portable-computing

R.I.P. CDs

They're overpriced, ugly and don't even make good rearview mirror ornaments. Now that we know they are also potentially poisonous to personal computers, thanks to Sony BMG's rogue copy-protection technology, there's really no reason to buy another compact disc ever again.

Minimo: Mozilla browser for PocketPC

Minimo is an open-source web browser for Windows Mobile (Also called Windows CE, Pocket PC 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2003se) and is based on the Mozilla codebase. It is small, fast and easy to use, and offers many advantages over Pocket Internet Explorer, such as tabs, spatial navigation and more. Best of all, Mozilla is available free of charge.

You can read more at http://www.mozilla.org/projects/minimo

PDAs Help Doctors Cut Excessive Antibiotics

Antibiotics can't treat the cold or the flu. Prescribed unwisely, they make bacteria harder to kill and make infections harder to treat. Still, about half the antibiotic prescriptions written in doctors' offices are useless, or worse. But tools that guide doctors' decisions can reduce excessive use of antibiotics, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study compared antibiotic prescriptions in eighteen rural communities. In some communities, a public education campaign urged patients not to get unnecessary antibiotics and doctors were given both paper-based and PDA tools to show whether antibiotics are recommended. Other communities received only the public education campaign or no intervention at all. The only significant decrease in antibiotic use occurred in the communities where doctors had the tools. Furthermore, the more doctors used these tools, the more inappropriate use of the antibiotics declined.

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Myst for PocketPC misses "game of the year" award

Mystifyingly, the remarkable achievement of getting MYST onto an iPaq - or even a smartphone - complete with graphics, music and puzzles, failed to win the Fifth Annual Best Software award in the adventure games category of Pocket PC Mag.

The game itself, surely, as one of the most widely played computer games ever, doesn't need a description - but as an excuse for running down the battery on your mobile, it must be right up there.

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Free email could push RIM to the sidelines

Nokia, Microsoft and others, are almost giving away software to muscle into the wireless e-mail business now dominated by Research In Motion, the maker of the popular BlackBerry. Last week's announcement from Vodafone in the UK, shows the level of competition in mobile business email

Around 1 percent of the world's 650 million corporate e-mail accounts are plugged into hardware and software that forwards incoming messages to a mobile device. More than half of those, about 3.65 million, use RIM's BlackBerry devices.

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Sharp Zaurus SL-C3000 handheld computer uses Linux OS

The Sharp Zaurus SL-C3000 is the fifth generation of the groundbreaking SL-C line of PDAs. It weighs just a bit over a half pound (278 grams). Like its predecessors, the SL-C3000 runs the Linux operating system. The SL-C3000 is the only PDA on the market with an internal hard disk drive. The 4gb (1 inch) drive offers unparalleled storage (for a PDA) and opens up myriad new options--including using the Zaurus as a portable media player. And, since the Zaurus's hard disk drive is plug-n-play recognized by Windows, moving data by the built-in USB 2.0 connection is fast and easy.

Palm Z22 handheld for only $79

Palm is selling their entry model handheld for the lowest price ever offered by the manufacturer. This model has a bright color screen, 32 megabytes of memory and weighs only three ounces. This is a perfect Christmas present for students and others. However, the sale ends at midnight (what time zone, Palm?) on Saturday, November 26. Hurry, get yours now!

OneNote Mobile for PDAs and Smartphones

Currently OneNote supports limited data sync to mobile devices. That's about to change, with a full blown version coming to PDAs and Smartphones. OneNote Mobile supports taking notes via text entry, voice recording or pictures. There are several other cool features if you're interested, check out Chris Pratley's OneNote Blog.

New Mobile Apps to Consider

Ever since Hewlett-Packard sent me the truly usable iPaq hx4700, I've been digging around in the world of mobile applications. And there's plenty out there to help the SMB set.

So far, the new releases that have the most promise include:

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KeySuite for Palm OS updated

Using Chapura's KeySuite applications on your handheld instead of the built-in applications allows you to carry more of your important Outlook information with you.  KeySuite has recently been updated with several minor enhancements, including: