Palm has begun a new holiday promotion for its superb GPS Smartphone Navigator Kit in the form of a $50 mail-in rebate. The rebate is valid on purchases made only from the Palm.com online store between November 16th 2006 and January 12th 2007. While an actual price drop would be preferable, this is a solid reduction from the original $299.99 release pricing.

The Palm GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition comes with the latest version of TomTom Navigator 6 on a pre-loaded 1gb MMC and officially supports the Treo 700p, 650, 700w and 700wx. The software does run, albeit with a few bugs, on the Palm TX handheld in full 320x480 mode.

New Software Strange Adventures in Infinite Space DisplayManager SecureApp Lnchr - a better launcher Blue Diamond MyPatient VIPER-BITER (i)_PassID En

Updated Software Pro Pack MahJong BlockBuster Smiling Bubbles Destaller Pro Magic Colors Bubble Shooter Mobile BackUp Pro

On Sale Word Watch Mania DVD Catalyst GT Wine Enthusiast Guide 2007 HealthFile Plus A-Lex Talking English Dictionary Palm Finance Genius PrettyMap Full Electrical Calc Pro

Don't forget - your chance to win a Treo 700p!

RCR News is reporting that Sprint and Palm are aware of issues affecting the Treo 700wx and are working on a patch.

Palm and Sprint are aware that 700wx customers have been experiencing issues sending SMS messages within and outside the Sprint network. In some cases the message may not be received or the target Treo handset will receive a duplicate message.

Palm and Sprint say they will release a patch to address the issues before the end of December. Customers can also request credit for any charges as a result of the errors.

Welcome to the second installment in the series of PIC exclusive interviews! Our first interview focused on the background of a very interesting piece of software. Now we’re going to talk shop about hardware with a long-time user of not only the Palm OS but also of pretty much anything related to microelectronics and hardware/software engineering! Assisted by his multi-talented wife Veena, Gary Mayhak of Tech Center Labs is a technological Renaissance man in every way. Read on for a unique insight into what makes a small Palm-focused hardware company tick and to see how Gary’s lifetime of experience has led to the development of a series of modules designed to address specific needs and shortcomings in Palm's products.

Michael Mace is reporting on his blog that Ed Colligan has confirmed that Jeff Hawkins "secret project" will debut sometime next year.

Late last year Hawkins revealed that he has been working on a secretive third business at Palm involving the next major generation of mobile computing. Mace also states that "I know a number of very bright people at Palm moved to work on it, more than a year ago."

Rumor: CrunchGear is reporting a rumor this morning that makes the claim that the Treo 680 has been delayed due to a manufacturing error. Their reliable source states:

Apparently 144,000 Treo 680s were shipped out and had to be sent back because some genius forgot to connect the internal microphones.

The Treo 680 is being produced by Inventec. The 680 is the first device they have been contracted to manufacture for Palm.

PIC reviewer Kris Keilhack brings us another fine review, this time he takes a look at Smart Phone Experts UltraSlim Pocket Pouch for the Treo series. The UltraSlim Pocket Pouch which is one of the thinnest, lightest and slimmest pouch leather case available for the Treo smartphone. Its covered in fine, soft, real sheepskin on the exterior (available in black, brown and red) and an equally soft suede lining on the interior. Additionally, a stitched leather band running from side to side has been added to provide an elegant finish as well as to provide more lateral rigidity. Read on for the full review...

I love watching movies and I love my various Palm devices.  Sometime, when I'm watching a movie that's a bit slow to deliver the action, or when I am casually rewatching an old favorite, I whip out my TX or Treo and combine two of my favorite leisure activities.  Landware's long-running Leonard Maltin Movie Guide has recently been updated and revised for 2007.  Couch potatoes, the missing link has now arrived!  Read on to see how Landware has managed to blur the lines between the silver screen and the 2.5" LCD screen.

Otter Products has released the OtterBox 1920 case, a rugged, polycarbonate case that protects Palm Treo 650 and Treo 700 series smartphones from water, dust and dirt. The casing completely seals the device from elements while providing access to keypad, touch screen, volume and program buttons.

Mark/Space has released Missing Sync 3.0 for Windows Mobile. The software synchronizes Pocket PCs and smartphones with computers running Mac OS X. Version 3.0 adds several new important features including synchronization of notes and voice memos, Word and Excel documents, Safari bookmarks, iPhoto albums and iTunes playlists.

Mohamed Bennouf (aka SimToGo), creator of the acclaimed Lunar Lander Simulator for Palm OS devices is at it again. His addictive new game, Blue Diamond, shifts its setting from the barren surface of the moon to a bank vault in Geneva. Read on for the full game review...