Comdex Canada West 2001

Palm Canada president: 3G wireless 'over-hyped'

Michael Moskowitz, president and general manager of Palm Canada Inc., appeared on stage wearing a camouflage jacket and holding an army field radio to illustrate the progress of mobile technology

In this story: Future of mobile fits in your palm? 'Technology has yet to deliver' RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Daniel Sieberg
CNN.com Technology Editor

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (CNN) -- Too much emphasis has been placed on the implementation of 3G (third generation) wireless networks for faster handheld Internet connections, the president and general manager of Palm Canada Inc. said Thursday.

Speaking at Comdex Canada West 2001, Michael Moskowitz said the energy being expended on rolling out 3G would be better spent on maximizing the use of current speeds.

Mobile phones and other wireless devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) equipped with 3G technology allow users to surf the Internet at high speeds. The immediate goal is to raise transmission speeds from approximately 9.5KB to 2MB per second. However, 3G isn't expected to hit North America until at least 2003.

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"3G is a little bit over-hyped," Moskowitz said, comparing the rollout of 3G to the difficulties involved with creating standards for high-definition TV.

"The reality is that the Internet is not friendly to mobile devices. But over time, the Internet will bend."

Future of mobile fits in your palm?

The Palm exec initially appeared on stage wearing a military camouflage jacket and holding an army field radio. He said the field radio was one of the first examples of going mobile.

Moskowitz said handheld devices will one day do for people what the Sony Walkman did for music and what the cell phone did for voice communication.

He said the future of mobile data is something called a "Secure Digital Card," which is intended to allow the seamless swapping of information between handhelds and other devices such as digital cameras and MP3 players.

The tiny memory card Moskowitz held up was about the size of two postage stamps. He said beta versions of the card are capable of holding 256MB with the possibility of some day holding 1GB.

'Technology has yet to deliver'

Despite the rapid progress in high-tech, Moskowitz said it still has a long way to go before people see it enhancing their lives.

"Technology held up the promise of a better life, but it has yet to deliver," he said.

More than 500 people attended Moskowitz's presentation, which included several demonstrations of how Palm devices aim to make life "more simplistic."

The focus of his speech was primarily e-business solutions -- reflective of the overall tone here at Comdex Canada West 2001.

Comdex Canada West 2001

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