Mr. Ronald Hee, then PR consultant for 3Com Palm, was brought in to kick-start the idea. After some planning and two e-newsletters later, the first meeting (sponsored by Ingram Micro) was planned in June 1999.

It was also at this first meeting that we met up with more like-minded folks who had similar groups - David Poon with his web/tech team and Kai Wei with his group of students.

The 3 groups saw both the synergy as well as the convergence of ideals and merged to form the Singapore Palm Users' Group as it exists today. We have since grown from a humble 35 member association to now include more than 3,000 SPUG members within the short span of a year !

The major goals of the Singapore Palm Users' Group are to build a vibrant and active Palm community, provide a one-stop site for Palm users to network and a place for new and experienced users alike to get the latest news and product information on the Palm Platform.

SPUG membership carries with it many benefits. Formal meetings are held quarterly, where vendors of hardware and/or software are invited to share with members their latest products and innovations.

Resellers are also invited at times, to provide accessories, software and other "goodies" to our members which can be either purchased on-site or via advance orders.

Recently, bulk purchases in which the participants exercise the combined purchasing power of a group, have resulted in substantial savings for our members.

Informal gatherings known as PBG (Palm Beaming Gathering) are also planned monthly, by the members for the members.

SPUG has its own web site with the latest news, constantly updated product information, reviews and links, discussion forums, mailing list and chat room amongst other features, with many more planned.

If you're not living in Singapore, you can also join us, because in addition to meetings, we offer services that everyone can take advantage of, regardless of where you live.

These include special "members only" offers, Listserv's and enhanced web offerings. Our membership list includes Palm/WorkPad/Visor/TRGpro/Sony Clie users comprising of professionals, managers, students etc. Recently, a couple of PPC owners have joined our ranks as active members.

Our members come from all across ASEAN and worldwide, with a very vocal contribution on our Forums from our members in New Zealand and the United States.

If you're a vendor of a PalmOS®-based product and/or services and would like to work with us by way of a new product announcement or review, offering or information, please contact Kuan Ming Keong or Grace Wong for more information.