ATLANTA – EarthLink launches Wireless Email and Internet Service on a variety of Palm OS handheld devices. Service includes new location-based, communication and convenience applications designed to maximize the convenience and communications features on the popular Palm platform.
“It’s not enough for EarthLink to just provide wireless Internet access to Palm OS devices. We are committed to delivering an exceptional wireless experience that pushes the envelope for how convenient and practical wireless Internet access can be to the people who use wireless devices,” says Lance Weatherby, executive vice president of EarthLink Everywhere.
Capitalizing on the award-winning wireless platform originally developed by OmniSky, a former leading wireless Internet service provider with assets recently acquired by EarthLink, today’s “EarthLink Wireless Email and Internet Service, Release 1.0” on select Palm OS handhelds includes the following key features:
- “Cities,” featuring Location-Based Guides — A robust suite of real-time, location-based features lets users set their location in major cities nationwide, access search directories to find nearby businesses by address, and utilize interactive mapping and navigation tools that guide them to their search destination. A menu of Eating Out, Leisure, Services, and Events & Times categories within the “Cities” feature make it easy for Palm OS device users to navigate around, access information and enjoy hundreds of attractions and venues in top cities around the country. The Cities feature also provides users with both professional reviews and EarthLink Wireless user opinions about movies, shows and dining locales. Frequent travelers can add cities to their Cities listing for quick access when they return to town.
- “People,” featuring Instant Messaging, Chat and Collaboration — Users can interact with other EarthLink Wireless users via an instant messaging option that includes a “My Buddies” list for quick access and interaction wherever you are. The “People” application’s tight integration with the “Cities” application allows users to send meeting invitations to one another, replete with detailed, map-enhanced directions. The People application also allows users to share and collaborate in free form drawings using a Doodle program, or play games online with one another — and even chat with one another while they play.
- Enhanced features of Mail — The EarthLink Wireless 1.0 Palm OS platform lets users manage up to 10 POP3 and IMAP4 email accounts. The mail client supports NTLM/APOP authentication and SSL encryption. It lets users preview email attachments based on the most popular Microsoft Office applications and Adobe Acrobat PDF in text. Once previewed, users can save those attachments onto their device, or forward them directly from the mail server to another destination to output. EarthLink Wireless Email’s enhanced email management features also give users the ability to extract and save email addresses from messages, filter email, and choose different email viewing options (e.g. headers only, full body, etc.).
- “OneTap” and other Personalization and Timesaving features — OneTap lets users easily save information (like Directory search results, for example) while they are toggling between applications or Web sites. It also lets them navigate back to EarthLink Wireless applications from any application. “My Sites,” and “Bookmarks” features also let users store and manage the sites they access most. In addition, EarthLink has aggregated and optimized many of its online partners’ best-of-breed content and services into common categories — including Entertainment, Finance, News, Sports, Travel, and Reference — giving users quick access to leading content and services in intuitive content categories.
- Directory and Web features — Users have quick access to Yellow Pages and White Pages directories, as well as EarthLink’s preferred search provider, Google. They also can “free surf” the Web utilizing a browser interface that supports cookies and frames. EarthLink Wireless’ transcoding technology optimizes many Web sites that aren’t formatted for the Wireless Web.
Palm OS devices now supported with EarthLink Wireless Email and Internet Service include: Palm Vx (OS 3.5 and higher), m500 and m505 (OS 4.0 and higher) models; and HandSpring Visor Edge, Pro, Prism, Platinum, and Neo (OS 3.5 or higher) models. In U.S. EarthLink Wireless Email and Internet Service on the above Palm OS devices is $39.95 per month for unlimited monthly access. Subscribers can also purchase through EarthLink the Novatel Minstrel wireless modems necessary for wireless access.
www.earthlink.net.
