More info on the JVC PocketMail device! Adam Creed at Newsbytes is reporting that the PocketMail device is actually a product developed by PocketScience based in Santa Clara, California. JVC America will market and sell the device in the United States, and Sharp USA will also market and sell a similar device called "TelMail" in select markets. The device communicates with a "central server" (service costs US$9.95 a month) using a normal telephone handset, and can send/receive email but can only send faxes. The connection to the service will be via a toll-free phone call in the United States. The initial JVC and Sharp PocketMail devices will cost between US$100-150 when released to the general public. ZDNET's AnchorDesk is also covering this story.

Computer Retail Week (14Sep98) has published two potentially interesting articles: "Handheld PC Vendors Are Hoping to Get Personal" and "Royal Proclaims Its Palmtops" (aka. daVinci).

Glen Brown's new book PalmPilot Resource Kit should be available soon from IDG Books Worldwide.

AvantGo is reportedly in the process of working out a system for Wired Digital that will bring "content advertising" possibilities to Palm Pilot devices within the near future. [SOURCE: Inter@ctive Week]

Hewlett-Packard has a new handheld scanner called the "HP CapShare 910" (12.5 ounces, size of a portable CD player, US$699) that can scan up to 50 pages of text and then wirelessly upload via IrDA the scanned data to a desktop or laptop PC. [SOURCES: Network World and Wired]

Intel has announced a new "Mobile Power Initiative" that will also focus on "home networking." To provide products for these arenas, Intel has also announced the existence of a development effort that they have underway for a new "single chip" processor that is ideal for future consumer products.

-Steve Holden (sholden@pencomputing.com)