SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Increasingly, the U.S. military is turning to Palm(TM) handheld computers to provide logistical support to field forces. From National Guard deployments in Kosovo, to Navy deployments in the Arabian Gulf, the military is using Palm handhelds to improve patient care, data collection, and inspection processes -- saving time over previous paper-based methods.

Palm Handhelds Vital to Nevada National Guard The Nevada National Guard, currently deployed in Kosovo, uses Palm handhelds to enable medics aboard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to track vital patient information. The handhelds run Med-Media software from Med-Media, Inc., Harrisburg, Penn., which allows medics to list vital signs, treatment or medication received onboard the helicopter, and initial diagnoses of patients. Once patients are moved to civilian or military hospitals, the information on the Palm handheld can be synchronized with the hospital databases, giving doctors and nurses the most up-to-date information on each patient. The handheld-based system also provides reference materials for medics, so they can check formulas or types of injections while tending to a patient. "The Palm handheld system saves us precious minutes during patient transport, and provides us with a 60 percent faster method of communicating with doctors and nurses at hospitals," said Sgt. Mark Stevens, Nevada National Guard. "Having instant access to the reference materials enables us to verify medical information, helping us to ensure that the patients receive the most complete care possible."

Palm Handhelds Running Warrior Solutions Software Keep Platoon Leaders Organized Palm handhelds loaded with Platoon Personnel Leader software from Warrior Solutions, Boulder, Colo., help military leaders track platoon logistics and monitor information on each soldier in their troop, including blood types, important dates, and physical-training test scores. The software includes a navigation system, checklists and memory aids for routine field operations and training scenarios. The handheld system enables leaders to free themselves of bulky reference notebooks that were once crucial to daily activities. In addition, the handhelds save leaders valuable time that was once wasted on paperwork. Today, platoon leaders can simply enter information into their Palm handhelds and perform HotSync(R) operations to send updated information to their PCs. "The Palm handheld system is fantastic," said Ships Service Generator, Staff Sergeant Jim Lewis, Law Enforcement Command, Fort Knox. "It is a powerful, portable database, packaged in a simple format. I have almost completely eliminated paperwork because I no longer have to flip through reference books and notebooks to obtain important information I need on my platoon."

Handheld System Supports Construction of the Navy's Newest Warships The Navy's Program Executive Office for Theater Surface Combatants (PEOTSC), with the help of third-party developer TMA, Inc. of McLean, Va., implemented Palm handhelds to track newly constructed Arleigh Burke (DDG 51 Class) guided missile destroyers, replacing a paper-based system and simplifying ship inspections and workflow management. Inspection includes assessments of numerous ship systems, compartments, work completed, corrections made, and readiness for taking new ships to sea. Inspectors use Palm handhelds loaded with electronic forms that include drop-down menus. The electronic forms allow inspectors to tap on an item to cite a deficiency or to note that an item meets inspection requirements. Inspection records are shared via a simple HotSync action, which enables inspectors and shipyard supervisors to receive data updates on new inspections and work completion status. The data exchanges also sync with the central database, enabling the handhelds to transcend from a data-collection tool to a workflow-management planner. "Introducing the handhelds has improved the quality, timeliness and efficiency of collecting the complex shipbuilding data," said Commander Scott Spooner, production manager, U.S. Navy. "By automating this process, we now save days of clerical data entry per ship, and have also improved the consistency and accuracy of data collected, which allows faster turnaround of data." More information on case studies and the use of Palm Powered(TM) handheld computers in the enterprise is available at http://www.palm.com/enterprise/studies.

About Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) is a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless Internet solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers, according to IDC (December 2000). Based on the Palm OS(R) platform, Palm's handheld solutions allow people to carry and access their most critical information wherever they go. Palm(TM) handhelds address the needs of individuals, enterprises and educational institutions through thousands of application solutions. The Palm OS platform is also the foundation for products from Palm's licensees and strategic partners, such as Acer, Franklin Covey, HandEra (formerly TRG), Handspring, IBM, Kyocera, Samsung, Sony and Symbol Technologies. Platform licensees also include AlphaSmart, Garmin and Nokia. The Palm Economy is a growing global community of industry-leading licensees, world-class OEM customers, and approximately 175,000 innovative developers and solution providers that have registered to develop solutions based on the Palm OS platform. Palm went public on March 2, 2000. Its stock is traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol PALM. More information is available at http://www.palm.com/ .

NOTE: Palm OS and HotSync are registered trademarks and Palm and Palm Powered are trademarks of Palm, Inc. Other brands may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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SOURCE Palm, Inc.

Web site: http://www.palm.com/

CONTACT: Maureen O'Keeffe of O'Keeffe & Company, +1-703-883-9000,ext. 110, or mokeeffe@okeeffeco.com, for Palm, Inc.; or RonniSarmanian of Palm, Inc., +1-408-878-2547, orronni.sarmanian@corp.palm.com