DDH Software has announced the release of HanDBase Desktop, a companion application to the Palm version. The new Desktop version is a fully functional database application that enables users to design, edit and view HanDBase databases, while simplifying the process of syncing data between Palm devices and PCs. It is available now as part of HanDBase 2.5 for $25. -Kevin Doel

The new JackFlash 2.0 will now let users recover files after a battery failure. JackFlash moves files into extra flash memory but, until now, those files were lost if a Palm's batteries went dead. It costs $20. -Ed

Kodak has made good on the promise they made when the Palm m100 was released and has announced that a version of the PalmPix camera for the m100 will be available in mid-December. It will cost $100, significantly lower than the cost of the version for the III series. The PalmPix is a fixed-focus digital camera that lets users view photos on their Palms then transfer them to their Mac or Windows PC.

Amazon.com is now exclusively taking pre-orders for the PalmPix for the m100 with fulfillment in mid-December. It will also be available online from the Kodak store beginning in mid-December and at major computer retailers in early 2001.

IBM's new Superior Wireless Applications (SWAP) connects the wireless Palms of ordinary employees as well as system administrators to custom applications on the company server. It lets users extract information from databases, tap into sales reports, place new orders, monitor Web traffic, or restart servers. SWAP works with AIX, IBM's version of Unix, and Palm VII's connected to Palm.Net. IBM says SWAP will be available by the end of the year, as a free download from its Alphaworks site. A beta release will be delivered sooner.

Palm Inc. and IBM have agreed to work together to develop mobile business applications for Palm devices and Palm.Net. These will be based on IBM's just-released WebSphere Everyplace Suite, which allows mobile devices to connect to the web. They will focus on logging on to corporate intranets, referencing databases for information, reading and sending e-mail, updating calendar information, accessing automated sales tools, and entering orders.

ON24 has an interview with Carl Yankowski, the CEO of Palm, in Real Video format. In it, Mr. Yankowski doesn't cover much new territory; Almost everything was a repeat of an interview he gave back in September, though confirming that Palm's plans haven't changed is always useful. He does mention that 90% of the people buying the m100 are first time Palm buyers and two-thirds of them are students. There is also some interesting details on how the U.S. Navy is using Palms on an aircraft carrier and a destroyer.

Later this week, Palm Inc. will begin a $100 million advertising campaign whose goal, in addition to raising the awareness of Palm among non-digerati, is to position the company as the creator of the Palm OS and not as a hardware company.

The ads, which will appear on TV, radio, magazines, newspapers and the Internet, will showcase the Palm OS and the many applications it can run. They will feature shots of Palm apps in front of people and landscapes without any Palm hardware appearing at all. "We're repositioning ourselves as the leading mobile platform provider," said Satjiv Chahil, Palm's chief marketing officer.

During the beta of its wireless service and Web portal, Yada Yada is offering the Minstrel V and the Minstrel S for $150 each when signing up for their wireless service. Both cost $369 when purchased from Novatel Wireless, the maker. Their monthly service charge is $40.

Yada Yada also offers a free service called QuikSnaps that works similarly to AvantGo; Web sites are optimized for viewing on the Palm and downloaded during HotSyncing.

In their official announcement yesterday of their support for the new Minstrel S Wireless Springboard Modem, OmniSky repeated that users of the modem must have a Platinum or Prism Visor in order to use their wireless service. It still isn't clear exactly why OmniSky/Minstrel S users must use the new Visors, as Al Hernandez, spokesperson for Novatel Wireless, has said, "The Minstrel S Wireless Springboard Modem works with all existing Visors."

In any case, OmniSky is offering a $300 rebate to people who buy a Platinum or Prism, the Minstrel S, and also activate the OmniSky service by January 31, 2001. Regularly, the modem costs $300 and the service is $40 per month.

Whether you want to replace a lost stylus or upgrade to a better one, PDA Panache has a complete line of styli to meet your needs. I was able to give their styli for the m100, the Palm V, a multifunction pen/pencil/stylus combo, and their inexpensive stick stylus out for a test drive and I was pleased with all of them.

In early November, Pocket Express will be offering dbNow, a new database app that has both a handheld and a Windows version and allows multiple users to synch to the same database. It was designed for consumers rather than the enterprise, with ease of use and simplicity being the major goals. Both the Windows and Palm components use the same interface. The price is not yet available.

In its continuing efforts to expand their markets to as many demographic groups as possible, Handspring has entered into a distribution agreement with Target, who will begin selling Visors, accessories, and Springboards nationwide. They will start this month in Arizona, with a national roll out expected later this year.