone (there’s a large choice from Ericsson, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens and more) the service is fast and smooth — using the supplied selection of clipping sites, that is. No local Web-dip services were available at the time of review, but f2, beenz and Yellow Pages should be available at launch. There are still plenty of US Web-dip sites available (over 400) and ABC News, WeatherChannel, Prudential and MapQuest are supplied. Tons more are available for download off the Web.

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