Psion Introduces the Office in your Pocket
BOSTON, Mass. — May 19, 1994 — Psion Inc., U.S. subsidiary of British portable computer group, Psion PLC, announced today that it will be launching a dedicated Fax Modem for its award-winning Series 3 range of palmtop computers. The product will be introduced at the Spring Comdex Fair in Atlanta, Georgia, May 23-26. The Psion Series 3 range has established itself as the best-selling Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) in the world currently since the introduction of the highly acclaimed Series 3a in September, 1993. Psion has been the main beneficiary of the failure of pen-based PDA's, such as the Apple Newton and the Casio/Tandy Zoomer, to establish retail markets.
Psion 3Fax is a compact battery powered fax machine about half the size of the Series 3a. Yet despite its small size, the Psion 3Fax provides the facilities and quality of a desk-bound machine. It will professionally format documents complete with customized cover sheets, company logos and signatures, if required. It will also store faxes, defer them for sending at different times, automatically redial busy numbers and keep status log and a database of numbers.
Psion 3Fax measures just 6.4 inches x 1.9 inches x 0.9 inches and, like the Psion Series 3a, runs on two AA size batteries, fitting comfortably in a jacket or jeans pocket. The user can create faxes using either the Series 3a word processor (compatible with Microsoft Word) of 3Fax's own editing system and can carry on using the world's most powerful pocket computer while waiting for a fax to be sent.
Psion 3Fax gives the user access to E-mail and on-line information services, complete with a free introductory membership to Compuserve, one of the world's largest networks. The large LCD screen of the Psion Series 3a accommodates a full page width of text comfortably, providing 80 characters by 17 lines, equivalent to a standard computer monitor. Three fonts are available on the Psion 3Fax, in Mono Space, Roman & Swiss in normal, bold, italic, bold/italic ranging from 8 to 16 points.
Psion 3Fax offers full customization of the fax information displayed, of the User Interface and of the fax layout. The user can type their message on a coversheet, or 'print' their fax directly from many of the Series 3a's applications, such as the word processor, spreadsheet or agenda.
Faxes can be sent in urgent priority, normal or deferred mode until a particular date and time, to save on call charges. A Secure Fax Mode ensures that a fax is actually sent to the designated fax number, by checking the destination number prior to transmission. Full battery monitoring and usage facilities are also provided.
"With 3Fax and the Series 3a, everyone has the power of a portable office at their fingertips," said David Potter, chairman of Psion PLC. "The Psion 3Fax represents a significant advance in communications technology and is designed to tackle the sophisticated demands of the user in a simple and straightforward way."
The Series 3a and the Psion 3Fax will be supported with specific E-mail gateways in the near future. These devices will soon be able to tap into the vast stores of public information from airline timetables to libraries and with the spread of E-mail systems they will become personal message and fax centers, plugging into world-wide networks.
The Psion 3Fax operates as a send-only fax and as a send-and-receive data modem for the Series 3a 512k model and will retail in the U.S. for $299. The Series 3 range is available in over 1,000 retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada, including Sears, Circuit City, CompUSA and the Sharper Image.
CONTACT:
Psion Inc.
David Elder, 508/371-0310
Jeffrey Ayers, 201/592-5813