portable-computing

ACT! 2006 for Palm OS Released

Sage Software announced today the new ACT! for Palm OS 2006 product for use as a mobile productivity tool with ACT! by Sage contact and customer management solutions. ACT! for Palm OS operates as a native application on an individual's Palm OS handheld device to enable access, adding and updating of pre-defined and custom data fields, notes and history, activities, calendar information and sales opportunities.

Syncing Computers And Mobile Devices

The bits that make up our digital lives are increasingly spread over a growing number of gadgets, such as cell phones that snap pictures, handheld computers that play music and a growing number of PCs that do all the above and more.

But amid all this connectedness, something has been left out: a seamless way for all the gadgets and all the computers to stay current with all the information captured, created and edited on other devices.

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Shootout: The Treo 700w vs the Treo 650

The inevitable has just happened. Did you ever imagine that one day a Treo product would run a Microsoft OS? It does now; the new Treo 700w smartphone runs on the Microsoft Windows Mobile platform. This strange-but-true event gives an opportunity to compare the Treo 700w with its older sibling the Treo 650, which runs on a Palm OS.

You can read the side-by-side comparison here.

New Palm Device runs Windows Mobile, not Palm OS

Palm Inc. on Wednesday said it has started sales of its Treo mobile phone powered by Microsoft Corp. software, a device that could help Palm compete against Research In Motion's BlackBerry for corporate customers. Palm's Treo 700w device, introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will run on Verizon Wireless's high speed data network, using Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system.

Garmin Announces Palm OS Bluetooth GPS Kit

Garmin today announced a GPS navigation system for customers using Palm OS based handhelds or smartphones with Bluetooth. This GPS package includes navigation software with feature-rich points of interest and Garmin's GPS 10, a sensor that receives location data from the Global Positioning System (GPS) and transmits that information to mobile devices enabled with Bluetooth wireless technology.

Palm 700w with Windows Mobile

The latest smartphone from Palm will also be the first to ship without a Palm operating system. Instead, Palm is supplying Windows Mobile from long-term rival Microsoft. The new Palm 700w will be available from Verizon on January 5.

Pricing has not been announced but the hot rumors claim that you'll be able to buy one for $549.99 with a 1-year contract, $499.99 with a two-year, and $619.99 with no contract at all.

Skyscape Announces Partnership to Provide 49 'Cochrane Reviews' Medical Reference Titles

MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Dec. 27 -- Skyscape, Inc., the leader in mobile health and medical decision support solutions, today announced a partnership with John Wiley & Sons, Inc. to release its family of 49 "Cochrane Reviews" titles, formatted specially for use by Palm and PocketPC enabled PDAs and smart phones.

Palm Says 3 New Treo Smartphones in 2006

Palm CEO Ed Colligan stated in Tuesday's Palm's earnings conference call that Palm will announce three new smartphones next year, in addition to the Treo 700w.

"We'll roll out the Palm Treo 700w smartphone based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile, and we'll announce three additional new smartphones during calendar year 2006." said said Ed Colligan. During the conference call he further stated that these new models will debut with new industrial designs and at different price points. They will also implement next-generation radio technologies.

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Palm 2Q profit surges on tax benefit

Palm Inc. on Tuesday said profit surged with a tax-related gain in its fiscal second quarter, as the handheld maker added new carriers and increased shipments of its Web-enabled Treo smartphones. Its shares surged in late trading.

Palm earned $260.9 million, or $5.02 per share, in the three months ended Dec. 2, up from $24.7 million, or 48 cents per share, a year ago.

Doubts About the Future of Palm OS

While the mobile computing industry has been focusing on whether a federal judge will disallow BlackBerry service in the United States, there is also uncertainty surrounding the future of Palm OS which runs on over 39 million handheld devices.

PalmSource Inc. was acquired by Tokyo-based Access Co. Ltd. last month. PalmSource officials insist there is a future for the veteran handheld operating system, but some industry experts say deploying Palm OS-based handhelds is risky. Access, which is best known for its NetFront cell phone browser, has yet to provide a detailed road map for Palm OS.

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