08:50 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Today Opera announced the availability of a proxy service called Opera Mobile Accelerator which they say can accelerate mobile browsing by 2.5 times, and reduce the amount of data transferred for those browsing with their version 6.31 browser (by stripping out unnecessary data, and compressing what's left).

The service is available by subscription only: 3 months subscription - EUR 12, 6 months subscription - EUR 20, 12 months subscription - EUR 30.

There is also a 14-day free trial period open to everyone.

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

Blue Nomad annouced the release of BackupBuddy for Windows V2.0, which is a ground-up rewrite of V1.x. I was always a fan of V1.x, so make sure to give this one a try!

BackupBuddy 2 protects all the contents of your handheld by storing, in a database on your PC, all changes made to your device since your last backup. BackupBuddy 2 can restore copies of your programs, data files and settings in the event of any emergency: crashing of your handheld caused by an errant program, an accidental file deletion and damage or theft of your PDA.

03:41 PM by sUnShInE in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Three writers from Digital Media Thoughts spent some QT with the OQO at CeBIT this week and share their impressions.

The jury has been out on this super-hybrid laptop/ppc pda for some time, based primarily on the company's constant push back on the release date, leaving many to slam it as "vaporware". The authors chief complaints seem to be less about form and function (save for seemingly minor touchscreen and keyboard issues), and more to do with economics: How do you justify something that's not exactly a laptop and more powerful than a pda, for laptop prices?

Read their thoughts and check out pix here. Btw, the company is still aiming for a Fall release, FWIW.

My questions veer more towards the state of play in the pda market. Is this the solution to stagnancy? Who's gonna buy this thing? I know alot of truly mobile professionals, and I can't say too many of them would opt for this over an old-fashioned laptop. Many of my friends freak out if they get less than 11g wifi!

01:53 PM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | iSilo/X

Two weeks after the release of RC1, iSilo/X V4.05 now enters release stage RC2. iSilo is available for Palm OS, Pocket PC, Windows, Windows CE Handheld PC, and Windows Mobile Smartphone. Changes include only bug-fixes from RC1:

Fixes for Palm OS:
- When copying to the card, the progress dialog may not display.
- When copying, copying settings may incorrectly copy another document's settings instead of the source document's settings.
- When opening a document fails, a fatal error may result, requiring a reset.
- After copying, deleting, or renaming a file, the Categorized, Favorite Folders, and Device & Storage views would not be updated with the change.

Fixes for PPC:
- Using a button mapped to autoscroll may result in unusual behavior (e.g., Start Menu appearing when attempting to stop autoscroll with the button).

You can download iSilo V4.05 RC2 here and iSiloX V4.05 RC2 here.

04:56 PM by brahamt in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Apple Computer continues to release the most innovative products. Their latest success is called the AirPort Express and it allows you to:
- Listen to your iTunes music library anywhere in your house
- Share a USB Printer
- Share a Broadband connection
- Create or extend a wireless Network

It runs using the 802.11g standard, has connections for USB, Ethernet, and a mini-audio jack, and provides all of the above in one small package.

To see more information about the AirPort Express visit
Apple

To find out how the AirPort Express works, visit
MacWorld

03:14 PM by Zire in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

An interesting piece regarding the petfrog which was the cover story for the last issue of newsweek before the Ronald Reagan issue is one of the coolest concept devices that I have seen yet. The people at frog design were asked to design a concept phone/pda. I think that it is right up my alley and I thought that I would share. Find out more at http://www.frogdesign.com/company/ne...5_petfrog.html .

01:49 PM by Zire in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Here is info from PDARCADE for an upcoming Astraware game. I have had the pleasure of playing this game myself and I have to say that it is pretty cool. The main feature that I like is that the game does not last long only around 5 minutes to 30 minutes depending on settings. The sounds and music are pretty cool too. You'll enjoy this one once it comes out.

Astraware's upcoming game, Strange Adventures In Infinite Space is due for release any day now.

"Strange Adventures fetures:
- 21 different ship types
- Over 60 different weapons, drives, shields, gadgets and artefacts
- 18 alien lifeforms
- 17 different planets and star types
- 7 unique alien races
- Average Playing time of 5-20 minutes per game
- Infinite replayability, thanks to randomly generated star maps and scenarios
- Dynamic sound effects and all new original music score
- Available for Palm OS® 4.0 and above high resolution colour devices and -Windows Mobile™ for Pocket PC"

06:42 AM by Colin Dunstan in E-Book General | News

According to Open eBook Forum, the sales of ebooks have increased by 46% this year compared to the same time last year.

"This quarter eBooks have hit a new high mark for sales," stated Open eBook Forum President Steve Potash. "eBooks represent the fastest growing segment of the publishing industry," he added.

I guess that is good news for all us ebooks lovers!