Smart Phone, PDA Shipments Will Soar to 350 Million Units by 2003

The "Network PC" Has Arrived -- and Fits in the Palm of Your Hand

Chesterfield, Missouri - Sales of smart phones and wireless PDAs will skyrocket as users embrace anytime, anywhere Internet access. That is one of the conclusions of the new 245-page study, Wireless Web Wonders: Opportunities for Smart Phones and PDAs, released today by Datacomm Research Company.

"Smart phones will grab nearly 90% of mobile phone sales within five years," said Ira Brodsky, President of Datacomm Research and principal author of the report. "Handheld devices will leverage wireless Internet access to help people communicate with each other, buy and sell goods and services, and navigate their local environments. Combined shipments will exceed 350 million units by 2003."

The report explains why the PalmPilot has been so successful, and how a similar strategy can be applied to smart phones. Also included is a wealth of hard-to-get information about the burgeoning wireless data market.

Wireless Web Wonders: Opportunities for Smart Phones and PDAs includes an Executive Summary with forecasts for PDAs, smart phones, and mobile data. The Enabling Technologies section identifies the key technology challenges and opportunities for both handheld devices and wireless networks. The Applications and Markets section -- based on extensive proprietary research -- discusses end-user requirements for 70 wide, metropolitan, and local area network applications. A section on Standards and Organizations discusses the role of thirteen key industry groups, such as the WAP Forum, Home RF Working Group, GSM Association, and CDMA Development Group. Over 90 device manufacturers, network operators, and connectivity solution providers -- from 3COM to Yahoo! -- are featured in the Vendor Profiles section. The 245-page, single-spaced report also includes more than 10 pages of valuable transportation, employment, and retail establishment statistics.

Datacomm Research Company is a leader in tracking, analyzing, and forecasting emerging telecommunication markets. Other Datacomm reports include Portals to Profit, Bandwidth Bonanza, and Satellites in Cyberspace.

Wireless Web Wonders: Opportunities for Smart Phones and PDAs is available for immediate delivery and sells for $1,795.00 (printed or electronic version; $1,995.00 for both versions). Orders may be faxed to (314) 514-9793, phoned to (314) 514-9750, or mailed to Datacomm Research Company, 14318 Millbriar Circle, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017. The report may also be ordered online from the firm's (secure) Web site at www.datacommresearch.com. Visa, Mastercard, and American Express accepted.

Additional conclusions found in Wireless Web Wonders: Opportunities for Smart Phones and PDAs:

  1. Smart phones will be wildly successful. Dozens of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP)-compliant smart phones will be introduced during 2000. Mobile phone users will spend a growing proportion of airtime accessing the Web and exchanging e-mail/short messages.
  2. The Palm operating system will remain the clear market leader thanks to 3COM's spin off of Palm Computing, Handspring's introduction of the Visor PDA, and Handspring's development of the Springboard add-on hardware standard. Windows CE devices will find success in specific vertical applications, but are unlikely to catch on with consumers.
  3. Smart phones, wireless PDAs, and wireless handheld computers will fulfill the "network PC" vision. Handheld device users will access the Internet via mobile portals, run server-assisted applications, and employ network-based data storage. A plethora of new applications will emerge, many of them exploiting location-based content and services.
  4. Wireless data will make cyberspace truly pervasive, expanding the role of e-commerce, enabling widespread multi-player gaming, and creating a mass-market for Internet-based streaming media. The big winners will include mobile telephone operators, Metricom, and wireless LAN manufacturers.
  5. The growing wireless data market will demand higher throughputs and greater capacity. CDMA will emerge as the clear choice for mobile data. Qualcomm's High Data Rate (HDR) technology looks particularly promising.
  6. The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) will be extremely successful, but the Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML) will not, because users will demand access to all Web sites. The integration of GPS and mobile phone technology will create myriad opportunities for location-based content and services. Mobile portals will succeed by providing individuals shared access to groupware. Personal health care will become a major application for smart phones and wireless PDAs.

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