Proporta has released TomeRaider 2.51, a new version for this text viewer. The most important improvement is the memory card support, which has been close to absent until this version. Now TomeRaider Palm allows users to read the truly huge TomeRaider files which are too large for the Palm’s memory. Other new features have been added and it comes with a Windows client to create files in TomeRaider's format. It is available now for $20.

While the Palm OS is very popular, its built-in application launcher is somewhat less so. This has led to a the creation of a whole collection of Launcher replacements.

The one garnering the most attention lately is Launcher X, which is the replacement for the popular Launcher III. It allows the user to install skins that change not only the look but also the behavior of the launcher. It offers hi-res support for Sony and HandEra devices. It isn't available yet, however.

The Sony S360 now appears in Best Buy's inventory system as being available February 8 at the MSRP of $200. Their SKU is 4483678 and its UPC is 02724260208. -Anon

Update: Blue Nomad has posted WordSmith 2.1.3, a free upgrade to all registered users. Among other things, it offers speeds upwards of 40 words/second during spell check. This is a dramatic improvement over the previous version. Also words ending in 's are now marked as correctly spelled if the rest of the word is correctly spelled. -Various

Two weeks ago, Handspring CEO Donna Dubinsky revealed that production of the Treo had run into a glitch and the company was going to delay its roll-out in the U.S. At the time, she said the wireless smartphone would be available online in limited quantities in February and in U.S. retail stores in March. Yesterday, Ms. Dubinsky said that the parts shortage that is causing the delay is being cleared up and she believes the Treo will meet that revised schedule, according to Cnet. The company has yet to say which vendor caused the problem or what part it is short of.

In October of last year, Matsushita announced that it would soon be releasing 256 MB and 512 MB secure digital (SD) memory cards. The 256 MB version was expected to hit the market on December 21 while the 512 MB one was scheduled to be available January 21 of this year. As yet, there is no sign of these on any of the major web retailers, including the webstore of Matsushita's American subsidiary, Panasonic.

Sony moved up its release date for the Clie T615C in the Blue casing. The original date was Feb. 28 but the release date has been moved to Feb 12. -Ravi

Handspring has on its website that the Treo Communicator will be available in Australia in "early 2002". -Australian PUG

Portable Innovation Technology has released the MemPlug Memory Stick, a Springboard module which allows Handspring Visors to read and write to Memory Stick flash memory cards. It works with both regular Memory Sticks and MagicGate ones with built-in security. It is available now for $70.

Since the Palm i705 was released in the U.S. yesterday, some have asked why it also isn't available in Canada. As it turns out, Palm Canada wasn't interested in it, according to an article in itbusiness.ca. The president of Palm Canada, Michael Moskowitz, dismissed the i705 as not enough of an improvement over the VIIx and complained that its wireless network's speed is too slow.

HandEra and Epson have announced that Epson's LCD Controllers are now supported by HandEra’s QVGA technology. HandEra is not only using QVGA in its own devices but offers it for licencing to other handheld makers. This means that Epson's controllers can be used in HandEra models and those from other companies. The newest Epson LCD Controller, which has HandEra support, offers up to 320 by 320 screen at 16-bit color, though the QVGA standard is 240 by 320.

At PalmSource next week, Palm Inc. will give the world its first look at its next-generation operating system, OS 5. This is the first version of the Palm OS designed to work on ARM-based processors rather than the current Dragonball ones, but that won't be the only change. Long-time contributor Mike Cane has a list of Ten Things That Should Be In Palm OS 5.

Palm has posted an update on their Support site for the i705 that "will enhance the performance of your radio and battery". The page goes on to describe it as "necessary" for anyone using AOL Instant Messenger. -Ed

Handspring is going to launch its Treo line in Hong Kong on January 30. Bill Holtzman, VP of Handspring International, will be on hand for the actual launch. Wireless service for the Treo will be provided by PacRim Technologies. -fkclo Update: Handspring has officially released the Treo in Hong Kong.