iAnywhere, a subsidiary of Sybase, and Alltel announced that the two companies will jointly market the AvantGo mobile Internet service to Alltel subscribers. This offer enables Alltel subscribers to take further advantage of Alltel’s Axcess MobileLink unlimited data plan for smartphones. With AvantGo, Alltel smartphone users can wirelessly access optimized mobile Web sites.

Microsoft released an upgraded version of a wireless optical mouse intended for laptop users and plans to introduce two new desktop mice–one laser and one optical–by this summer. All of the new products rely on the company’s High Definition technology, which is aimed at supplying improved mouse responsiveness, at least six months of battery life, and smoother tracking over uneven surfaces.

Siemens Communications announced the AC75, a new EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) wireless module for the machine-to-machine communication to market. The AC75 is specifically designed for industries that place high demands on technology such as extreme temperature conditions ranging from -30 degrees Celsius to +85 degrees Celsius or rugged environments. It features quadruple band-capable frequencies of 850/900/1800/1900 MHz for potential use in all GSM wireless networks worldwide and will be available in the United States beginning in Q3 2006.

SouthernLINC Wireless and Research In Motion announced plans to offer BlackBerry to customers in the Southeast. SouthernLINC Wireless plans to offer the BlackBerry 7100i, which provides subscribers with a stylish handset that smoothly integrates support for phone, email, InstantLINCSM Mobile to Mobile, text messaging, organizer, Web browsing, and other third-party applications. Featuring GPS capabilities, the BlackBerry 7100i device is also ideal for mobile professionals who need the instant-contact power of push-to-talk service, combined with the productivity benefits supported by GPS.

Yahoo! and Research In Motion have expanded their strategic global alliance to bring Yahoo! services to BlackBerry users around the world, including Yahoo! Go for Mobile, Yahoo! Search, Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! Messenger.

Research In Motion and Entel PCS launched the BlackBerry 8700g wireless handheld in Chile. Chileans are the first customers in South America to experience the re-engineered, faster BlackBerry 8700g on Entel’s high-speed EDGE network. The BlackBerry 8700g features a bright, landscape QVGA (320 x 240) LCD screen that supports more than 65,000 colors and delivers exceptionally vivid graphics. The BlackBerry 8700g automatically adjusts both the LCD and keyboard lighting to optimal levels in outdoor, indoor and dark environments. With a powerful Intel processor, 64 MB flash memory, 16 MB SDRAM and an optimized device platform, the BlackBerry 8700g offers faster Web browsing, attachment viewing and application performance.

The $100 laptop is coming together, its founder says, but without the famous crank. Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of One Laptop Per Child, said in a keynote at LinuxWorld here that OLPC is preparing to deliver its first 5 million to 10 million machines late this year or early in 2007. The machines will come with 7-inch screens and a 500MHz processor from Advanced Micro Devices, will use flash memory in lieu of a hard drive, and will run a Linux operating system. The hand crank, which was criticized by Bill Gates, Microsoft’s chairman, will be moved to the machine’s power supply brick, however.

Remoba, developer of software solutions for mobile phones, announced the release of RemoMail, a software application that provides access to email on everyday mobile phones, helping keep users connected to family, friends and business contacts. RemoMail users can access up to five different personal and corporate email accounts without the need to carry around complex PDAs and smartphones. Developed for QUALCOMM’s BREW solution, RemoMail is an affordable, downloadable application, which gives it considerable mass market appeal.

We just got a press release that Radio 2.0 is apparently live. It’s time to play “Guess the buzzwords” in this week’s Bad PR Hall of Shame submission (and it’s only Wednesday). Here’s what we were sent in the introduction to the press release: “This exciting new platform, based on the Web 2.0 trend that introduces new levels of interactivity and collaboration to Net services, will be the world’s largest user-programmed social network centered on audio.”

Given that we haven’t tortured our PR friends in a week or so, here’s how it reads to us:

“This exciting new platform” = we built something that might work, maybe
“based on the Web 2.0 trend” = we hear “Web 2.0” is hot with VCs right now
“introduces new levels of interactivity” = if it ain’t “beam me up, Scotty” it ain’t new.
“Net services” = yippee! We done got us-selves one of them new-fangled Web sites.
“world’s largest” = Oh, please, someone visit our Web site (“world’s largest” in PR is always a clue that it isn’t)
“user-programmed social network” = them VCs seem to be hot on “social networks” this week, too
“centered on audio” = Maybe Kazaa got busted, but we’ve got a scheme. They’ll never figure us out

Of course, we wish Radio 2.0 oodles of luck. But we don’t have high hopes. Where’s the beef, people? Where’s the beef?

Proporta has released a selection of products for Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX 500 series. Accessories include the Alu-Leather case, sync and charge cable, an aluminum case, screen protectors, and a magnetic docking mount.