NS BASIC Corporation has announced "NS Basic/CE--a complete BASIC programming environment that runs on Windows CE for the Handheld PC and Windows CE Handheld PC Professional Edition." This new version supports WINSOCK comms, ActiveX objects, and can access the new Pocket Access database application now bundled with Windows CE 2.11. The list price is under US$100, and NS Basic/CE ships with a 175-page "pocket size handbook."

ZDNet's Anchordesk examines "PALMPILOT PRICES CUT--Top-selling handheld faces new competition from WinCE devices."

UPI's "Cyber Briefs" published on 08Oct98 notes that "Microsoft [has announced plans to] join eBook industry effort" at the National Institute of Standards & Technology's (NIST) "eBook" conference being held in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The key part of this effort will be in building a common file specification that all devices will "adhere" to and support.

Reuters is reporting that Sony has announced plans to launch their new "personal digital assistant game tool" called "PocketStation" in Japan on 23Dec98.

Malaysia's COMPUTIMES is reporting that PHILIPS Malaysia is now shipping their Velo 500 Windows CE handheld PC within Malaysia. The Velo 500 comes with a much faster CPU and more memory than PHILIPS' Velo 1.

Nikkei English News is reporting that Fujitsu Laboratories based in Tokyo, Japan has created a new handwriting recognition application for pen-based computers that can read "even terrible handwriting" with a 90% recognition rate.

Tom Spearman is selling used Newton MessagePad 120s (Newton OS 1.3, US$99) and MessagePad 130s (Newton OS 2.0, US$139) via his Hardcore Mac online store.

-Steve Holden (sholden@pencomputing.com)