Will the iPod replace the Palm?


While Palm computing offers a world of features and capabilities, the one thing it doesn't offer is voluminous storage. Most of Palm's gizmos are basically window dressings to sell the product, when the majority of users are primarily interested just in the contacts and reminders.
Now, Power-On has released a free NowPak module that lets Now Up-to-Date and Contact users quickly and easily put their important contact data on any iPod running the new iPod 1.1 software -- and it looks like they're going after the Palm jugular.

With the NowPak for iPod , users can seamlessly transfer contact data from Now Contact to the iPod. To download contacts, users just mount the iPod on their Macintosh desktop (running Mac OS X 10.2 or later) and then simply run the NowPak software, which creates a contact file on the iPod listing all the contact information that has been transferred.

We do not know if the software is capable of playing an MP3 file upon a certain date/time event, however, imagine how wonderful it would be to load voice announcements (in MP3 format) to your iPod, and with Up-to-Date & Contact Version 4.1, play those announcements at the proper time. If Apple has their heads screwed on right, it shouldn't be long before iPod has voice input, a small play-back speaker and even an infrared port. (Why not let iPod users share songs?) Once that happens, I'll buy one.

I've been happily using the Olympus Digital voice recorder in place of a palm with great success, and now they've got voice recognition, smart media memory, and MP3 playback support. If the iPod migrates in this direction, then it moves up to a much wider market appeal for business as well as rich, spoiled skateboarders.

This new product from Power-On certainly is pushing the iPod in the right direction. The suggested retail price of Up-to-Date & Contact Version 4.1, filling needs on both computer and PDA.

Mayank Bhasin 12/20/2002 7:55:31 PM