12:23 PM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

PalmSource has big plans for 2006. For starters, it plans to release it's first Linux-based Palm OS. Japan's top mobile operator NTT DoCoMo must have heard about it, too, since they just increased their share holding in Access Co. Ltd from 7.12 percent to 11.66 percent for about 15b yen (~US$125m).

[via CommsDesign]

12:04 PM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

It was a turbulent week for RIM in the long-running BlackBerry patent battle. While District Judge James Spence is clearly running low on patience, the US Patent Office has rejected at least one of the claims made by RIM's adversary NTP. The New York Times sums it up nicely in Bye Bye BlackBerry?:

R.I.M., which is based in Waterloo, Ontario, promises it has a solution that will keep its beloved BlackBerries humming even in the face of an injunction. While most analysts view the prospects of a shutdown as unlikely, they have little faith in the proposed solution, which has potential legal pitfalls of its own. What's more, the history of the struggle between the companies means that no outcome is certain..."It's the proverbial blessing and curse," Mr. Steenland said of his BlackBerry, which sends e-mail messages wirelessly. "It's a blessing because it liberates you from the office. It's a curse because there's no escape."

11:48 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Techworld who had a word with a Microsoft representative reports that fragmentation could also become an issue for handheld computers:

If most files are written sequentially what happens when earlier files are deleted and then a new files written? There will be 'holes' throughout the file system which new files will be spread across, thus fragmenting them... Microsoft says its measures will 'reduce any kind of fragmentation.' It doesn't say it will get rid of it. So, over time, the file system in a mobile device's hard drive will become fragmented and, by extension, its performance in finding and assembling files from its storage system will deteriorate.

Which leaves me to wonder: How many Pocket PCs out there are equipped with a hard drive?

11:30 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

TuSSH is a fully-featured SSH client for Palm handhelds which makes use of the powerful SSH2 protocol to transmit data through an encrypted channel. PalmAddict's Quentin Jackson wrote a brilliant editorial how you could use TuSSH to securely backup your Palm handheld with a desktop PC over the air.

Does anyone know if there's also a usable Windows Mobile-based SSH client out there?

11:17 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Avid PalmAddict writer Jason Rak shares his first findings of the LifeDrive update 2.0:

I was of course hesitant at first, especially reading on the different boards about some of people's issues with the update. But I went for it and I'm glad I did. I would suggest trying it. Give yourself a block of time, say 1-2 hours, to make sure it goes smoothly. If it doesn't, while a certain pain in the neck, you can always hard erase and start from scratch (bye bye little devil treo 650 from Sprint...)

If you are hesitant to upgrade read the full post over at PalmAddicts.

11:01 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

It's only a little banner, but hey, it's enough to make my heart beat faster. You need to follow this link on Verizon's eStore and enter a random US zip code to get to the page with the small picture announcing the upcoming Windows Mobile Treo 700w.

[via msmobiles]

09:54 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Announcements

This weekend Mobileread is moving to a new home. Although I'm hoping for a smooth transition, I cannot guarantee that at least initally we won't experience some small hick-ups (e.g. slow loading times) . My apologies in advance for any inconvenience!

I hope you enjoy your weekend

07:42 AM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

A day after a judge said he wouldn't wait for the US Patent Office to give rulings on the validity of NTP patents, the latter rejected one of the five claims by RIM's adversary. The patent in question is 6067451 "Electronic mail system with RF communications to mobile processors" and can be viewed in full here. The ruling by the Patent Office is not final and NTP will have an opportunity to file a response, but it's still some of the only good news for RIM on these gloomy days.

[via BBHub]