Palm has always tended to depend on partners to wheel out new add-ons for its personal digital assistants. But while the strategy has encouraged some excellent accessories, it does not always work.
The digital camera add-ons from Kodak and Veo are perfect examples of a good idea done badly. So while Sony has been installing cameras with its Clie PDAs for ages, Palm has made only one attempt, with the low-resolution device on the Zire 71, and high-end Palm owners have been left in the lurch.
However, Palm is about to roll out its first add-on digital camera, the P10951U 1.3 Megapixel Camera Card, which promises to deliver if not print quality then at least much better images than the Zire produces.
While the sub-megapixel Zire offered a maximum image of 640x480 pixels, the Camera Card promises 24-bit colour pictures at up to 1280x1024.
The camera will also capture video, though the frame rate has not yet been announced.
There is one drawback: the camera is compatible only with the Tungsten C, E, T2 and T3. Most earlier Palms lack either the Secure Digital card slot, or the latest version of the Palm operating system.
Palm has announced a recommended price of US$99.95, though Amazon.com is already taking pre-orders for $79.99. The card is due to hit the shops in time for Christmas, making it a gadget-lover's ideal stocking-filler.