On August 31, 2004 PalmOne will shut down operations of its wireless services called "Palm.Net". Palm.Net was launched nearly five years ago. At time when owning a Palm was the trend much like today's iPod trend (though not nearly as popular).
The reason for this shutdown can be blamed in part on cellular networks. According to Westendorf "cellular networks offer better performance and more features than Palm.Net services." Palm.Net offers Palm.Net e-mail and MyPalm mobile portal, which to this date has only attracted 42,000 subscribers. It's not all bad news for Palm.Net owners. For existing users willing to pay $19.95 a month their account will be moved over to USA.Net assuming you have a compatible Palm. The Palm VII, VIIx, and i705 devices are not supported by USA.Net as these devices only support Palm.Net.
While Palm.Net users are no doubt upset by this move is it really that unexpected? Over time Palms market share has been decreasing due to in part to other high tech devices. Devices such as Microsoft's PocketPC and smart phones. With this latest offer from USA.Net, Palm owners can continue to enjoy their favorite organizer for a little bit longer.
View: Posted Statement on PalmOne Website
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