Author: pdasnews

Softick has released Audio Gateway v1.0, the first Bluetooth A2DP audio streaming solution for Palm OS handhelds. Audio Gateway enables users to connect a Palm OS handheld or Treo 650 to Bluetooth stereo headphones and listen to digital audio played by Palm OS applications including: MP3 players, audio book readers, and games. Softick Audio Gateway can operate with any Bluetooth audio device which supports Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) designed to transfer a high-quality stereo audio stream wirelessly. The program captures digital audio from Palm OS audio subsystem and redirects it to the Bluetooth A2DP device: stereo headphones, desktop PC, car audio or A2DP speakers. Features: Advanced Audio Distribution Profile support (A2DP) High quality stereo streaming, up to 304Kbps audio bitrate Wide-range players and audio software compatibility Easy setup and usage Support for Mono and Stereo sound stream Automatic upsampling/downsampling depending on blueooth headset capabilities Built-in audio post filter to improve low bitrate audio quality Audio Gateway v1.0 is currently compatible with the Palm LifeDrive, Palm TX, Treo 650, Tungsten E2, Tungsten T3, Tungsten T5 and Zire 72. It retails for $19.95 and comes with a free trial. via palminfocenter.com

Several Screenshots showing what is supposed to be the Sony PSP Firmware 3.0 are flooding Sony PSP discussion boards. Some are really well made fakes. Correcting, all of them are really well made fakes. Still the screen-shots sparked the imagination of Sony PSP fans and threads are filled with eager anticipation of features like Sony PS3 hard-drive access, Sony PSP Paint, Sony Connect music store access, Sony PSP Organizer and Writepad.This thread at playstation.com features a collection of 13 Sony PSP Firmware photos. Some of those screenshots are also in a discussion thread on YourPSP. via i4u.com

A simple task manager perfect for those who want to take control of their system without replacing key components.WisBar Advance 2.x Users:Your license code for WisBar Advance 2.x WILL work for registering WisBar Lite. So, there is no need to purchase this if you are a registered user of WisBar Advance 2.Features Customize the closing, hiding and minimization of applications. Cascading start menu. Real close button. Switch between running applications. Real-time battery meter. Low memory footprint. Retains the default theme of your PocketPC device. Supports the WisBar Advance Desktop.

“Asus opted for the golden average in the latest models as to performance and memory size. The Intel PXA272 processor running at 416 MHz can hardly be described as insufficient. Besides, there is a configuration applet making it possible to choose from four performance modes (3 static, one automatic based on actual load) and save some battery power when you do not need maximum computing power. Both models are fitted with adequate memory – the FlashROM is insufficient for maps but abundant for applications and data. According to the technical specifications, the Asus offers 64 MB of RAM and 128 MB of FlashROM. The User can access 42 MB of RAM and 57 MB of FlashROM after a hard reset. If you think it is too little, here is the explanation – almost 26 MB of FlashROM is allocated as a Flash Disk, which has an interesting feature – the data it contains are protected against a hard reset. Don’t forget that Windows Mobile 5 eliminates the risk of a hard reset because of the battery running completely flat but the data in the FlashROM is not protected against malfunction of an application or the user’s error. Flash Disk is significantly slower than the rest of the memory (don’t ask me why) but I do not see it as a major problem.” Read this big review here:

MetaView Soft’s free and open source adobe PDF document reader has now reached version 1.1. PalmPDF is a native PDF file viewing application for Palm OS 5 devices. PalmPDF enables users to view native Adobe PDF documents on your mobile device. It has support for anti-alaising and truetype fonts and five way navigation. It is based on the open source Xpdf program. v1.1 updates include: Skin support, selectable support for keyboards Possibility to rename PDF files in the file browser added file handling support with RescoExplorer, ZLauncher, MobiSystems OfficeSuite etc. bugfix: Content extraction bugfix: security patch from xpdf 3.01pl2 added bugfix: MobiPocket is called with the created PalmDOC bugfix: Copy/Paste support in the search field memory check around Content-extraction, does prevent out-of-memory crahes with large files changed Scrollvalues changed progressbar a bit, extended “WAIT” to cover also the extraction of content direct mode for the apps above, means no stop in the file browser and direct exit after the renderer is closed swapped quit and rotation button on all devices except Zodiac to have quit on home button on TX when moving behind the right or left border using the keys, the display is wrapped around for better readability in large zooms when called by another app or received file (using exchange manager) PalmPDF goes back to the called app when the PDF file is closed via palminfaocenter.com

