Proporta have released a new aluminium hard case for the Sonly Clie PEG-T series. The Proporta aluminium Clie case is hinged on the right hand side. This design feature gives the user access to the Clie’s jog wheel with the device in the case. The case also features cutaways for infrared beaming, stylus removal, and HotSync operation.

The Register reports Palm, Inc was considering Linux as the foundation of the next-generation Palm OS as recently as last spring. According to the article, the idea was killed by the lawyers, who concluded that Palm couldn’t reconcile the GPL with the in-house view of intellectual property.

Meanwhile, the SCOTTeVEST is taking heat for its use of Miss Rebecca Scott, Playboy Playmate August 99, in its advertising. According to the company, about 99.9% of the feedback was positive, but the .1% was the most vocal. Recently Mike Wendland, the Detroit Free Press’ technology reporter, opined in his column, “I’m abandoning my eVEST because of the exploitive advertising tactics used to promote it.” Mr. Wendland came to this conclusion after admitting that: “It’s been great at airports. I loaded the pockets up with all my gadgets and gizmos and then tossed the eVEST on the security belt, instead of having to remove everything item by item and put them in those cumbersome plastic trays. I really appreciated wearing my eVEST during mountain bike rides as a windbreaker because I could securely and comfortably carry a cell phone in case I took a tumble and needed help on a remote trail. [T]he eVEST was never too warm, even after exercise.” SCOTTeVEST creator Scott Jordan weighs in on whether the campaign is too sexy.

IBM threatened to sue SCOTTeVEST for our use of “e” in their logo because they claim that the logo will confuse people. They are concerned that people will mistakenly think that SCOTTeVEST is associated with IBM’s eBusiness Solutions division. According to SCOTTeVEST, for the record, they have no intention of going into that line of business.

Handspring, Inc. announced the availability of the Treo 270 in New Zealand. Treo 270 is a compact, full-color wireless communicator that integrates a mobile phone, wireless applications like email and Internet browsing, and a Palm OS organiser all in one. Treo 270 also has a built-in, backlit QWERTY keyboard and enhanced battery life.

Palm, Inc. said that the Palm handheld has been named the “Best Overall Handheld Device for Education” and the Palm OS platform has been named “Best Handheld Platform for Education” by eSchool News in its annual Readers’ Choice awards announced this month. eSchool News, read by more than 150,000 school administrators and technology professionals, expanded its Readers’ Choice Awards series this year to include handheld technologies for grades K-12. The newspaper cited price and the availability of applications that give educators the ability to place technology in the hands of each student more affordably than with desktop or laptops. More than 500 school leaders voted for what they considered to be the best devices and applications.

There’s a new role-playing game available at Mythological.com called Princess Demelza. They say it’s actually a significantly larger puzzle than the original “Return Of Kra’an” and contains completely new mazes, maps, and puzzles. Additionally there is more than one way to play out the adventure. All the action takes place in and around the story of the search for Princess Demelza who is kidnapped by the evil Kra’an underworld. The infamous “Dragon Bane Sword” becomes the ransom and the King is torn between finding his daughter alive and not letting the sword fall into the evil clutches of Kra’an’s followers. There are 32 maps of interactive puzzle solving. It’s available for the Palm OS and costs $10.00.

Issues and decisions surrounding death can be a very difficult, confusing, and costly process. Funeral planning decisions alone can be emotionally overwhelming and financially devastating. To assist in this process, there’s new software called Digital Funeral Planner, a professional software product for both PC and PDA applications. It’s being called a comprehensive “end-of-life” planning tool. Key categories include: Immediate Information, Service Details and Decisions, Personal Favorites, Last Words, Spirituality, Family Input, Financial/Estate Issues, Private Information, and Sensitive Issues. A free demo version is available.

Datoru Drosibas Tehnologijas announced the release of FlyZip XR 1.6 based on the patent pending data compression technology. FlyZip XR 1.6 is small, 19KB data compression utility for Palm OS handhelds and smartphones. Some of the Palm OS applications, depending on data structure, can be compressed five and more times. Compression speed on typical Palm OS device is about 30KB/sec.

CNET News.com reports SanDisk added Palm CFO Judy Bruner to its board of directors.