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.

The score: Dell - 3, Apple - 1.

So far, those are the only exploding laptop cases that have been catching attention. Most likely, there are more laptops going boom somewhere, but are left undocumented. Anyway, it looks like Dell is not alone in its misery, as an Apple laptop exploded -- this time in Kristiansand, Norway. The employees of a company, called Ide`til Produkt AS, got the fright of their lives as a battery of one of their  12" Powerbook G4 laptop suddenly caught fire recently.

An employee divulges that smoke appeared from the corner of the laptop, where the battery was located. He moved away from it and then flames shot out of the laptop. The said employee, Ive Skrede, was quick-minded enough to push the battery to a trash can and to take it out of the office. The trash can fire intensified. This type of laptop uses lithium-ion batteries, and they create their own oxygen when they burn. If you could recall, Apple launched a worldwide Battery Exchange Program for the iBook G4 and the PowerBook G4.

After the fiery incident, Mr. Skrede contacted Apple about what had happened. The company took it seriously as the laptop will be sent to Apple labs in Ireland, and replaced. Whether the fire is caused by the company or by the owner's negligence, definitely the Apple brand would be hard to remove from this fiasco.