Intel has announced a companion chip for their new StrongARM SA-1110 processor running at 133MHz or 206MHz called the Intel SA-1111 that will make the chip scalable to "small form factor" devices like palm-size PCs and smart phones. The core features of the SA-1111 are better performance, enhanced input/output (I/O), and more memory. Samples will ship in Jun99, and general availability is expected for Jul99. Pricing is in the US$28 each range for the 206MHz SA-1110 CPU, and US$15 for the SA-1111 CPU. [SOURCES: PC World, M2 PRESSWIRE, Business Wire, Network World, and Information Week]

The next generation of Windows CE operating systems are reportedly going to support more hardware platforms beyond palm-pc, handheld pc, and handheld pro pc form factors; they will have more "desktop" (code-named "Rapier," expected sometime in 1999) and "smart phone" (codenamed "Cedar," expected in 2000) capabilities. These next generations of Windows CE may including Microsoft Money in the ROM, better Web look and feel, and all the Pocket Applications will be "updated" with new features. Microsoft is also working on an update due in middle 1999 from Microsoft Windows CE Services 2.2 to 2.3 (codenamed "Xena") to fix desktop communications woes currently being experienced. [SOURCES: ZDNET's PC Week, InfoWorld]

Laridian Bible Software has released a host of Bible options for Windows CE devices via www.palmbible.com. The PalmBible program costs US$10; Bible versions such as the KJV, the NKJV, and the NLV are US$20, with the NIV and the NASB being US$30. PalmBible supports all the current Windows CE form factors and processors.

Steve Kramer notes that a Chicago suburb school district has announced a "host" of used Apple eMate 300s now available for sale. You can email Steve for more information.

ScheduleOnline, built by San Diego, California's Jintek, is a new Web-based calendar site aimed at small- to mid-sized businesses and non-profit organizations that includes data synchronization capabilities with Palm OS devices.

Symbian has announced the acquisition of Origin's UK Advanced Technology Group based in Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK). The offices in Cambridge will be retained by Symbian, and the site will continue to port the Symbian's EPOC platform to multiple CPUs like ARM and Motorola's M-CORE RISC.

George Capalbo has announced that on Tuesday, 13Apr99, at 7pm, MIT Room 3-133, the Boston PDA User's Group will present a discussion of general PDA topics. The meeting is free, and open to all users of PDA technology including Palm OS, Windows CE, and Newton. This meeting will feature a demo of a wearable computer display by Mark Spitzer, CEO of MicroOptical Corporation.

The March-April 1999 issue of InterText has been released. This new issue features a FirstText column by Jason Snell, plus four short stories by Marcus Eubanks, Redmond James, Richard K. Weems, and Anna Olswanger. InterText is distributed in the following formats: HTML, text, PDF, Postscript, PalmPilot DOC, and Newton Book.

PDA-Dash has a "Discussions" board that has a very interesting thread devoted to "an ex-Apple employee's memory on what happened during the end of the Newton development and engineering time frame" currently available here in the forums.

-Steve Holden (sholden@pencomputing.com)