The modem
The modem is a well-engineered device, and matches well with the Palm V. When connected to the modem, the combo, shown in Figure C, is about 25 percent thicker than a Palm III or a Palm VII. While this is still too thick for a shirt pocket and negates the Palm V's slim appeal, it's nowhere near as thick as a Palm III/Minstrel III combo, and can be carried in a jacket or a coat pocket without much fuss.

FIGURE C

Although OmniSky s Minstrel V CDPD modem doubles the thickness of the Palm V, it's still very easy to carry around. Click picture for a larger image.

The modem is charged with its own AC power supply, and is not capable of charging the Palm V while the modem is charged. This is one of the few negative aspects of the device's design, as the modem and the Palm V have to be charged separately and you'll need to carry the modem's charger and the Palm V charging cradle with you if you intend to be away from their home or office for any extended period. The modem eats a significant amount of power, and needs to be charged every day, since it's almost always on when the Palm V is inserted in it. Although the unit has no physical power switch, the modem can manually be turned off via a utility installed on the Palm V. However, once you access any application that uses the modem, it automatically turns itself on again.

On a positive note, the always-on nature of this device allows the modem to periodically check and see if you have email in your POP3 mailbox. Even if your Palm V is turned off, an LED at the bottom of the unit indicates if you have mail waiting for you.

The software
The software suite is what makes the OmniSky service compelling. Not only can you do everything a Palm VII can do with bandwidth-optimized PQA apps, but you also have access to all of the AvantGo channels and the full HTML 3.2 browsing capabilities of AvantGo as well. And, a big plus, unlike Palm.Net, you've got send and receive access to your existing POP3 email account.

For Web access, OmniSky has licensed Palm Computing's Web Clipping software (just like in the Palm VII), and has thrown in a pre-release version of AvantGo 3.2, just in case all the freely-available PQA applications you can download from the Palm.Net Web site weren't enough. This allows you to have access to virtually every premium news and information service in existence, and then some, as shown in Figure D. You can also use AvantGo to browse any Web site, although the program, inconveniently, doesn't have a bookmarks feature and many sites will not be optimized for the small display.

FIGURE D

OmniSky has included support for PQA applications like the ABC News and ESPN, and ETAK Traffic.

In addition to the standard PQA applications and AvantGo channels, OmniSky has included two of their own special PQA applications, OS White and OS Yellow, which allow you to search for phone numbers and addresses of local businesses and residences. This sure beats having to carry a four-pound local phone book with you wherever you go, or having to call "information" on your cell phone.