SANTA CLARA, Calif.-In what is perhaps the most significant step since announcing the commercial launch of its Ricochet service in limited markets earlier this summer, Metricom Inc. happily presented CTIA’s Wireless I.T. attendees here with the first wireless PC card supporting its new network.
The AirCard 400 from Sierra Wireless Inc. is the first true Type II wireless PC card for the Ricochet network. It supports any device running Windows CE, 95, 2000, Pocket PC and NT. Because it is an always on network interface card, it requires no dial up modem and supports the full 128 kilobytes per second speed of the Ricochet network.
This means when inserted in a notebook or handheld computer, the card will continuously accept new e-mail and alerts, as well as make it practical to download video, audio files and graphic intensive Web sites at speeds comparable to ISDN landline Internet connections.
At the show, Sierra Wireless’ David Sutcliff, president and chief executive officer, said the effort to reduce the size of the company’s former Ricochet modem-a much larger and bulky dial-in modem-to its current slim model represented one of its greatest technological feats.
In other Metricom news, GoAmerica Inc. announced it has begun offering Ricochet’s service in the nine markets in which it is currently available. GoAmerica and Metricom signed a deal allowing GoAmerica to add Ricochet access to its suite of mobile access solutions.
The company said as Metricom adds other markets, it will add the service to its Go.Web subscriber offerings in them.
The Ricochet service is available commercially in Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Manhattan, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego and San Francisco.
