07:37 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Straight from The Register:

Reliable sources familiar with the company's plans suggest that the new Tungsten's launch could come as early as next Monday. The new machine is expected to be dubbed the Tungsten T5, skipping past the T4 moniker to avoid offending buyers in nations for whom the number four is held to be bad karma.

05:27 AM by Colin Dunstan in E-Book General | Deals and Resources (No...

Fictionwise currently offers a 50% Micropay rebate on any of its policitcal e-books.

So for instance you can buy The Family: The Real Story Behind the Bush Dynasty by Kitty Kelley for $4.97 after rebate.

Great deal, especially now when the US Presidential race heats up

05:12 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Another PalmSource Euro DevCon highlight is PalmSource Web Browser 3.0, designed to offer Palm OS licensees and mobile operators the flexibility to customize its interface based on the needs of their customers. Licensees and mobile operators can update the default home page, pre-provision bookmarks, customize settings specific to each operator's service and add navigation functions tailored to different mobile devices.

Built on the ACCESS NetFront core technology, PalmSource's web browser offers enhanced graphics rendering and navigation capability by using uses technologies such as page zooming, scalable fonts and 'squeeze' rendering, allowing users to eliminate horizontal scrolling for easier navigation. It also fully supports standard specification such as WAP 2.0, HTML and XHTML, and it offers enhanced security such as SSL and TLS.

Interestingly, the PalmSource Web Browser SDK includes documentation how to best create content for the smaller screens of mobile devices and how to integrate their applications with the PalmSource Web Browser 3.0. Probably a future must-read for every web-designer.

05:05 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

More news from Palm's European developer conference. PalmSource has introduced its PalmSource Installer, a new Palm OS application installation technology designed to streamline the online and over-the-air (OTA) download and install process of Palm OS applications onto Palm Powered smartphones and other wireless devices.

This sounds like a great idea for Palm software providers such as PalmGear or Handmark. Indeed, as Douglas Edwards, vice president of Handmark comments:

"PalmSource Installer is a great solution that will enable us to build on our commitment to innovative wireless solutions for Palm Powered smart mobile devices. As a Palm Powered Mobile World partner, we look forward to continued innovation on the part of PalmSource to bring solutions that generate revenue opportunities for its partners."

Handango already offers the installer labeled as Handango InHand to all palmOne Treo owners for free.

The public beta version of PalmSource Installer is free and available to registered Palm OS software developers in the PalmSource Developer Zone.

05:00 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Yesterday I mentioned an NYT article which indicates that PalmSource is steadily shifting towards smartphones. One day later, PalmSource officially announces three new Palm Powered Mobile World infrastructure partners: Bitfone Corporation, DAT Group, and Notify Technology Corporation. Each company provides the necessary infrastructure to deploy Palm Powered smartphones and wireless devices.

Without question PalmSource's focus lies on wireless; it will be to be seen if PDAs can stand a chance in the wireless future.

04:38 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

The Register has a quick write up of the new Palm OS Cobalt, which was presented at Palm's European developer conference in Munich this week.

According to the article, integration has taken longer than expected, and the first new phones won't appear until the first quarter of next year. I am not sure if by "phones" they also mean handhelds, but if yes, then don't expect to see the new Tungsten T5 under your Christmas tree this year!

New hot Cobalt features mention in the article:
- TrueType font support
- translucent windows and drop shadows
- new web browser with "squeeze rendering", multi-tab

04:19 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

The Windows CE powered mobile gaming device Gizmondo won the "Design Solution of the Year Award" at the Electronics Industry Design Awards in London, a competition claimed to be the "ultimate industry accolade" in the British electronics market.

Carl Freer, Managing Director, Gizmondo Europe, commented, "We are very proud to have won this award which acknowledges the revolutionary nature of our design. Gizmondo is set to change the face of mobile gaming."

The features of the Gizmondo truly look spectacular: 400Mhz ARM9 CPU, GSM Tri-band, GPRS Class 10, Sirf GPS, 2.8” TFT screen running at a 240 x 320 resolution, NVIDIA GoForce 3D 4500 WMP, WAP 2.0, MMS/SMS/EMS, MP3 Playback, Polyphonic MIDI, MPEG 4 playback, JPEG camera, SD flash card reader, Mini-USB client, Bluetooth class 2 for multiplayer gaming, GPS Tracking and Mapping applications, Windows Media Player 9, Customised Windows CE O/S, Stop gameplay when battery near empty.

Gizmondo is scheduled to conquer the UK gaming market in the fourth quarter this year.

03:15 AM by Alexander Turcic in E-Book General | News

In case you have missed it: I heartly invite you to join our ongoing discussion on whether or not it is right to a) DRM-protect e-books and b) crack them again.

I personally find it a very interesting discussion on a very controversial subject which is probably puzzling the minds of many PDA owners.