Palm announced yesterday the Palm Mobile Internet Kit, a software app that allows millions of Palm users worldwide to connect wirelessly to the Internet using a mobile phone or a Palm-compatible modem.

The Kit will allow users of any upgradable Palm (the Palm III, Palm IIIx, Palm IIIxe and Palm V) to use Palm's Web clipping service (PQA), WAP, and ActualSoft's MultiMail. In order to use these new functions, it also contains an upgrade to OS 3.5. It will be available worldwide later this year for less than $50.

McAfee has released a handheld antivirus app, VirusScan for Handheld. It works by scanning your Palm every time it gets hotsynced. Most of the app resides on your PC, only a 3k app is on your Palm.

McAfee describes the need for the software like this: "Each time you sync with a PC, receive email wirelessly, or accept an infrared transfer, you risk introducing a virus into your system. That's because PC anti-virus applications don't defend against viruses that come through a handheld sync operation. "

This isn't an application you buy; it is a service you lease. It costs $59.95 per year.

Handspring co-founder Jeff Hawkins gave a keynote speech at the PC Expo today in which he spoke in praise of "unconventional wisdom". For example, he said that conventional wisdom is that devices should adapt to people. Hawkins, however, believes that if you make a very useful device, people will learn how to use it, and he cited the keyboard as an example.

Conventional wisdom is that PDAs will become more and more like PCs. "It is very difficult not to add features to products," he said. "But it's important just to do the important things well ... and a faster CPU is not as important as a faster user experience."

He also praised the advantages or using a closed standard, like Springboard, verses and open standard, like the new Secure Digital (SD) slot.

Exclusive to Palm InfoCenter

Palm InfoCenter reporter Mike Cane is at the PC Expo in New York and he submitted this brief report from the show floor. Ryan will be attending PC Expo on Wednesday. He will add details to this report with his own report, as well as, it is hoped, provide news about the many things Mike did not see.

This report was greatly updated and hugely expanded at midnight Eastern U.S. time. If you read the previous version, you should read this one, too, because it contains a tremendous amount of new information.

The French site PDAfrance has posted two pictures of the Sony Palm device that will be shown at the PC Expo this week. One picture shows the device in its cradle and the other is a side view (you can see the memory stick and Jog Dial.)

The most interesting thing about the second picture is it seems to show an Infrared port, which has not been mentioned in any of the releases on the device so far.

UPDATE: For more pictures of the Sony Palm Prototype click here.

TRG announced today at PC Expo that all new TRGPro handhelds will run applications directly from Compact Flash memory. The new feature - AutoCF™ - can be downloaded on TRGPro handheld computers beginning July 1, 2000. At the same time, the TRGPro will also come standard with Palm's latest operating system, Palm OS 3.5.

Palm will announce today support for the new Secure Digital (SD) slot, technology for offering add-ons such as MP3 players,additional storage, or Bluetooth. Palm will work SD technology into the OS and plans to release devices with SD slots by 2001.

"It's unique among form factors," said John Cooke, senior director of product marketing for Palm, highlighting the security SD offers and the advantages gained from its small size. An SD card is about the size of a postage stamp, he said. Handspring has "serious limitations because of the size of the Springboard device," he added.

Novatel Wireless has announced their Minstrel S Wireless Springboard Modem for the Handspring Visor. The Minstrel S will make its public debut at PC Expo in New York this week. The Minstrel S will also be available with 2 MB and 4 MB flash memory versions, the Minstrel S2 and Minstrel S4, respectively. Novatel Wireless expects to begin selling the products starting at an MSRP of approximately $369 at the end of the 3rd quarter.

On April 6, 2000, The Tennessean ran a lead article in the Living section of the Thursday edition entitled "Learn To Read Your Palm - Users' group meets to compare notes on hand-held computer organizers" There was even a teaser photo on the front page as well!

Catherine Darnell (Tennessean Staff Writer) came to our March meeting and conducted several follow-up interviews via telephone. Ms. Darnell did an excellent job reviewing the group. She really captured the essence of the meetings.

We've reprinted the article that appeared, and included full-page scans as well. The article appears courtesy of The Tennessean. For more information, please stop by the Nashville Palm Users Group web site.

Houston Area Palm User Group announces the formation of HAPUG. All interested parties are urged to show their interest in participating the establishment of a much needed organisation for Houstonians. Please visit HAPUG on the web at www.pachyderme.com/hapug/ you can contact Adrian Heath at adrianheath@pachyderme.com or 281-788-9838. HAPUG expects to hold it's first meeting in mid July. Please join us.

According to the auto-incrementing database counter this is our 1000^th news story. To mark the occasion I thought it would be nice to go over the history of the site and it's current status. Before I go into that, I wanted to mention that I will be attending the PC Expo on Wednesday. If anyone would like to put a face with the site or just chat at the Expo feel free to drop me a line. If OmniSky works inside of Jatvis, you can mail me on the show floor. I'll probably spend most of my time around the various Palm exhibits (handhelds are supposed to steal the show, you know).