Verizon Wireless Jumpstarts Smart Phone Market

Taking the lead among wireless carriers, Verizon Wireless announced today that it is launching the nation’s first wireless service for the new generation of smart phone — a Web ready, Palm-powered wireless handset that combines the best of a personal digital assistant (PDA) with the ubiquitous connectivity of a wireless phone.

Verizon Wireless is giving its customers the chance to be first-on-the-block with the smartest PDA/wireless phone on the market. The Kyocera 6035 will be available to consumers in most Verizon Wireless Communication Stores on Monday, March 5, 2001. The dual-branded handset features wireless Web access, a large screen and supports the installation of hundreds of applications compatible with Palm OS® software. The tri-mode handset supports CDMA digital PCS, CDMA digital cellular and analog. Combined with the most extensive network across the United States, Verizon Wireless customers can be connected virtually anywhere. The Smartphone is expected to retail at $499 with a one-year service contract.

The Kyocera 6035 has the ability to support thousands of Palm-certified software applications, giving users the ability to:

- Utilize Palm’s powerful electronic organizer
- Send and retrieve e-mail
- Manage secure, online transactions
- Play games
- Access several mapping programs
- Read e-books
- Edit and read spreadsheet and word processing programs, including Excel and Word
- View pictures with an electronic camera