Current versions of the Palm OS only support 160 by 160 screens. Last year, when Sony wanted to release models with 320 by 320 screens, it was necessary for it to write its own application programming interface (API) to let developers write applications that could take advantage of the higher resolution screens.

PalmSource is close to finishing Palm OS 5, which does support larger screens but doesn't use the same API that Sony does. A Sony spokesperson has told Cnet that its OS 5 devices won't use its proprietary API; instead they will use the OS 5 one.

SilverScreen 2.7.1 is available from Pocket Sensei. It adds hi-res+ support and can display half-size icons allowing up to 40 application icons to appear on the screen at once. The bug that caused 2.7 to be temporarily withdrawn has been fixed. -Dennis G. Esler

Travelers who are members of Virgin Atlantic Airway’s frequent flyer program and fly round-trip once in Upper Class to London before September 30 will receive a gift certificate for a Handspring Treo. Registration is required. -PR

Palm Digital Media has just introduced the Palm eBook Studio, which allows users to create, distribute, and sell eBooks in the Palm Reader format. It will have three versions. The standard one is for individuals to create personal documents or businesses for internal use. It is available now for both Windows and Macintosh for $30.

HandWatch has introduced Palm RAM Disk, which allows users to create a virtual memory card in their handheld's RAM. This lets files that aren't of the standard Palm OS file types be stored in internal memory. The RAM disk works like a VFS card and can be accessed through any application that can access memory cards. It is available now for $10.

CIC has released Signature Wallet, which stores confidential data in an encrypted file. The user's signature is required to unencrypt it. It costs $25. -PR

According to this week's sales flyer, CompUSA is offering a 128 MB Memory Stick free with the purchase of a NR70V. -Ken

Margi Systems has announced that it will release a version of its Presenter-to-Go presentation tool that connects to the handheld through the SD slot. It will allow presentations created in PowerPoint or any printable Windows application to be transferred to a handheld and displayed at 1024 by 768. The SD card version of Presenter-to-Go will be available sometime in June for $200.

Since it was announced several months ago, many handheld users have been eagerly waiting for the release of the Pocketop Portable Keyboard, which works with almost any handheld with an infrared port. A company spokesperson says the product is now shipping to retail stores and users have confirmed finding them on shelves. The manufacturer's suggested price is $120. It will be available from Pocketop's webstore on July 1.

In March of this year, Sony's handhelds outsold Handspring's for the first time in U.S. retail stores, according to NPDTechworld. This had more to do with Handspring losing market share than Sony gaining it, though. In February, Handspring had 18.9% of sales but by March this had dropped to 14.5%. Sony had 16% in February and 15.4% in March, almost a percentage point ahead of Handspring.

Of course, the competition between the two is for second place. Palm Inc.'s share of the retail market had a big jump, moving from 45.7% in February to 54.3% in March. This means the Palm OS platform made up almost 85% of handheld retail sales that month.

Handspring has cut the prices on almost its entire Visor line. The only one not seeing a drop in its price, the Prism, is listed as being temporarily unavailable.

The Visor Pro now sells for $200 and Edge is $170. Both were cut by $30. The Visor Neo and Platinum were dropped by $20 to $150. These prices are already available on Handspring's webstore.

Palm Inc. launched a magazine advertising campaign this week aimed at convincing CIOs that Palm handhelds are the best choice for the workplace. The ads focus on Palm handheld's ease of use and lower cost of ownership than its competitors. -Ed

Lions Gate Entertainment, an independent movie studio, and Pocket PC Films have signed an agreement to distribute movies for both the Palm OS and Pocket PC platforms. -PR

Portsmith plans to introduce a device that allows users to make PowerPoint presentations with their Palm-branded handhelds. It will be a clip-on peripheral that use Palm's Universal Connector. It can make presentations after being connected to a video projector or computer monitor. Users can view slides and notes on their Palm while making the presentation. It will be available sometime this summer. Pricing is not yet known.