Verizon Wireless gets smart with phones

(Telephony) Verizon Wireless next week will launch a Web-enabled, Palm-powered wireless handset throughout most of its wireless markets. Though the device carries a hefty price tag—$499—the carrier believes the market is ready for a smart PDA/wireless phone.

“The PDA market has been screaming for this since Palm first launched,” said a spokesman with Verizon Wireless. “Wireless connectivity is an incredible leap for PDAs.”

The carrier expects to see uptake of its smart phones by anyone already accustomed to using the Palm organizer and having access to wireless service, the spokesman said.

The Kyocera 6035 phone will give users the ability to use Palm’s electronic organizer as well as send and retrieve email, manage online transactions, play games and view pictures with an electronic camera.

IDC predicts smart phones will be the fastest-growing segment of the smart handheld devices market between now and 2004. While the Kyocera smart phone fits into what Verizon can do today, it is not the type of phone that will be able to stream multimedia, said Kevin Burden, manager for IDC’s smart handheld devices research program.

“It fits into Verizon’s plans now, but it is not a hardcore smart phone, because it is not based on an operating system that is intended to be for a smart phone such as Microsoft’s Stinger platform,” he said. “It is a good start for them.

“There are not that many smart phones out there, and there is a lot of confusion as to what a smart phone is. There are competing platforms right now, but co-existence is healthy.”