Looking for a real-time multitasking kernel for the next handheld device you plan to build? Then you should definitely take a look at the KADAK AMX kernel being used on 3Com PalmPIlot devices and on other solutions from Sony, HP, and Hughes Aircraft.

Wind River Systems (WRS) has acquired Zinc Software's GUI portable application creation tool and is busy integrating the technology into WRS' VXWorks operating system. This move will reportedly give developers more advance programming tools and the ability to create solutions not only for VXWorks but also for other embedded OSes like OS-9 and QNX. [PC Week, Peter Coffee, 06Jul98, page 16]

Geoworks has announced that they have ported and are offering to OEM customers/partners access to a version of GEOS-SC running on ARM processor enabled devices. GEOS-SC comes with support for Sun's PersonalJava technology. [Top Technology Showcase, Joshua Piven, Jul98, page 10]

Ira Brodsky tackles the topic of "After inching along, wireless data prepares for takeoff" in his "Totally Unplugged" column on page 42 of Network World published on 13Jun98.

John Spooner examines "Will Razor [codename for the next-generation Palm Pilot architecture] Cut Windows CE Sales?" on page 16 of the PC Week published on 13Jul98. The article also includes some tidbits on Microsoft's future Windows CE OS features. You should be able to find the complete article on ZDNet.

Object Design Inc. (ODI) has announced a "Java based object database" system for Windows CE devices called ObjectStore pSE 2.0. The software has a 300K footprint and will cost US$295 for a developer license and each user using a database built using the tool will incur a US$99 cost. Both Cloudscape and Sybase have announced similar type products.

Concept Kitchen has created a free newsletter that keeps interested parties tuned-in with what they are up to. They have also created some handheld related online discussion boards, and have begun to collect handheld related "reviews".

George Henne reports the release of a couple of NewtCard sample stacks: Notes.sit by Tim Crouse, and Registrations.sit by Chris Christian. You can learn more and download them from the NS BASIC Corporation WWW site.

Patrick Ng notes that DJ/Computer Consultant Dr. Wong has posted some tidbits of the next-generation Apple Newton/Mac OS device.

-Steve Holden (sholden@pencomputing.com)