08:56 AM by Alexander Turcic in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

PalmAddicts visitor Giovanni pointed out that PocketSolutions is already offering Tungsten E2 and Zire 73 accessories.

This could be a clear indicator that palmOne is very close to launching these two new devices. Thanks for Sam for the heads up!

06:00 AM by Alexander Turcic in Miscellaneous | Week in Review

Feast your eyes on some of the discussions from this week at MobileRead...

Current E-Books Trends
"EarthCore" - the first podcast-only e-book!
Signs of the first e-newspaper device
Why electronic content reduces backpain

E-Book Readers
E-Ink is strengthening its Board

E-Book Webstores
Make ebook history - test Diesel eBooks' mobile site

eReader
eReader (Pro) for Symbian available
New Versions of eReader Coming?

General Chat
Forget backlight with Samsung's new semi-permeable displays
PDAs To Help You Wait For Your Bus
Quick Bits: PDAs will naturally disappear yet physicians rely on them, and more...
Quick Bits: tiny 4Gb HDD, mobile web design, digital paper, and more
What kinds of mobile sites interest you most?

Link Swap
Litefeeds brings optimized feeds to Java-enabled devices

Other Gadgets
My Sony PSP Review
Programs designed for USB drives
Sony PSP screen protectors by JAVOedge

Other Readers
Microsoft Reader for PPC V2.4 is out
New MS Reader Version Still No Good?

Palm
80GB for your Palm - InfiniFile transforms handhelds into media centers
Bluetooth adapter for non-BT enabled Sony Clies
Bluetooth Syncing the Treo 650 under Linux
HandBrake 0.7.0beta1 released. Mac users rejoice!
More (rumored) news on T5 successor (Live Drive)
palmOne stock - a hidden long-term gem?
Pic of the Zire 73?
Sony Clie OS6 this year? (we know that sounds crazy)
Treo 650 gets an update fixing various issues

Pocket PC
BetaPlayer 0.5b download link
WebIS Mail 2.1 final for Pocket PC is out
Windows Mobile 2005 (aka Magneto) LEAKED!
Windows Mobile 2005 - first review

Smartphones
A Nokia 9500 Communicator is now mine
Nokia 9500 Communicator Quick Tips
Turn your old cell phone into cash

12:19 AM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

No, it's not what you think. Everyone knows already that they can read or listen to music or review documents with their PDAs during that bus wait.

Some young inventors from a university in Malaysia have submitted an invention to the Philips Young Inventors Challenge. The idea is to add functionality to your PDA so that when you enter the bus route, the PDA notifies you if your bus is approaching. No indication of whether or not it also tells you when you are approaching your stop, or whether it notifies the driver he should stop for you.

The idea makes a lot of sense to me... You can now watch a movie on your PDA in peace, without checking the sign on every bus that passes to see if it's yours. And the advance warning should give you just enough time to put away those earbuds, stop your movie, and put the PDA away in your pocket before you jump on the bus!

More info at The Star Online

07:15 PM by Bob Russell in E-Book Software | Reading and Management

MS Mobiles has done a quick evaluation of the new version of Microsoft Reader for Pocket PC, and it seems they're not impressed. It's mostly a bug fix release, and about the best thing they have to say is that for material without DRM it's "not that bad."

Via msmobiles.com

07:40 PM by Colin Dunstan in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

JAVOedge decided to enter the gaming industry market by launching its Sony PSP JAVOScreen protector. The JAVOScreen clings onto your PSP via a silicon based material allowing you to remove it again to wash/clean and reapply without any sticky residue.

If you feel like giving your new gaming toy a nice treat, you can get the protector from here for $12.95.

04:50 PM by Pride Of Lions in Archive | Handhelds and Smartphones

Great news if you're a Mac user and want DVD's on your PDA. HandBrake 0.7.0beta1 was released on Wednesday.

New features include:

*Chapters selection
*Custom framerate
*Subtitle support
*Automatic check for update
*Custom aspect ratio
*Audio samplerate selection
*mp4/H.264 output
*Proper NTSC support
*AC3 pass-through
*Progress bar in the dock icon (OS X)
*2-pass H.264 encoding
*Constant quality encoding
*Grayscale encoding
*Up-to-date BeOS UI

This is a great boon for those of us who have felt shafted by the dearth of available software to make this process easier. Now instead of using the software cocktail I needed before, I can just pop in the DVD and choose my preferred settings and VOILA! DVD on SD ready for playing on MMPlayer.

Let me know how this works for you guys.
POL9A

11:34 AM by Bob Russell in Miscellaneous | Lounge

Here's some more news that's getting some recent attention...

ResearchAndMarkets is jumping on the bandwagon and reporting that the PDA shipments will fall as the products "naturally evolve" into smart phones and portable media devices. (via SymbianOne)
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c14531/

PDAs and Doctors

Though more than half of U.S. physicians regularly use PDAs, most rely on their hand-helds for administrative tasks rather than accessing clinical data, according to a study by the Chicago-based American Medical Association and Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research. The study is based on a survey of 1,331 physicians conducted between August and December 2004.

Read more at http://www.mobilehealthdata.com/arti...articleid=1347

Survey shows business travelers want more technology to help with the travel routine. I say.. what better way to introduce more technology than with PDAs! http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...rs_survey.html

More from Research And Markets -- They report that nanotechnology will be big for pervasive computing because of its impact on power sources.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050325/lnf007_3.html and http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=22119

If you haven't been under a rock, you probably know this, but the PSP Playstation Portable is available now in North America
http://www.pdatracker.net/archives/2...aystation.html

And finally, some very technical, but nonetheless interesting information about system design, how it's better to do system and software design together where possible, plus the following very nice tidbit about PDA device design

The differentiating factor between cell phones and PDA and similar devices is not so much in the realization of the components themselves. It’s in the organization of the system as well as the capabilities to meet customer demand on the software side. We expect the re-use of standard components will only pick up, especially when more complex projects will effectively take longer.

Hmm... So you mean standards might help produce products cheaper, better and faster? What a novel idea!

http://www.reed-electronics.com/elec.../CA512897.html

11:10 AM by Colin Dunstan in E-Book Software | Reading and Management

Microsoft has quietly released an update to its e-book reader Microsoft Reader. Version 2.4 is a bug fix release primarily intended for users of devices running Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 2003 SE. Microsoft recommends this update particular for users of devices running these operating systems.

The update is already available in the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish.

Thanks to PocketPCAddict for the heads up.