You don't have to trade in your Palm V or Vx to gain entry into the wireless communications age. With the Motient MobileModem you can process two-way e-mail wirelessly on your V-series Palm PDA for $280 (street) plus a one-time activation fee of $9.95. The monthly service is $49.95 for unlimited usage ($19.95 for limited usage). Unfortunately, our testing revealed some inconsistencies.
MobileModem consists of a sled-style modem that attaches to the back of your PDA, a Sync-Charge cable for simultaneous charging of your PDA and modem, and two PDA applications: e-Link Mail and MobileModem Tools. The installed modem more than doubles the weight of a Palm Vx from 4.6 ounces to 10 ounces and increases the PDA's size from 4.5 by 3.3 by 0.4 to 6.5 by 3.4 by 0.9 inches (HWD). With the MobileModem installed, the Palm Vx is no longer a contender in the pocket-size device category. You can expect about 5 to 7 days of use with MobileModem's fully charged lithium ion battery.
MobileModem's strength is its operation on the Motient network, which provides expansive coverage in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. We were impressed with the network coverage. The connection remained good as we wandered through our home-office complex, even in areas where we cannot receive CDPD, CDMA, or GSM signals reliably. Our only problems with MobileModem's service were the lack of a Web browser and of Internet information services.
MobileModem's e-mail service operates in either Messenger Mode or Agent Mode. In Messenger Mode, you use a Motient network personal e-mail address. In Agent Mode, you use your POP3 or IMAP e-mail account, which allows you to give the appearance that you are processing e-mail at your desktop PC. In both modes you can send CC: and BCC: copies and filter incoming messages by name, date, or message size. You can't open or create attachments in either mode, but if an attachment is sent to you, you can view the filename and forward the e-mail to another e-mail system. You are alerted to new messages by your choice of a vibration, tone, or icon alert and your Palm automatically powers on when a new message is received.
MobileModem's PDA interface needs to be streamlined before additional services are offered. Setup involves installing 20 .PRC files on the Palm device—about 18 more than typically required for mobile wireless services. We successfully used our Earthlink e-mail account in Agent mode to exchange e-mail with America Online and our corporate e-mail systems. When using Motient's Messenger Mode we were able to receive messages, but our sent messages did not reach their intended addressees. Motient verified our problem but was unable to solve it during our testing.
MobileModem subscribers can sign up for optional network services, including text messaging to a fax machine ($0.99 per page in Messenger Mode only), operator-assisted messaging ($10 activation fee plus $0.40 per message), and a personal toll-free number ($5.00 per month).
With an edge from its broad network coverage, Motient has a potentially good wireless service to offer legacy Palm users. To do this successfully, though, the MobileModem's PDA interface needs a more elegant and failsafe design to attract subscribers.