Update: Some of this preliminary information turned out to be incorrect. The latest article has all the correct info.

Handspring's Treo line of smartphones will be announced on Monday, according to ZDnet. Citing "sources", it goes on to say that the mobile phones with the Palm OS won't be immediately available and will cost about $400.

In August, Handspring received approval from the FCC for not one but two new wireless handhelds capable of handling both voice and data. The Treo k180, has a built-in keyboard like the Blackberry pager and no Graffiti area. The other model, the Treo g180, relies on the traditional Graffiti for text input..

Despite the large numbers of handhelds with expansion cards, support for them among the large software companies is still unpleasantly small. In an attempt to partially remedy this, ToySoft has released Quickstart, which lets users launch and manage Quickword and Quicksheet documents and worksheets from a VFS expansion card. All the Quickoffice files are synchronized during HotSync. It's available now for $10.

MobiMate has announced the release of PhoneMate 2.0 – a new version of its Address Book extension. It allows users to send SMS message, supports many GSM phones not previously supported, and adds new features to the search mechanism. -Nadav Gur

GoAmerica is offering the Novatel Minstrel M500 on its website for $370 plus $45 per month for unlimited access or a lite plan starting at $10 per month. They also have a $25 activation fee. It works on the ATT CDPD Network. -Bob Cooney

Palm held an event today that the company CEO has probably been dreading for some time: their annual shareholders meeting. Carl Yankowski had the unenviable job of explaining why the company's stock price has dropped so steadily over the past year.

According to Cnet, he said some of the blame could be placed on the worsening economic situation, but "We also made mistakes."

Over the past few weeks, several people who have had advance looks at future Palm hardware have been willing to talk about what they have seen on the condition of anonymity. Until now, these people have indicated that while the m525, the next high-end model, will have a better screen than the m505's, it will still be the standard 160 by 160. However, a reader has reported on a conversation with European Palm executive who was asked, "Will there be a Palm product with higher resolution before Palm OS 5?" The executive answered "Yes".

Handhelds are increasingly used to carry sensitive information. This includes not just credit card numbers but documents with company secrets worth millions. However, those familiar with the Palm OS are aware that the security built into the operating system is fairly minimal.

With this in mind, Asynchrony has introduced PDA Defense, which has been designed to secure the contents of Palm OS handhelds in case they get lost or stolen. It comes in a standard version for $20 and a professional version for $30.

HandEra is in the process of creating drivers for the Symbol Wireless Networker, an 802.11b CompactFlash wireless LAN card. HandEra is developing the drivers for the HandEra 330, and are currently in beta testing and should be available from them in mid-November. The Wireless Networker is currently available through several online retailers with prices ranging between $150 and $180.

Exactly a year ago, MobileAria announced that it would create an in-car voice-activated system based around a Palm handheld that would allow to driver to access the info on the handheld and the Internet while keeping their eyes on the road. The system was first supposed to roll out the second quarter of this year. They apparently ran into problems because the second quarter is long gone and MobileAria first product is coming out later this year and will be based around a laptop instead of a Palm. A version that works with a Palm handheld is still planned for the future.

InnoGear has launched the PowerCradle, which not only acts as a regular USB cradle for Visors but recharges the VisorPhone and other selected Springboard modules with rechargeable batteries, like the MiniJam and many wireless modems. It is available now for $40.

Tony Rudenko's PalmPilotUpgrades.com has reduced the prices for all of their services. They also just added screen replacement service for Palm III, Palm V, and Visor series. -Ed

Gethightech.com has the WriteRight Screen Protector 12-pack for $10 and the Fellowes--Palm Survival Kit for $15. -PR

IBM has developed an ultra-portable cradle for its ThinkPad notebooks. It's an Ultrabay Plus add-on, which means it can actually be stored inside the laptop.

The Ultrabay Plus is a slot in the side of the ThinkPad that many types of devices can be put into. The Ultrabay Plus Device Carrier fits in this slot then the Ultrabay Plus Cradle goes into the Device Carrier and lets handhelds with Palm's Universal Connector HotSync and have their batteries charged.