According to a source at a major electronics chain, the Sony SJ20 and SJ30 will be available September 13. The SJ20 will cost $200 while the SJ30 will be $300. The SJ20 is similar to the just released SL10, except that the SJ20 uses an internal rechargeable battery instead of removable AAAs. The SJ30 also uses a rechargeable battery and has a 16-bit color screen. In addition, both the SJ20 and SJ30 have 16 MB of RAM.

According to a separate source, Palm will release a new low-end model in October. No other details on this model are currently available.

Some readers have asked if Sony's Audio Player clip-on attachment for the T series will work with the just-released SL10. A Sony spokesperson has confirmed that it will not. -Ed

Satconsystem.de now sells the HandEra 330 with a German version of the operating system. In near future, it plans to release a French version and updates for HandEra 330 owners using either language. -Anon

Sprint has announced that its CDMA 2000 wireless network, which it is calling PCS Vision, will be available next week and that the Handspring Treo 300 will run on the new network. Sprint hasn't given an exact release date, only saying that the Treo 300 and several other new phones will be released "over the next several weeks". Sprint says the Treo 300 will cost $500. It will be available only through Sprint.

iambic Mail 3.0 has been released. It can directly send or receive email with both POP and IMAP support or synchronizes with Windows PC e-mail applications. The new version includes VFS support which allows users to send and receive any type of attachment on the handheld device. It also offers hi-res+ support, Short Messaging Service (SMS) support, and a filtering feature to automatically redirect incoming emails to different accounts. It is available now for $20.

Standard & Poor's has announced that next Tuesday it will remove Palm Inc. from its S&P 500 index . It said the move was brought about by Palm's recent low stock price and the fact that its market capitalization, at $585 million, ranks in 496th place on the list.

After holding fairly steady at about $1.50 for several months, Palm's share price recently dropped to around a dollar after its Board of Directors announced a plan to do a reverse stock split.

The 183 nationwide Franklin Covey stores are giving away a 16 MB SD card or handheld case (with a value below $30) with the purchase of any handheld. These stores carry all current Palms, new and refurbished, as well as the Treo 90. -Robbie Stark

FileCaddy is a free VFS file manager distributed under the GNU Public License. It has been designed to be small, fast, and efficient. The current version uses less than 30 K. -Ed

Julie from The Gadgeteer quotes a 'reliable source' with some details on a upcoming device from Sony. According to this source, it will have a 206 MHz StrongARM processor from Intel, which means, of course, that it will have to run Palm OS 5. It will have a clamshell shape, though Julie says she's not sure if it is the same design as the NR series. Like the NR70V it will have a built-in camera, though this one will be able to do video capture, not just take still images.

Update: This rumor is a bit suspect because, according to a someone high up at PalmSource, Intel's StrongARM family isn't part of the Palm OS Ready Program, only its XScale family.

SplashData has released SplashPhoto 3.0, an update to its image viewing app. The new version adds support for hi-res and hi-res+ screens, external memory cards, and the hardware JPEG acceleration on the NR series. It is available for $10 until August 31. -Ed

Buy a Palm m130, m515, or i705 from the Palm Store and receive a free copy of Quicken 2002 Deluxe for Windows, a $60 value. -Larry

According Todd Bradley, who is the head of Palm's hardware division, his company is focusing its efforts on three groups of potential customers: wireless users, high-end users, and first-time users. "We see growth in the pure consumer market as we move from the mobile buyer to the soccer moms of the world," he said.

It will also seek to grow its business by increasing sales in new markets like China and Brazil, instead of mainly concentrating on the U.S. market, where it is already the dominant player.

Sprint will launch its CDMA 2000 1xRTT network this Thursday and the Treo 300 smartphone, which will use the new wireless network, will be released at the same time, according to InfoWorld. The Treo 300 uses the same 12-bit color screen as the Treo 270 and 90. The 3G network will allow the smartphone to connect to the Internet at between 50 Kbps and 70 Kbps. The service will be available in every city with more than 100 thousand people. The Treo 300 will be available only through Sprint. The price is not yet known.

Update: According to a source familiar with Handspring's plans, InfoWorld is incorrect and the Treo 300 will not be released on Thursday. The source could not say when it will be available.

tDevice has begun offering the Q-Pad for Palm m500 series, which combines the functions of a protective leather case and a keyboard. The case is reinforced with steel and is about 3 by 5 inches and less than one inch thick with the handheld inside. Opening the case reveals a QWERTY keyboard with 60 keys. The Q-Pad is available now for $70.