It's been a while since we've heard any news about the new Linux-based Palm OS. Those who are waiting for Palm Inc.'s new devices can rest easy (or wait impatiently) as they are scheduled to be released early next year. Details in the full article.

  

If you're using the Axim PDA, then you would probably know about Dell offering X50/51 PDA users a chance to upgrade from WM2003SE to Windows Mobile 5.0. However, people have noted that this upgrade caused their units to run slower than the stock ones, not to mention the bugs that accompanied the upgrade.

Fortunately, a Russian coder/hacker with the handle MagLite_RUS has found a way to run Windows Mobile 6 on the X50 and 51. Those who have installed the upgrade have said that it makes the system run faster than those running Windows Mobile 5.0 as well as grants users the ability to run higher versions of Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, and various other programs.

Before doing anything, keep in mind that the ROM will fail to run on anything other than the VGA version of the PDA. In addition to this, remember that this ROM could potentially brick your PDA if you make a mistake in installing it. For more on this, click on the Read link below.

Windows Mobile devices have been notoriously hard (and expensive) to upgrade, since device manufacturers have traditionally had to buy licenses from Microsoft, customize the new OS, and test it before sending it out on its merry way.

Some good news are on the horizon, however, as Microsoft has apparently seen fit to address the concerns of Windows Mobile PDA owners regarding all of the hassle that they have to endure when upgrading their operating systems.

The company is giving free licenses to vendors who issue upgrades for their devices. This means that you won't have to buy a new chip or jump through flaming hoops just to upgrade your PDA to Windows Mobile 6.

What it DOESN'T mean, however, is that the upgrade will be free. While the licenses themselves are free, manufacturers may still choose to charge their customers for upgrading.

It has yet to be made clear what the manufacturers will do about this, or how much they will charge for their services.

PDAs are still holding out on their own despite smartphones' recent market onslaught. As proof, Hampton Software Limited releases today Articulation for PalmOS.

The UK-based software company noted that, "PDAs still are very capable devices and can easily be used as telephones using VoIP as an alternative to the cell phone network." The company further added that recent WiFi coverage increase had brought about the development.

Hampton has been pioneering applications for VoIP and other portable communication devices. With the latest product, users now can afford to have just one contact number as they take the same number used on PC with them on to the PDA.

Articulation is only workable with the following: PalmOS 5.x and above; Palm-based PDA with speaker and microphone (T|X & T5 need external mic); Wireless internet connection (Wifi/Bluetooth/GPRS/EDGE/EVDO), and of course, a VoIP service provider connection. A free version is made available below at the end of this article. It's only for trial though so it has a time limit of one minute per call. The PRC file is supposed to be installed directly to your PDA.

Articulation supports whatever, if not most, VoIP providers and brings the following features as well:

• Echo cancellation for speakerphone use
• Secure authentication using SIP MD5
• Support for GSM and G711 codecs, and NAT through RFC 3581
• Symmetric RTP support
• Lookup and dial from contact list

Download: [Articulation ZIP file]
Download: [Articulation PRC file]

It sure pays to prove you're not just all talk, especially when trying to bid for something. This is what PalmSource seems to know rather well, as it surges ahead its competitors for a robust mobile device Linux platform.

TrollTech of Norway and a la Mobile also have made announcements about upcoming reference handsets for developers or new Linux phone platforms, but it was PalmSource alone who was present at LinuxWorld in San Francisco to show off their new operating system on real handsets. Duly noted as well was the fact that they were the only one to give developers a full day hands-on tutorials in which they built and debugged native applications for mobile Linux.

PalmSource reports that it is meeting its schedule on its year-end deadline for delivery to licenses. In the presentation, PalmSource delivered a tastefully themed launcher not only from the Palm OS Garnet and native GTK applications, but also applications written against PalmSource's new MAX framework. MAX is "Mobile Application eXperience".

A developer tool suite is now available, based on the popular Eclipse platform. Typical target devices for the OS are "QVGA (240 X 320) screen resolution, a standard phone keypad, and preferably a touchscreen". Also included are multitasking and similar PIM applications.

Arguably one of the best when it comes to inventions, the Germans placed another one, yet again, under its belt. To join the ink-jet printer, the fax machine, the MP3 technology, and Walkman, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome handyPC S101.

According to Berlin-based ROAD (Remote Office Access Devices) GmbH, handyPC is already internationally patented and will be available for production within a very short period of time. This could mean goodbye to a lot of smartphones out there.

Based on a new and universal platform, handyPC promises the same user interface and versatility a desktop computer uses. And as it come in compact and engineered mobile format, this may very well signify the top and final concept for mobile computing devices. The first version carries with it open LINUX software.

Back in Germany, inventors Hans Constin and his co-partner Hubertus von Streit ready themselves for high volume orders as several manufacturers around the world express interest.

