The PocketSurfer(TM) Ends Web Surfing Pains for Cell Phone Users

The PocketSurfer(TM) Ends Web Surfing Pains for Cell Phone Users

No More Clipped Pages or Glacier-Slow Downloads - Patented Cell Phone Accessory Features Wide Screen, Larger Keyboard, Faster-Than-Dialup Internet Access

MONTREAL, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- According to some in the wireless industry, web access for road warriors and other mobile users is as easy as pulling out a Blackberry(TM) handheld device, wireless PDA or Internet-enabled cell phone. Ask the actual users of mobile Internet technology, however, and you'll often get a far different story.

Tiny display screens. Frustratingly small keyboards. Clipped or squashed web pages. Unreliable coverage. And download times rivaling the last Ice Age.

To end the aggravation, web access hardware manufacturer DataWind Corporation has developed a patented and highly affordable alternative: the PocketSurfer(TM) Web Viewer, the first cell phone accessory that provides a desktop-quality web experience in a device small enough for breast pocket or purse.

"All-in-one cellular Internet products try to do too many things, and wind up doing none of them well," said Suneet S. Tuli, chief executive officer of DataWind. "The PocketSurfer lets cell phone users access the technology they need, when they need it, with complete flexibility and convenience. And it does this at a lower overall cost than a Blackberry or Handspring Treo(TM)."

The Real Web

Most handheld devices do not deliver the real World Wide Web. Instead they deliver a portion of the web's functionality, reformatted for the small screen. The fine print on many such devices reveals that they cannot view Java applets, Java-Scripts, image maps, animated images, background colors/image, font colors, style-sheets or plug-ins. The PocketSurfer overcomes all of these limitations, delivering real HTML with full graphics, java-scripts and other modern web functionality for over eight billion pages of content.

Sized for Humans

At just 6" x 3" and less than 9/16" thick, the PocketSurfer is small enough to carry anywhere, yet big enough to solve two of the most annoying drawbacks of personal mobile web devices-undersized keyboards and screens.

"As cell phones and PDAs get smaller and smaller, the potential for realistic physical interaction has nearly disappeared," Tuli noted. "The PocketSurfer restores practical web use through its VGA-width, 640-pixel LCD screen that displays pages in their intended format. Plus it offers a human-sized QWERTY keyboard for fast, convenient email and data entry."

The PocketSurfer is priced at $199.00 USD (MSRP), significantly below the cost of most mobile web devices. Its low price means that even people who can't afford a PC, but who have a cell phone, can now access the Internet anywhere and any time.

Faster than Dialup

The PocketSurfer works with over 80% of the 170 million cell phones in use in the U.S. today. To get online, users simply connect their cell phone to the PocketSurfer using a PocketSurfer wireless adapter (additional). For the 25% of all U.S. cell phones sold with Bluetooth(R) capability, access is even easier -- the PocketSurfer is Bluetooth -- enabled for instant wireless cell phone connection.

Once they're online, users are overwhelmingly pleased with the PocketSurfer's performance. Page downloads take just 5 to 7 seconds on average -- a speed 10 to 30 times faster than with typical WAP (Wireless Access Protocol) -- enabled cell phones and PDAs. Even better, page integrity is maintained. Users see web sites as they're meant to be seen, without clipping or reformatting.

The PocketSurfer leverages DataWind's proprietary high-end Internet server technology to deliver faster web surfing with full preservation of graphical content. The service is compatible with data plans from virtually any major wireless carrier, and supports any circuit-switched or packet-switched network. Customers can use their minutes or purchase unlimited-usage data-plans offered by all carriers. Even with a cell phone data plan and PocketSurfer monthly access fee, the total usage cost is still less than the monthly plans of Blackberry handheld devices.

Practical, Versatile

The PocketSurfer is ideal for consumers and professionals alike. Salespeople, realtors, brokers and others appreciate the ability to see web pages without limitation; maps, graphs, fields and photos are seen in their entirety, with no retraining or specialized skills needed.

The PocketSurfer's QWERTY keyboard also makes sending email as easy as with a PC. The device includes a mouse pointer and page navigation controls, while the lithium ion battery lasts four to six hours - longer than most cell phones.

Pricing and Availability

DataWind's PocketSurfer Web Viewer can be purchased at many independent wireless dealers and online retailers as well as from the PocketSurfer website. The device's required $9.99 per month Internet service access fee includes unlimited usage. For additional information, visit http://www.pocketsurfer.net/ or http://www.datawind.com/ .

About DataWind Net Access Corporation

DataWind Net Access Corporation (DataWind) is a leading provider of wireless web access products and services. Based on several international patents, DataWind's breakthrough technologies solve the bandwidth limitations of cellular networks by accelerating content delivery by factors of 10X to 30X. The DataWind PocketSurfer Web Viewer is the first product to deliver the experience of the desktop internet efficiently to a mobile cellular customer. DataWind is based in Montreal, Canada. For more information visit http://www.datawind.com/ .

PocketSurfer(TM) is a trademark and/or service mark of CellStar, Ltd. The Bluetooth(R) word mark is owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by CellStar, Ltd. is under license. All other trademarks, service marks, product or service names used herein are the property of their respective owners.

COMPANY CONTACT:
Suneet Tuli
DataWind Corporation
718-874-6438 (cell)
suneet@datawind.com


Source: DataWind Net Access Corporation

CONTACT: Belinda Banks of S&S Public Relations, +1-212-946-2823,
belinda@sspr.com ; Suneet Tuli of DataWind Corporation, +1-718-874-6438,
(cell), suneet@datawind.com

Web Site: http://www.pocketsurfer.net/
http://www.datawind.com/


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