The world’s most populous nation has evolved into a leading electronics market, with newly wealthy consumers snapping up everything from the latest mobile phones to digital cameras and MP3 portable audio players. In a nod to China’s growing importance and sophistication, many of the world’s top electronics makers–from cellphone giants like Motorola and Nokia to chip designers like Intel–now boast major product development and specialization centers in China.

Broadband technology is changing at a wildly accelerated pace. Whether it’s EvDO technology in your new Treo 700p or WiFi in your local coffee shop, it’s clear Internet access is leaving POTS (Plain Ol’ Telephone System) connections behind. One of the most exciting areas of innovation is broadband over powerline (BPL) technology, which distributes high-speed Internet connectivity over your household powerlines. We examine BPL in-depth this week in a detailed, exclusive interview with Chano Gomez, one of the leading experts on this technology.

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

Proporta has added accessories for a number of Mitac Mio devices including the Mitac Mio P350/P550 and C310/C710. Proporta has designed Aluminum-Lined Leather Cases to protect your Mitac Mio from impact, bumps and scratches. This case is available in a Book Type which closes at the side, and a Flip Type which closes at the bottom. Proporta’s Advanced Screen Protector will not fail to protect the screen of your device from scratches, dust and impact. Proporta is also extending the product line for the Mitac Mio A701 and has introduced a Aluminum Case.

PNY Technologies has introduced its new flash drive Attache Pro. Attache Pro will be available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB, allowing you to transfer your big presentations, charts or videos in few seconds. The Attache Pro allows you to protect your data thanks to the Secure Lock software. The easy to use, Secure Lock function will then enable you to set a password to prevent unauthorized read or write access to all or part of your data.

Although it doesn’t necessarily pertain to computing per se, we felt it important to bring the news to readers that a new law has been passed in Florida that the driver of a vehicle overtaking a cyclist must maintain “a safe distance of not less than 3 feet between the vehicle and the bicycle.” According to the League of American Bicyclists, Arizona, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Utah and Wisconsin have similar laws.

Microsoft will start selling a wireless digital music and video player to compete with Apple’s iPod by Christmas. The new player, which Microsoft has been touting to record companies in the last few weeks, will let users download music and videos over the air, according to one source, a feature which would give it an edge over the iPod. Microsoft has also been showing a new media software, developing an application akin to Apple’s iPod/iTunes integrated ecosystem, according to another source.

TDS (Tripod Data Systems) announced the next generation of its popular TDS Recon rugged handheld computer. The new Recon X-Series gives users the option of integrated Bluetooth and 802.11g wireless capabilities, and it comes with Windows Mobile 5.0, the latest version of Microsoft’s software for handheld devices. The new Recon handheld computer includes two models, both with more Flash memory than before. The Recon 200X features a 200 MHz Intel XScale processor and 128 MB of Flash memory; the Recon 400X features a 400 MHz processor and 256 MB of Flash memory. Other new features include a built-in microphone, a redesigned keypad and an improved color touchscreen.

Organizations looking for a secure mobility solution without requiring internal IT resources, will now have the gold-standard in wireless as an offering from hosting service providers. Research In Motion announced availability of Hosted BlackBerry Enterprise Server, new software that enables service providers to offer a hosted, managed service of the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution. Hosted BlackBerry Enterprise Server incorporates complete security, reliability, IT policy controls, compliance, and mobile application platform features for small and medium size businesses.

Handy Weather software for Windows Mobile-based smartphones will keep you connected with updated forecast anytime and anywhere. All you need is Internet connectability to get weather news and forecast for 40 000+ preset cities worldwide and for any arbitrary location by coordinates (latitude and longitude). No more complicated menus to scroll through to find the info you need. Just add Handy Weather to your Home screen and enjoy exact weather forecast.

Use SmarterMail Sync to easily synchronize your contacts, tasks, and calendar items with Microsoft Outlook 2000, XP, and 2003. Synchronize your contacts, tasks, and calendar items with Pocket PC 2005, allowing you to sync on the move. Download any of the SmarterMail Sync tools for FREE from within SmarterMail Enterprise Edition.