We've come across an editorial in Brighthand predicting a sea change in how we use our PDAs, smartphones, Pocket PCs, and similar handheld or "palmtop" devices. Ready to use them with only one hand?

Nothing new to those owners of smartphones designed for use with only one hand: Been there. Done that. Often (the editorial notes, possibly with humor) while driving. Those models substitute the familiar stylus for the equally familiar, but conceptually and practically different - d-pad.

And that concept's getting around. Both Palm and Windows mobile OS's now have both stylus and d-pad control option, although the second option's rather clumsy with an OS traditionally designed for stylus control. "It's a bit like steering a car with a set of reins," the editorial editorializes: "it's possible but hardly ideal." There's a qualitative difference between drag-tapping and scroll-button-mashing.

But that's just a transition, and transitions end when you transition to something else, right? The author of the editorial got a sneak peek at Microsoft's demo of its next generation of mobile OS (codenamed "Photon") and while he's not allowed to reveal anything (darn confidentiality agreements!), he can say that the OS is designed with those one-handed smartphones in mind. And it will also be used in PocketPCs as well. He's also had a more limited look at Palm's next OS, but it follows the same philosophy, ease of use with one hand.

Now there's one transition left once that's done with, and that's the consumer market. How will PocketPC and Palm users react to such a sea change in the way they interact with their devices? Will they be able to transition to the new setup? (Or, more likely, will the new OS's allow dual control, to swap between stylus or d-pad as the user sees fit, and not have to throw a fit due to switching?)

In any case, this next generation of mobile OS is still a good distance away. Microsoft projects Photon being licensed in late 2007, while Palm is still working on its OS.

The first open source Java code is expected to be released in October. Sun Microsystems is still considering which open source license to use and has created a website called Open Sourcing the JDK to elicit comments and recommendations from Java developers. Hotspot VM and Java C will be the first Java components to be released under an open source license, with the remainder of the code scheduled for release by the end of 2007.

Laurie Tolson, Vice President of developer programs and projects at Sun, said that, "our primary focus is to be compatible, putting programmes in place that people can rely on for compatible implementations of Java." The company is also planning to expand its open source initiative to include Sun's Java ME technology for mobile phones.

It is not yet clear if Sun's Java ME technology (which allows mobile phones to run Java code) will be included in the first round of open sourcing planned for October or at a later time. According to Allan Brenner, Vice President of Mobile and Embedded Devices at Sun, there is a, "clear trend towards the use of open source on mobile phones, [in the mobile phone industry in general]."

A consortium created by Motorola, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, NTT, Docomo and Vodafone which aims to create a standard version of a mobile Linux is evidence of the shift towards using open source software in the mobile phone industry. "So far we have clearly seen that going in an OS direction for Java ME is the right and logical choice at this point," said Brenner.

"We really do want to lead and establish that direction in the market," Brenner further explained. He also added that "most" of the Java ME code will be released by the end of 2006, pointing to a swift completion of the move to open source licenses for the entire Java code-base.

At the recent LinuxWorld Conference and Expo held in San Francisco last August 13th, officials of PalmSource Inc. have announced that they will be releasing a brand new software library known as "libsqlfs" under a Lesser General Public License or LGPL.

Originally built for the ACCESS Linux Platform, libsqlfs will be an add-on to the popular SQLite package, a space-saving database management system which stores an entire database as a single standard file on the host machine, instead of having lots of smaller separate files.

The libsqlfs software, with its nearly-impossible to pronounce name, was designed "to provide a more flexible and convenient way to implement an Open Mobile Alliance-Device Management (OMA-DM) compliant registry."

The libsqlfs library, developed by PalmSource, also provides an easy way for applications to put an entire read/write file system into a database as a single file in the host file system. This means that such a file system can easily be moved around, backed up or restored as a single file. In addition, the file system in a single database file can be more space efficient than many small individual files.

The libsqlfs software library is now available for download.

Download: [libsqlfs software library]

Windows-haters rejoice! From Nokia comes the 770, a Linux-driven, Bluetooth-enabled internet tablet that can connect to the Net via a WLAN of the 802.11b or g variety. The 770 is quite larger than the largest smartphone in the market right now, with a 4.3-inch, 800 x 480 pixel touch-screen. Since it's totally Linux-driven, all the applications it's packed with are independent of the Windows stranglehold on PC technology. Applications include IM and VoIP capabilities.

The Nokia 770 also doubles as a music player. It has an onboard filing system that lets you sift through your song collection, as well as some buttons on its side that lets you do the same. It also has internet radio, and supports nearly all audio and video formats. Storage capacity is at 1GB, with an extended virtual memory card.

The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet also comes with peripherals galore, including headphones and two stylus pens. Buyers will have to remember to keep the tablet's mobile charger close at all times, though, since the battery has a browsing life of just three hours.