Season One Research Files
Episode Eight
7:00am-8:00am
WIRELESS HANDHELD DEVICES
Handheld devices are a common staple, with many brands offering two-way text messaging and wireless internet access. Treo, the latest device by Handspring soon to be on the market, also includes a phone to go along with personal organizing and email capabilities.
Motorola PageWriter 2000 was the first handheld wireless device to offer two-way text messages, wireless e-mail and personal information management functionality. It was introduced on September 10, 1996. Complete with a QWERTY keyboard, the PageWriter 2000 was only slightly larger than a deck of cards and weighed just 6.3 ounces, yet contained a backlit display screen, address book, calendar and the ability to sync with the user's desktop PC. The device was selected by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History for inclusion in its permanent collections as the first two-way text messaging device introduced to the world.
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