I received an e-mail a while back that said:

Whenever I travel, I have to lug along a big laptop. I just bought a Palm and I was wondering if it is possible for the Palm to take the laptop's place? I need to check my e-mail, surf the Web, and use some Word docs.

I recently quit carrying my laptop with me when I traveled and I have been really happy. Now my heavy, expensive laptop has become a permanent part of my desk. Well, actually, I'm thinking about selling it but that's another story.

The Motley Fool is running a pair of commentaries on why you should or shouldn't invest in Palm Inc. Paul Larson, who wrote in favor, said, "Between the industry's breakneck growth, Palm's dominating share of the industry, and the company's strong and sustainable competitive advantages thanks to its operating system, there are plenty of reasons to be attracted to Palm." Joe Master, who wrote in opposition, said, "The PDA is merely serving to satisfy the fickle and fleeting appetite of gadgeteers or those seeking to buy their way into some sort of Holy Grail of organizational nirvana".

Today, Palm, Inc.discussed its plans to build a Silicon Valley corporate campus. Groundbreaking should occur in October 2000, and employees are scheduled to begin moving into the first phase of the new site as early as the summer of 2002.

The company has leased approx. 39 acres at the intersection of Highway 237 and North First Street in San Jose. Palm initially intends to build about 500,000 square feet of space on this land, which can support approximately 1.6 million square feet of construction. When all phases are complete, the campus will accommodate up to 6,000 employees within its 11 buildings. Ten office buildings of four to seven stories will house employee work and meeting spaces, and one additional building will house food services, an athletic facility and a company store.

Learn2.com has expanded its courseware offerings to include training for Palm products. They have produced a series of multimedia learning titles, which will be delivered on CD-ROM, Learn2.com SmartCards and over the Internet. The Palm courses are currently available and range in price from $19.95 to $39.95, depending the format you choose.

As part of the introduction of Palm training to the public, Learn2.com will offer a free Learn2.com Smartcard containing the Microsoft Outlook E-mailing course.

During August, Palm had 70.3% of the PDA market, an almost 10% increase over the previous month. During that same time, Handspring lost over 11% of its market share, dropping from 26.1% to 15.5%. This is the first month since the introduction of the Visor that Handspring has lost market share. Palm's big increase was caused by a surge of sales of the new m100.

Sales of the iPAQ brought COMPAQ all the way up to 6.6% of the market from 3.6% in July. Total sales of PocketPCs accounted for only 9.7% of the PDA market, up from 8.3%.

GoAmerica and Sierra Wireless have announced they will provide wireless data access for the Visor by combining GoAmerica's Go.Web service and a new wireless modem Springboard module to be developed by Sierra Wireless. This is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2001.

GoAmerica's Go.Web service will allow users wireless access to their e-mail and the Internet using the AT&T Wireless and Verizon Wireless Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) networks. Go.Web's proprietary technology compresses and encrypts data, optimizing it to provide a full, non-clipped Internet experience.

Tellus Technology has introduced the WIPClip CDPD wireless modem Springboard module for the Visor. While it can operate at up to 19.2 kbps, actual throughput will typically be 12 to 14 kbps. The WIPClip can recharge its battery through the same Hot-Sync/recharging cradle and charging cable that will be available for the recently announced VisorPhone. The WIPClip is being displayed at the Global Xchange 2000 in Chicago in the Handspring booth. Tellus expects to begin shipping the WIPClip early next year for an estimated price of under $300.

On Tuesday, AvantGo (AVGO) sold 5.5 million shares at $12 each, $1 above the originally predicted $9 to $11 price range. They raised $66 million, which they intend to use for more marketing efforts and to continue the company's growth. Since its debut, the stock has been as high as $27.75 and opened the day on Thursday at $20.

This capped a month marked by strong rises in Palm-related stocks. Since August 24, shares of Handspring have jumped 100% and shares of Palm have shot up 38%. Much of Handspring's increase can be credited to CIBC Oppenheimer analyst Thomas Sepenzis, who rated it a "strong buy" with a price target of $70. He rates Palm a "buy" with a target of $65.

AirPrime has announced the SB1000 Wireless Springboard module, the Visor's first CDMA solution. The SB1000 will not be on sale to the public but will be offered to companies who would like to sell it under their own brand name. The SB1000 is dual-band (800MHz/1900MHz) capable, providing wireless coverage over existing CDMA IS-95A cellular and PCS networks in North America. The SB1000 uses the same user interface as Handspring's VisorPhone. It will be available to OEM partners for evaluation and application development during Q4 2000.

Kodak has announced they will be releasing new PalmPix software for the Macintosh and a software developers kit for all Palm handhelds.  The Mac software will be available September 29 while the SDK will be available on October 9. Both will be free.

Also, Kodak is now offering the Kodak PalmPix Camera at a new, lower price of $149.95.

Sound Tracking Comes to the Palm
EmperoR Studios have released the first Sound Tracker/MOD Tracker for Palm OS. Palm Tracker introduces three simultaneous sound channels to the Palm's tiny Dragonball CPU. Additionally, EmperoR Studios announces a Palm Tracker SDK that allows programmers to add music to their own software projects easily. -Carsten Magerkurth

Fictionwise Has New SF Collections
Fictionwise.com has released "SF Award Winners Volume 3", which continues to expand the Fictionwise.com collection of award winning short stories. Fictionwise also announced volumes 3 and 4 of their "SF Award Nominated" short stories. -Scott Pendergrast