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Psion Teklogix has enhanced the Symbian operating system and upgraded the PC card slot in its netBook mobile computer, allowing ISDN and General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) connectivity the device. The company claims the enhancements mean greatly improved connectivity options for the mobile user, with both wired and wireless Ethernet, an improved TCP/IP stack for more stable LAN (local-area network) and WLAN (wide-area network) communications.

According to Psion Teklogix, the enhanced OS is designed to increase flexibility for mobile workers offering improved options and incorporating a new secure web browser from Opera (version 5) for wirelessly connecting to the Web and company networks using data rates of up to 114 Kb/s.

Since the launch of the original netBook, Psion Teklogix said it has focused on the application requirements and development tools that corporations need to deploy mobile solutions. With the netBook updates the company hopes to tap into new vertical markets with local and wide area wireless requirements, including education and passenger transport.

The netBook features a full VGA high-quality colour touch screen and supports a PC card drive plus an additional slot for either a compact flash card or disk drives for large data storage requirements, such as IBM's 1 GB Microdrive, Running on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, the company claims the netBook can do a full working day out in the field, with up to 8.5 hours' operation on a full recharge of just 2.5 hours