Sony plans to launch a Web-based service called ImageStation to allow PDA users to send and receive still and moving images via the Net. The PDAs can be connected to the Internet via cellphone links. They can also use Sony's MemoryStick 'solid-state floppy' technology, support for which was added to the PalmOS at Sony's behest. Sony said it plans to ship 100,000 of the PDAs a month from launch, which the company hopes will propel the to-date uninspiring Japanese PDA market to new heights. While the US and Europe have proven fertile ground for PDA vendors, Japanese consumers have been less keen, largely because cellphones provide much of the functionality offered by PDAs, said senior Sony managing director Katsumi Ihara.
Japanese analysts are less confident.
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