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| Mon Oct 2, 2000 - 8:30 PM EDT - By James Hromadka | |
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Two-way
messaging is ok, but how about some content? The @ctiveLink module
also has InfoBeam, a content application
similar to Palm PQAs that lets users pull down information from all sorts
of categories (see picture). As long as you know what zip code you're
in, you can find out the nearest attractions, such as movie theaters, clubs,
churches, etc. There's even a BarPoint
tool that lets you enter a UPC to find the cheapest price on a product.
You can specify default entries for your home and work addresses so you don't need to keep reentering zipcodes, and InfoBeam has a History list for each item so you can look at past searches without having to run the search again. Some of the search tools are very useful, like the package tracking for UPS, FedEx, and Airborne Express. Others are limited by maximum character lengths. When I tried to get the scores for Major League Baseball, only the first 5-6 teams were listed before it was cut off.
I
also had this problem when getting directions from one place to another.
I found out that there was a 500 character limit on the SkyTel account
that I was given. It is possible to remove this limitation; however,
it would have been much better if InfoBeam
messages were split up so I could receive the entire message. This
limitation is on the service provider's (SkyTel's) side.
The
interface is rather clunky also. Once you've read a message, you
have to remember which tool you searched with to see its History.
Some search items like Weather and Forecast
are very similar, and it's easy to forget which one you used to perform
a search. It would have been much better if all results were saved
in one location where you can look at the history for all searches, not
just the selected search tool. I was hoping for something better
in InfoBeam, but it's little more than a light version of the PQAs found
in the Palm VII.
Wireless Service
The @ctiveLink can use wireless service providers such as SkyTel and Metrocall. The module that I reviewed used SkyTel service. The module will be available at Amazon using Metrocall and and various retail stores using Skytel. Here is a listing of the current* service plans SkyTel offers:
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| 50,000 Char/ mo. | $24.99 | 5¢ each |
| 200,000 Char/ mo. | $34.99 | 5¢ each |
| 500,000 Char/ mo. | $59.99 | 5¢ each |
Which one is right for you? You should be able to get away with
the 50K plan unless you plan on using the @ctiveLink extensively.
One great thing about SkyTel is that it has coverage accross almost all
of the US. As I mentioned earlier,
Shielding >>
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