New Palm range packs more color, features

SANTA CLARA: Palm Inc. on Monday introduced a new line of hand-held computers

that will for the first time be available in different colors and contain more

user-friendly features.

Seeking to broaden its market beyond its core base of high-income and

technically sophisticated consumers, Palm is positioning its latest hand-held

device as a functional fashion accessory.

The new line, called the Palm m100, has plastic casings in five different

colors that are interchangeable. "You can change the color with your mood,

your wardrobe or the day of the week," said Palm product manager Tim

Twerdahl. Each additional casing will sell for $19.95.

The cosmetic changes are supported by some general enhancements including a

new Note Pad application that works with a handwriting recognition software so

that users can jot down notes in plain writing and have the data stored

electronically.

The new Palm, which at a price of $149 is the company's cheapest hand-held

computer, also omits some of the most corporate features from earlier models,

like an expense tracking program. The next least expensive Palm hand-held

computer sells for $249.

The alarm clock in the Palm m100 has also been tweaked from earlier models so

that it has a louder ring that the company says is more suitable for waking a

sleeping person than subtly getting someone's attention during a business

meeting.

"What we are really looking at is reaching people who to date have not

bought Palms," said Twerdahl. "We have a very broad target–everyone

from students through professionals who are finding their current paper

solutions inadequate."

(C) Reuters Limited 2000.