iambic, Inc. has just released Action Names Datebook 5.0, the newest version of its contact and schedule management app. It enhances the Palm platform's built-in Date Book, Address List and To Do list with advanced functions, views, and features. Action Names Datebook 5.0 offers more than thirty new features and productivity enhancements. It is available now for $20. Owners of previous versions can upgrade for $10.

Recently, a new version Silkyboard was released. This is a small overlay for the Graffiti area that has a full keyboard printed on it. The new version fixes some of the limitations in the original one, including buttons for Space, Backspace, and Enter and replacements for the Silkscreen buttons. Graffiti can still be used, too. Davy Fields brings us this review.

Ardiri.com has removed Donkie Kung, Donkie Kung Jr, and Maryo Bros from its site after Nintendo sent it a cease and desist order. Nintendo said these games "are clear violations of Nintendo's rights in the characters and audio visual works protected by U.S. and international copyrights and trademarks".

STNE Corp is now offering some Holiday deals on memory upgrades. Purchase a Palm V 8 MB memory upgrade get free overclocking. Buy a 16 MB memory upgrade for a Handspring Edge, Platinum, or Prism and get 10% off. -Will Stillwell

Pocket Quicken 2.01 now available for the Macintosh. It is compatible with all US/Canadian Versions of Quicken 2001 or later and supports handheld devices running Palm OS 2.0 or greater. -PR

Awhile back, Handspring released a new low-end model, the Visor Neo, which was designed to replace the aging Visor Deluxe. With a monochrome screen and 8 MB of RAM, it offers decent performance for a decent price. News Editor Ed Hardy brings us this review.

Many people who would like to use their Sony Clié for games have complained about the buttons. PDAsia has the clip-on Q-PAD Gamepad available for shipment anywhere in the world. It offers Clié users the typical GameBoy-style button layout and the buttons are programmable. It plugs into the HotSync port and covers up the handheld's buttons. It costs $35.

Otter Products has just launched a new hardcase for Palm users. The Heavy Armor 2000 is the same rugged Otter box case but with a mylar window that lets the user use their handheld in the most adverse weather conditions. The screen is easily seen through the mylar sheet and data can be input with the stylus. There are versions for Palm m100, m500, III, and V series and Visor Deluxe and Edge. It is available now for $70.

IMS and Cahners In-Stat have published separate reports showing that Bluetooth chipsets will outsell 802.11b chipsets this year. According to the senior Bluetooth researcher from IMS, "Our annual Bluetooth study predicted Bluetooth chipset shipments would rise from close to zero in 2000 to just over 10 million units in 2001, and the year will end not far from this figure. The 802.11b market is also growing fast, but shipments will still only be around the 6 million mark in 2001. We expect further dramatic growth in the Bluetooth market in 2002 as more products hit the market and consumer awareness of Bluetooth grows substantially."

Many analysts and journalists criticize Palm for having a small percentage of sales to large companies and claim that PPC has a much higher percentage. David Nagel, head of Palm's OS and software division, recently called this a triumph of wishful thinking over data. Several recent studies back him up.

IDC questioned more than 1,100 IT managers from all sizes of businesses and found that Palm handhelds outstrip all others overwhelmingly, with 60% of the companies currently purchasing Palm branded handhelds. Handspring was in a tie for number two with less than 30%. The Palm OS platform is likewise supported by more than 60% of the companies -- which is nearly double that of any other operating system.

Krusell makes cases for a wide variety of handhelds. Long time reviewer Robert Zach brings us a look at two of them, one for the V and m500 series and another for the m100 series. Both of these are leather soft cases and feature the company's "Multidapt" system, which allows the cases to be used with different holders, like belt clips and bike holders.

The Bridge is an adapter that allows one Palm model to use peripherals designed for another. The Universal Bridge is a new version that allow models with the Universal Connector to use V or III series peripherals. This helps solve one one the most frequent complaints from handheld users,that they have to replace replace all their old peripherals whenever they upgrade. The Bridge costs $30 and is available now in limited quantities.