Computer Retail Week and Business Wire are reporting that Windows CE partners are getting a "slow" start in the palmtop market, and that it appears that 3Com continues to not only hold marketshare but could be gaining market share. The analysts also feel that 3Com's new Palm OS devices--the Palm VII (wireless) and the Palm V (smaller)--will only "preserve and possibly extend" 3Com's lead in this marketplace. In 1998, there were over 3.9 million handheld units sold worldwide (up 61.4% from 1997). [OTHER SOURCES: Network World, Gartner Group's Dataquest, International Data Corp. (IDC)]

Andrew Brown notes that you can check out Palm V pictures at a couple of sites, including here and here. If you haven't seen the issue yet, there are also a few images in issue 26 of our own magazine Pen Computing.

Tripod Data Systems has announced a "real-time, stand-alone GPS/GIS mapping system" for Windows CE devices called "SOLO CE."

Stephen Pang at Psion notes that Atelier has licensed SimCity Classic from Electronic Arts and has ported it to the Psion Series 5. The application should be ready for download by the end of February 1999, and can be purchased online via Purple Software or New World Technologies.

Innovative Global Solutions has announced a new smart phone device called the NeoPoint 1000 that will only cost US$300 and weigh just 6.4 ounces. The device can communicate using voice (voice mail) or data (Internet, FAX, email, text-messages).

AMUG has announced "Totally Incomplete PDA CD-ROM #14 for Newton" with over "1000 packages on the Mac side and 300 on the PC side of this CD-ROM for the Newton 2.x user." There is a special offer currently available from AMUG that brings the price of the CD-ROM to US$29 + S&H (MSRP of US$42). For more information send email to sales@amug.org.

-Steve Holden (sholden@pencomputing.com)