Metrowerks has announced a new suite of embedded developer tools (US$2500 per seat) that now supports a total of seven processor families: Hitachi SH-4; the Motorola M-Core, PowerPC, and 68K; NEC V850, MIPS, and x86. In the near future these tools will support a host of commercial real-time operating systems (RTOS). In related news, Metrowerks' CodeWarrior Analysis Tools (CATS) is getting praise from Red Storm Entertainment, the developers of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Force 21 (real-time 3D tactical/strategic wargames), as a critical tool for "isolating and correcting performance bottlenecks" that has increased game performance in some areas by 300%. [SOURCE: Business Wire]

Microsoft has reportedly announced plans to release their "source code" for their "wireless handset" based Windows CE savvy microbrowser for free sometime in Q2'1999. Analysts see this as the "first shot" by Microsoft in the "microbrowser war" that is starting up between Microsoft and other companies in this marketplace like Unwired Planet. [Communications Today, 03/03/99]

International Data Corporation (IDC) has announced a new study that shows that 3Com's Palm Computing Palm OS has taken a 46.8% share of the European handheld market in 1998--17.1% more than its nearest competitor (Psion), which holds 29.7%. [SOURCE: M2 Presswire, 03/02/99]

Network Computing has an in-depth review of the new Aironet Wireless Communications' 4800 Turbo DS Series wireless LAN technology that has reportedly broken the 10Mbps Ethernet performance barrier. The PC Cards for the clients cost US$600 each, and the "wireless-LAN access point" lists for under US$1700.

The PalmMate Team has released version 3.0.1 of World Mate for Palm OS. This "popular" world clock, currency converter, and clothes size translator utility is only US$15 shareware.

Jean-Louis Villecroze has announced the release of Version R18 of NewtProlog Beta. And a new Newton savvy "electronic book" has also been posted to the above URL that contains "geek humor" called the "Tao of Programming."

BONUS ARTICLE--Mark Rollins has announced a new potential design for a Newton stand.

-Steve Holden (sholden@pencomputing.com)