Despite a weak US economy and a decline in 2002, research firm In-Stat/MDR is predicting growth for the PDA industry through 2007. 2003 may experience the largest expansion as manufacturers add new functionality and capabilities to handhelds.

Cutting Edge Software has released a public beta of Quickoffice Premier Version 7.0. The new release is the first and only available Palm OS Office suite to include support for native PC-created Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint file formats. Support for native file formats is provided for files saved on expansion storage cards, or those received via infrared beaming, through Bluetooth file transfers, or as e-mail attachments.

Snapperfish Ltd. today announced its POP3 e-mail client, SnapperMail, is now in full release. Snappermail has extensive support for native file attachments, FingerNav technology for optimized use with smartphones and automatic mail fetching.

Treo 300 Rebates: Handspring has announced a promotion for $100 off the Treo 300. New and existing Sprint customers will receive an instant $50 rebate off the price of Treo 300 when purchasing it from handspring.com making the price $449. In addition, those customers who also sign up for new service from Sprint will receive a $50 credit on their first Sprint phone bill making their total savings $100.

AvantoGo has released the results of it's 2003 Mobile Lifestyle Survey. The survey was entirely delivered and carried out on respondents PDA's running MyAvantGo software. The survery sought to highlight the trends and demographics among those who regularly carry and use a personal digital assistant (PDA).

Palm Inc. today announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a decision by the District Court of the Western District of New York that Palm infringed a Xerox Corp. patent. But the Court of Appeals also remanded the case back to the District Court to examine the validity of the patent in question, which gives Palm another chance to challenge the case.

Action Engine and Handspring have announced plans to bring Action Engine's software tools for over-the-air provisioning and device management to Handspring's Treo communicators. These tools give wireless service providers sophisticated means of managing devices deployed on their networks.

Palm SG has formally announced the availability of the Tungsten W. It is now available for pre-order online and will be on sale in selected retail stores beginning Feb 28th. The Tungsten W is a data-centric handheld with voice abilities.

The Register is reporting that Steve Sakoman has left PalmSource amidst the recent job cuts. Sakoman was the Chief Products Officer for PalmSource and previously held positions at Be Inc and Apple. The Reg also claims he was a key member of the team developing Palm OS 6.

According to a report on InfoWorld, Palm is set to announce the availability of the Tungsten W handheld with wireless service from AT&T by the end of this month.

PalmSource, Handango and WideRay today announced a partnership to develop in-store Palm OS software kiosks. The system will enable on the spot software purchases delivered over WideRay Infrared terminals.