Palm, Inc. today announced that they will be forming a "wholly owned subidiary to contain the Platform Solutions Group," the folks in charge of the Palm Operating System. The OS division has been separate from the hardware group in principle, but not literally. The new arrangement will make the separation more formal, with the hope of giving licensees a greater sense of security when competing against the Palm hardware group.

In an earlier announcement, Palm reported that Sears stores are offering Palm handheld computers nationwide. "Palm handhelds are becoming ubiquitous. Their availability at Sears is recognition of their growing popularity with customers," said Ray Brown, Vice President of home electronics at Sears.

Intermec Technologies Corp. is now shipping its popular 5020 family of handheld data collection computers pre-loaded with Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 and SQL Server 2000 Windows CE Edition (SQL Server CE). "Intermec is among the first to market with a Windows CE 3.0-based device with an embedded SQL Server CE database engine. The Intermec 5020 and 5023 handheld computers are designed specifically for rugged, enterprise-wide duty, allowing information collected on the "front line," from loading dock to warehouse, to be easily integrated into a company's IT infrastructure.

Golfers should check out the new SkyGolf GPS, a GPS and software combo for lovers of the links. "SkyGolf GPS gives you distances, not just to the center of the green, but to all of the points on a hole critical to scoring. With accurate yardages to all of these essential points you'll have the information you need to choose the right club and to decide when to play aggressively and when to play it safe," according to the literature. Available for Palm V and Handspring Visors, SkyGolf retails for US$399.

Audible and Card Access began shipping their new Audible Advisor module, bringing spoken book content to the Handspring Visor line of Palm OS handhelds. "The Audible Advisor offers compelling content, ease of use, and the ability to transform Handspring Visors into personalized readers of great spoken audio. I can't wait to listen to my daily newspaper during my commute," said Ed Colligan, Handspring's COO. With 16MB of storage capacity, the Audible Advisor is capable of storing and playing back more than 4.4 hours of Audible's Internet-delivered audio. Audible Advisor is priced at US$129.95. As an introductory special, the Audible Advisor will be priced at US$49.95 with the customer's participation in Audible's BasicListener flat-rate monthly membership plan for one year.

Compaq announced that its iPAQ Pocket PC "continues to fuel the company's next generation of Internet access with nearly half a million units shipped in the second quarter." Long in short supply, the channel is now full, according to company executives, and prospective purchasers should have no problem finding one. They're also offering a 'Cash in Hand' US$50 rebate on the iPAQ Pocket PC H3635.

-Steve Holden (sholden@pencomputing.com)