When the first Palm Pilot hit the streets four years ago this month, there was almost audible laughter. Great, a smaller Apple Newton, many said. Like the Newton, the first Palm Pilot was heavy, expensive, and didn't do much.
Recent events seem to indicate it is becoming the latter.
Even more so, in some ways. It's a lot easier to scroll a Palm in the coach section of an airplane than it is to flip through a broadsheet. I don't think it will replace newspapers, but it sure can complement them. As it exists, it certainly is not the Star Trek PADD that newspaper readers will switch to as a substitute for paper. Really, no one knows how many people have these things out here.