The broker can easily access the corporate database via a wireless handheld device, either a Palm device or a Windows CE device, and view potential sites using a combination of geographic, demographic and standard real estate queries. The result lets brokers and agents target properties based on proximity to key locations such as restaurants, malls and schools, as well as critical demographic information such as median income and population density. Motorola unveiled its partnership with ARM late last year. Both will be fabbed at 0.13 micron to support faster clock speeds at the same or lower power consumption levels. With sales falling well short of even its worst forecasts and its cash dwindling, Palm faces a number of tough decisions in the coming months.
Analysts say there are no easy answers.
Just six months ago, Palm CEO Carl Yankowski gloated that he couldn't manufacture the company's hot-selling handheld electronic organizers fast enough. America's growing love affair with personal digital assistants had helped the company breeze past forecasts and double its revenue for five consecutive quarters. Turns out, that romance was just a flirtatious interlude. Most users know they can sync their Palms with a computer and keep track of personal information from their PCs. A Palm can however be much more than that.