According to a reader report, employees in the Sony Pro Shop in Hong Kong are saying the PEG-T615C will be announced there on January 19 and be available around January 22. There will be no blue or black casing for the T615C, only silver. In Hong Kong, the price will be HK$3280 (about US$420).

Update: Sony has announced that it is taking preorders for the T415 in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Pocket Innovations has announced the MemPlug SD/MMC, a Springboard module that, as its name suggests, allows the Visor line to use SD and MMC cards. It comes with seven built-in applications to perform functions like move files around, backup the handheld's memory, view images, and more. It will also have a vibrating alarm. A release date and price have not yet been announced.

Tony Rudenko's PalmPilotUpgrade.com has announced a groundbreaking upgrade for Handspring Visor Neo and Visor Pro. They are the first in the world to upgrade both of these models to 32 Mb of RAM. They also perform upgrades and repairs to many other models. -Tony

SmarterCase is now accepting pre-orders for their new m-series case coming out in the next few weeks. It fits the m500, m505, and m125 and provides space for SD/MMC cards. Those who pre-order now get free shipping when they're ready. -Timothy Sullivan

According to the Compact Flash Association, the irradiation treatments the U.S. Postal Service is using to prevent the spread of anthrax can damage CF cards. These can be not only erased but actually ruined by electron beam irradiation. The association's statement goes on to say, "Testing has confirmed that these systems, which operate in the range of 55 kGy, damage not only semiconductors, but other goods as well, including pharmaceuticals, contact lenses, biological samples, and photographic film."

The SD Association (SDA) announced today at the Consumer Electronics Show that it has finally approved the specifications for SDIO (Input/Output) cards. This will allow peripheral makers to finalize new product designs for products that will use the SD slot for more than just memory cards. Currently SDIO cards are in development for wireless functionality using Bluetooth, navigational devices based on GPS receivers, cameras, and others.

Motient has released the MobileModem for the Palm V series, which allows always-on wireless email access. The modem can wake the handheld up whenever an email is received and has a built-in vibrating alert. It is available at an introductory price of $180 when purchased with an annual unlimited service contract at $50 a month. Regular price is $280. Motient also offers a "starter" airtime plan for $20 for 150 KB a month, which it says is enough for about 25 average length emails daily.

A GPS receiver and software combination from Thales Navigation capable of giving turn-by-turn directions will soon be available for Palm's m500 series. The Magellan GPS Companion, which will ship with Rand McNally's StreetFinder Deluxe, was announced late yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show. It won't be available until sometime this Spring and a price wasn't announced.

Palm has started a broader "public" beta of the Palm Desktop 4.0 software for Mac OS X. This is a more recent build than was posted on December 21. Also, they have added download mirrors from Apple and Palm in order to meet the download demand. -Brian

FileMaker Mobile 2 Companion for Palm OS is currently scheduled to ship in the first half of 2002. It is designed to be the first integrated database for the new Mac OS X platform, as well as Windows 2000 and Windows XP. -PR

Parachute Technologies has released the Parachute HE, a clip-on adapter that allows the HandEra 330 to use Type II PC Cards like hard drives, GPS, wireless modems, Ethernet, and more. Drivers are currently only available for wireless and wire-line modems though more are in development. The Parachute HE itself is available now for $100.

The Visor Deluxe and Platinum are no longer available from Handspring. They have been replaced with newer models. -markpmc

FreeStyle, the first Cascading Style Sheet editor for the Palm OS, is now in beta. Testers are wanted with CSS and HTML experience. -Eston Bond

Many, though far from all, Palm m500 series users have had problems HotSyncing with USB. After working fine, the handheld will abruptly and permanently no longer be able connect to any computer with USB. Serial connections aren't affected. People who complain to Palm generally either get their handheld replaced or hear the suggestion that they switch to a serial cradle.

Recently, a possible fix to the problem was posted on the PIC forums by Ales Omahen, a Slovenian m505 user who used it to get his handheld HotSyncing via USB again.

Update: Palm has begun a program for replacing old m500 series cradles with new ones that offer better protection from static electricity. According to Palm, this electrostatic discharge (ESD) disrupts the handheld enough that it is no longer able to HotSync.