We normally publish our Weekly Updates on the 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th of each month. This month, May 28th falls smack-dab in the middle of the U.S. Memorial Day weekend, which extends through Monday, May 30th. As a result, and to allow your esteemed editorial team to take part in a burger-munching mania, the May 28th issue of the Weekly Update will actually be published on Tuesday May 31. We hope all of you have a great weekend — and let’s not forget the brave folks for whom this holiday is intended: be strong and be safe.

palmOne launched the Treo 650 smartphone with Telcel, the leading mobile communications operator in Mexico. The Treo 650, the first all-in-one, quad-band smartphone in Mexico designed to operate with Telcel’s EDGE (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) network, combines a compact, full-featured mobile phone with email, a Palm OS organizer, messaging, Web access and digital camera, enabling users to organize and simplify their business and personal lives all in one device.

With the simultaneous purchase of of visKeeper and visKey, customers will receive a 50% rebate on visKey. This special offer is only valid for transactions with sfr GmbH sales partner Handango and ends 06/09/2005. The offer is good on purchases of visKeeper and visKey for either Pocket PC or Palm OS.

Voice Genesis, a mobile messaging software company, announced the availability of Vemail, voice-enabled email for mobile phones, to customers of Alltel and other major wireless carriers. Vemail makes it faster and easier for customers to send and receive email messages because they can not only retrieve, read and type email, but they can also speak email messages. Speaking messages is estimated to be 20 times faster than typing on a mobile phone keypad, even with predictive text entry. Customers can download Vemail over the air directly into their mobile phones and enjoy unlimited use for a low monthly fee of about $5.

Expanding its content offerings beyond mobile television and short films, SmartVideo Technologies announced that five new games developed specifically for smartphones are now available for download and play. SmartVideo has purchased the intellectual property rights for these games from Pixiem, as well as the gaming engine necessary to build and distribute additional games under the SmartVideo brand. The first new games developed by SmartVideo will be available on June 15, 2005.

Nokia announced a pocket-size Web browser for wireless broadband networks, the Finnish firm’s first Linux-based device and its first portable product without a built-in mobile phone. The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet is designed for browsing and email functions, the phone maker said. The gizmo has a 4-inch horizontal touch screen with zoom and an on-screen keyboard. It can be connected to the Net either from a hot spot or using Bluetooth via a compatible mobile phone, Nokia said. The tablet runs on Linux-based Nokia Internet Tablet 2005 software edition, which includes desktop Linux and open-source technologies.

ABC News and NBC News each plunged into the world of podcasting on Wednesday with plans to offer TV newscasts as on-demand audio programs over the Web. Podcasting software allows listeners to download audio shows for free, play them on computers and digital-music players when they want and subscribe to updates. The term comes from Apple Computer’s iPod, the digital-music player that’s taken the consumer electronics market by storm.

iAnywhere Solutions, a subsidiary of Sybase, launched a beta version of a new travel tool application for its AvantGo mobile Internet service. Building on the recently upgraded version of AvantGo 2005, this application will allow busy travelers immediate access to the information they need most–itineraries, weather, city guides, and door-to-door directions and mapping. The new travel application enhances AvantGo’s unparalleled personalized user experience and demonstrates the service’s commitment to provide its millions of users with the content they want–anytime, anywhere.

Mobile television company SmartVideo announced the availability of content from E! Entertainment Television direct to smartphones. As part of SmartVideo’s mobile video offering–which includes news, weather, sports, comedy, film shorts, and more–smartphone users will now have access to the latest celebrity and entertainment news content, including clips from E! News, a daily news program that covers the latest in entertainment news and information; The Awful Truth, hosted by E!’s Ted Casablanca who dishes out the latest celebrity dish; Red Carpet Moments highlighting award shows, movie premieres and parties; and Wild On! spotlighting the trendiest hotspots and best parties across the globe.

Mini-Keyboard 1.0 by ANIMATORsoft is a new virtual keyboard for Palm handhelds that significantly increases the speed and accuracy of typing. The program renders external keyboards and “graffiti-typing” essentially unnecessary. The program has two major advantages, the first is a new QWERTY layout with large keys. This layout does not take long getting used to and even inexperienced users report their typing speed increasing dramatically right after conversion. The second advantage of Mini-Keyboard is an option of opening horizontal (landscape) virtual keyboard. This keyboard features regular layout, but because it’s located horizontally, it’s almost twice as big and therefore much easier to use. Mini-Keyboard works as a popup window and can be used with a variety of Palm applications, like Memos, Calendar, Tasks, Mail, SMS, as well as with any third-party software that user regular text input fields.