PC Week Labs has posted a "review" of two new prototype color palm-size PCs--one is the Everex's FreeStyle 540 and the other is HP's Jornada 420.

The Edupage published on 07Feb99 has a news blurb of potential interest entitled "PALMPILOTS OFFER DIRECT-DIAL SHOPPING" which reviews an article published in TechWeb (05Feb99). According to Edupage/TechWeb, the British supermarket chain "Safeway" (which is no longer linked to the United States' Safeway supermarket chain) is working on a personalized shopping list system that uses PalmPilot devices with scanners to track used products at home, and then restock the used products upon return to the supermarket.

Motorola has announced a new cellular phone savvy organizer that is called "StarTac Mobile Organizer" (US$250, 2.3 ounces). The new device is the first product out of Motorola's new Starfish Software subsidiary and will support TrueSynch to Microsoft Outlook, IBM's Lotus Organizer and Notes, Starfish's Sidekick, Yahoo's Web Calendar and Address Book, and to PalmPilot and REX Pro devices. It should be shipping in Q2'99. [SOURCE: Reuters, Therese Poletti, 07Feb99]

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has announced a new "upgrade" to their HP CapShare 910 information appliance (US$699, portable scanner) that will enable the device to communicate with all Windows CE 2.0 devices not just HP's suite of devices. The upgrade also improves the "click-and-capture" procedure, TIFF support, and better battery life. [SOURCE: Business Wire]

-Steve Holden (sholden@pencomputing.com)