Sony held a press conference in Tokyo yesterday to show off their upcoming Personal Entertainment Organizer. The Sony Palm-Powered device will come standard with 8 MB DRAM, 4 MB of internal flash memory and an 8-MB Memory Stick. Much of the hoopla surrounded the device's AV capabilities.

Sony says that, with average use, the Sony Palm can run for 15 days on its its embedded lithium-ion battery. To save power, it sports a transflective display -- also known as a half-transmissive LCD -- that uses reflected light under bright conditions and a backlight when it gets dim. Sony is offering a 256-color screen and a black-and-white version of the PDA.

Toshiba and 22 other Japanese consumer electronics and software firms have announced they will develop Linux-based operating systems for digital products. The move, which aims to create industry-standard operating systems for use in items such as mobile phones and car navigation systems, is in line with a global industry trend for competitors to join forces to share hefty development costs. Initial members of the consortium include Sony, NEC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric and TurboLinux Japan. Matsushita has also expressed an interest.

In its most recent issue, MacWorld Magazine temporarily turns its gaze away from all things Macintosh and instead takes the time to consider the Palm. They give a pretty good overview of the Palm options for newbies, rate the Palm and Handspring models, recommend some software, and mention a few Springboard modules.

For cycling fans out there, check out this free Tour de France Palm application.

This app provides a list of riders, overall standing, stages, TV schedule (times in CST), and stage summaries. The data is updated daily. Good luck Lance Armstrong!

In a new press release, Sony describes their upcoming Palm handheld as a "personal entertainment organizer" and refers to its "rich AV functionality". They have also released a data sheet and an ad which are unfortunately only available in Japanese.

For the first time, Sony has given the devices names, though not very interesting ones. The color version will be the PEG-S500C and the black and white the PEG-S300.

The devices will come standard with a Web browser to handle images as well as image file management software to share information with PCs.

The release also confirms some old facts, like a built-in Memory Stick slot and Jog Dial.

Update: Yahoo is saying that they will sell for 55,000 yen ($510) for the black-and-white and 60,000 yen ($555) for the color version.

The first semi-official meeting of RJPUG will be on the next Thursday, 07/20/00, 19:00 at the Big Ben Pub – Rua Muniz Barreto 374 – Botafogo – Rio de Janeiro

For more information, please check our Web Site. Anyone can attend. Please tell your friends and don't forget your Palm.

The Kansas City Palm User Group (KCPUG) will hold it's July meeting this Saturday, July 15. Please check out our site at www.interpug.com/kcpug for meeting details. As usual we will have give away. Our meetings are for new and experienced users of the Palm platform.

eKiosk.com and Clarinet Infrared Systems have announced a partnership agreement to provide wireless infrared connectivity to travelers carrying handheld and laptop devices. The first eKiosks installed with Clarinet's infrared ports are located at Northwest Airlines WorldClubs in Minneapolis and Detroit. IrDA compliance is fully supported by Palm, Microsoft, Apple, and Linux in their OS software.

U.K.-based mobile phone software maker Symbian and Palm may soon begin discussing further technological cooperation, Symbian CEO Colly Myers said on Tuesday. The move is expected to lead to a strong rivalry against Microsoft. Symbian has been working on a wireless operating system called Quartz, while Palm has been jointly working on a pen based Nokia phone.

"We want to make many alliances with many makers. But at the moment, nothing beyond the Nokia's project has been decided on collaborating with Symbian." remarked Craig Will a representative director of Palm Computing K. K.

Alexis Martial, Palm's Director of Engineering, Europe, said at Mobile Insights's Go Mobile Europe conference that, by next year, Palm will support both Bluetooth and GPRS.

"Our Bluetooth rollout strategy is quite aggressive but I can't give you any specific dates," Martial said. The company is already designing new clip-on Bluetooth modules with innovative designs. He went on to say that they aren't yet committed to designing Palms with built-in Bluetooth but they are still considering it.

Vindigo has announced the availability of a Vindigo Conduit for the Macintosh, opening access to its free mobile service for Palm devices to Macintosh users. Previously available only for PC customers, now Mac users can take advantage of the power of Vindigo's mobile entertainment guides and local content for Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. to make fast, informed decisions about where to Eat, Shop and Play. Download it here.

In a related story, Palmtop Publishing has released a guide to next week's MacWorld show in New York. It offers a Macworld Schedule, Macworld Magazine's top picks on hotels, midtown restaurants, bars, museums, broadway shows, sporting events, and Fifth Ave, Madison Ave, & SOHO shopping districts you won't want to miss while you're in the Big Apple next week.