Casio, Siemens partner on wireless WinCE Palm VII rival

Casio and Siemens are to develop a Windows CE-based wireless PDA-cum-phone, the two companies announced yesterday, with the device's first public showing set for next February's CeBIT show in Hanover.

The finer points of the device's spec aren't yet known, but the two companies say it will feature a colour screen, wireless Net access support and full telephony features. This suggests some kind of cellphone format along the lines of Qualcomm's PalmOS-based PdQ, whose keypad folds down to reveal a standard Palm display, or Nokia's Communicator.

That said, the product's announcement also reveals Casio and Siemens will use the device to "capture a significant amount of worldwide sales for wireless Internet devices with a PDA form factor", suggesting something more akin to Casio's Cassiopeia and the Palm VII.

Speaking of the Palm product, it is noteworthy that Casio and Siemens are initially targeting the European market, where Palm has yet to roll out the VII. The duo's device will operate on GSM networks, though they were keen to stress its adaptability to other systems, such as CDMA and more advanced cellular technologies. ®