We’ve reported numerous times on speculation about Microsoft creating their own portable media device, and now it’s looking less like speculation, and more like the real deal. It’s called: Microsoft Origami. The Origami seems to be going for a sort of mini Laptop/Tablet PC thing (coined a “Lifestyle PC” by some analysts). Bigger than a PMP, smaller than a laptop; I’m not sure what other portable is comparable in size. It’s also clearly running some version of Windows.Otherwise, from the video it features WiFi, touchscreen with stylus, GPS navigation, motion-sensor gaming, various Windows programs, etc. From some of the pics it appears there is a “Windows button” in the bottom right corner of the device, not unlike the one found on the PMC players. Also of note, there are two different devices shown in the video. Maybe a “consumer” model with the basics, and a “prosumer” option with the real extras (GPS, etc). via dapreview.net

Rumours have been floating around for some time now about Apple creating a successor to the current iPod Video, and this new rendition would feature a touch-screen click wheel integrated into the display. It seems that Acer has beaten Steve Jobs to the punch, in a sense, because the company’s entry into the PMP market – the Acer MP-500 – features a 3.5-inch touchscreen display complete with stylus.Although the supported video formats haven’t been confirmed as of yet, we do know that this Acer PMP will take all your MP3, WMA, and AAC audio, as well as give you picture viewing capabilities (JPG, GIF and BMP). It can probably do voice recording as well, because it comes with a microphone, and if the 3.5 inches (320 x 240) isn’t enough, you can always make use of the TV-out.Battery life is adequate at 4 hours of video or 8 hours of audio. Coming in 20GB and 40GB varieties, the Acer MP-500 has yet to be designated an official launch date or price. via mobilemag.com

At the German forum Telefon-Treff you can come across the photos and specs of the upcoming Sony Ericsson phone – a supposedly K800 under the code name Wilma, the heir of the popular K750. The phone has been much rumored about, so sometimes we are suspicious to the info about it. Nevertheless the photo and specs seem to be true, and we’ll find out it on February 28, when the company is rumored to introduce some new mobile phones, including Wilma, at its press conference. The specs:
Standards – GSM and UMTS
2” LCD, QVGA (240×320 pixels), 262K colors
3.2-megapixel camera
Supported audio formats – MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+
Supported video formats – 3GPP, MPEG4 and Real
72-tones polyphony
64 MB internal memory
Slot for Memory Stick Micro cards
Bluetooth, IrDA and USB
Dimensions – 106x47x18 mm
Weight – 115 g

“The white letters contrast well with their dark silver background so they’re easy to see. Both the letters and symbols illuminate: white for letters and red for symbols (the Verizon XV6700 illuminates only the letters). Two soft keys sit just above the keyboard so you need not tap the screen or use the front face buttons to activate soft key functions. We like the dedicated Windows Start Menu and OK keys on the bottom row, again reducing the need to whip out the stylus and tap on screen. Should you need to turn on caps lock, press the shift key twice in quick succession. To turn on Fn lock, press the red dot key located in the lower left hand corner twice quickly. When you’re in the phone dialer screen, the 8125 automatically switches the top row to numbers rather than letters so you need not press the Fn key before punching in a number.” Read ths review here:

It seems like a new Portable Media Player is released daily, which is great for consumers and not so great for companies looking to make a dent in the market. Well, JNC is looking to make a mark with the SSF-M810 (and SSF-M805 with 512MB) PMP (via PVP For You). This particular player stands out because of it’s small size, support for downloadable games, console styling, and built-in speaker. With a 2 inch (220×176) TFT LCD Screen, USB 2.0 and an integrated FM Tuner, the JNC unit packs a lot into a small 65g package. It supports WMV, DivX, AVI and MP4 on the video side, while you audio files will enjoy it’s support for MP3, WMA and Ogg. Decent battery life rounds out this unit by sporting 5 hours of video playback and up to 20 hours of audio. via ehomeupgrade.com