Sony has announced the N610C and S320. Neither one comes with the necessary hardware to play digital audio, though apparently Sony is going to release an audio adapter that can be added later that will give both these models the ability to play music.

The N610C appears to be much the same as the N710C, minus the audio playback, of course. It will cost $400, sports a 16-bit color screen, 33MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ processor, 8MB of RAM, and 4MB of flash memory. The big change is it will have Palm OS 4.0. SonyStyle shows it being available in silver and violet.

Last week, IBM demoed a prototype of a clip-on sled that contains a DSP (digital signal processing) chip and memory for translating speech to text. The prototype could only be used for executing commands in a contact database or appointments calendar, as well as for voice-activated phone dialing. It wasn't capable of true speech to text, where the user simply talks and their words are entered into a text-editing app. Price and availability for the final product aren't yet available.

Portable Innovation Technology has just announced that the Compact Flash version of the MemPlug adaptor is available. This is a Springboard that provides up to 256 MB storage using a Type I Compact Flash memory card. It includes five self-installing applications and registered gMovie Maker software. It will be available in stores and online in July for $50.

ZFrame is going to demonstrate a beta of its new application at TECHXNY this week. This client-server app will allow users to wirelessly access e-mail with attachments, Web pages, Word documents, or Excel spreadsheets, all from inside the same application.

ZFrame's pop-up and zoom-in features allow the user to access and interact with full desktop content on handheld devices. The user taps the stylus across the page and the contents are revealed as dynamic pop-ups. They can zoom in or click on hyperlinks, enter searches, fill out forms, and more.

The PDA Instant Power Charger from Electric Fuel includes a 2" x 2" zinc-based PowerCartridge that is activated when exposed to air, an adapter that connects the universal cartridge to a specific PDA model, and an airtight pouch designed to store the cartridge between uses in order to halt the chemical reaction and thereby preserve power for the next use. The whole package weighs about 3 ozs. and sells for $20. Each cartridge is good for up to three charges. Replacement cartridges are sold separately for $10.

IS/Complete has released a new version of IrPrint. It now supports printing of Word and Excel files with Documents To Go. It restores formatting from the PC including bold, italics, underlines, justifications, outlines, tables, and even color. IrPrint also allows printing from the standard Palm OS handheld applications: Address Book, Memo Pad, Date Book, Email and To Do List. -Cory

Ohfish Communications will officially announce its tri-band GSM clip-on device for the Palm m500/m505 at TECHXNY. User will be able to wirelessly access the Internet not only in Asia/Europe but also in the United States. Ohfish delivers two types: one for the Palm V/Vx and the other the Palm m500/m505. -Jocy Tang .

Personal computers have become such a small part of the PC Expo that it is no longer really called that. The new stars of TechXNY are the handhelds. Palm's CEO Carl Yankowski is giving the opening keynote address Tuesday morning on "Handheld Computing: Grass Roots to Corporate Standard". He is expected to talk about some new company partnerships but is rumored to be using the opportunity to unveil Palm's new mid-range model, possibly called the m300. Palm will have a full pavilion.

Market research firm IDC released a study this week that says sales of handhelds will increase 43% this year over last year's sales. This is a noticeable change from their 88% increase on 2000 but not bad considering the slowing world economy. IDC goes on to predict that the handheld market will grow an average of 39% per year through 2005, with shipments reaching 70.9 million that last year.

They predicted that the Asia-Pacific region to be the real area of growth, increasing at an annual rate of 60%. Growth in the U.S. will not be as rapid. Last year, the U.S. accounted for 49% of all handheld sales. By 2005, that will decrease to 39%.

Belkin Components has added a number of new accessories to its PDA line. All of these should begin shipping July 1.

The Belkin Universal Portable PDA Keyboard is a full-scale, fold-up keyboards that weigh less than .5 lb. It comes with an adapter that allows it to be used with the Palm III, V, VII, and m100 series and IBM Workpad c3. It will sell for $80.

Coming from a very reliable source, though not from inside the company, is the rumor that Handspring will release the Visor Snap next week. The Snap is rumored to have a high-resolution color screen. The exact resolution isn't known yet, though it is reported to be closer to the HandEra 330's than the Sony N710C's. Whether this means a soft Graffiti area is also unknown.

For a processor, the Snap is reported to be running a 66 MHz Dragonball chip, though this actually takes some credence away from this whole rumor. Motorola only announced the 66 MHz DragonBall Super VZ a couple of weeks ago and it won't be shipping until the fourth quarter of this year.

Many have complained that Palm once again redesigned its serial port connectors for the m500 series and have asked for an adaptor to let the new models connect to their current peripherals. Someone handy with tools in Japan got tired of waiting and made one for himself. The GO GO PalmDock 505 is a converted PalmDock that allows him to connect his m505 to a III series PalmModem and GoType keyboard.