Japanese fans of Nintendo’s dual-screen DS portable game machine may soon be able to surf the Web and watch high-def television programs on their devices in addition to playing games. Taking another step in its strategy to develop features that will appeal to more than just hard-core game fans, the Japanese company said on Wednesday that it plans to begin selling a Web browser in June and launch a card with a digital television receiver by the end of the year. The company declined to give specific details on the television feature, but it said a card with an antenna will enable owners to watch television programs for mobile devices, which Japanese broadcasters are expected to begin offering from April 1. The Web browser, developed with Norway’s Opera Software, will be sold as a DS card in June. Users will be able to insert the Wi-Fi card into the DS to browse the Internet in areas with wireless connectivity.

Memeo announced its latest backup software for iPod–Memeo iExtend–will be sold exclusively on Amazon.com through March. Memeo iExtend expands the capabilities of iPod beyond music and makes it easier to access content from an iPod such as photos, email, contacts, calendars, PowerPoint presentations, etc. Memeo iExtend also gives users the ability to access RSS news feeds from their iPod. The Memeo + Shutterfly integrated feature provides users with an effortless way to share, print and protect precious digital moments and instantly detects new digital photos and automatically manages the photo uploading process in the background. iExtend gives users the ability to automatically update their iPod without having to connect to iTunes.

nova media has updated its mobile connection wizard Mobile High Speed to version 5.3.3, introducing support for more mobile phones and network operators. The new release is now compatible to Siemens S75 and Siemens SL75, Sony Ericsson W900i as well as Motorola L7 SLVR and Motorola V360. In addition, connection settings for new network operators in Germany, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia are included. Mobile High Speed for Palm OS will configure any Palm OS 4.x or 5.x device to go online in seconds supporting most mobile phones from many manufacturers like Motorola, Nokia, Siemens, and Sony Ericsson. Featuring a one-click connection to the Internet, the software includes more than 200 settings to establish 3G UMTS, EDGE, and GPRS connections with most network operators worldwide.

Verizon Wireless filed two lawsuits Tuesday that charge telemarketing companies with illegal solicitation of its wireless-phone customers. The lawsuits, filed in state Superior Court in Somerville, N.J., claim that the companies named in the suit violated the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, as well as state fraud and privacy laws.

Nokia and Sanyo Electric said on Tuesday that they plan to form a global mobile-phone joint venture, helping the world’s largest phone maker boost business in its weaker markets and giving a shot in the arm to the struggling Japanese electronics maker. The two companies said they will develop and make mobile phones for the CDMA standard, dominant in the United States and popular in parts of Latin America and Asia, including Japan, India, and China.

E-Plus and Research In Motion announced the launch of the BlackBerry 8700g for corporate and individual customers in Germany. The new, sleek, lightweight and stylish BlackBerry 8700g features a completely re-engineered device platform that is optimized to significantly enhance performance and usability. The new BlackBerry 8700g–the ultimate balance of performance, design and function–will be available from E-Plus in February.

BoxWave announced Armor Case for Apple iPod 5G Video 30GB and 60GB. Armor Case is a form-fitting, trendy aluminum case that is designed to fit your Apple iPod 5G Video perfectly. It’s exterior is made of anodized aluminum that is strong yet lightweight while the interior is padded with a layer of foam for optimal security. The Armor Case also features a clear plexiglass window that protects your iPod 5G Video’s screen so you can easily read your display.

I apologize for the lack of news yesterday, some morning dental work put me a bit under the weather and zonked me out.–Ed.

In February 1946, J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly were about to unveil, for the first time, an electronic computer to the world. Their ENIAC, or Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, could churn 5,000 addition problems in one second, far faster than any device yet invented. The scientists knew that they had created something that would change history, but they weren’t sure how to convey their breakthrough to the public. So they painted numbers on some light bulbs and screwed the resulting “translucent spheres” into ENIAC’s panels. Dynamic, flashy lights would thereafter be associated with the computer in the public mind. That touch of showmanship would later prove fitting for the importance of the ENIAC, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this week at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electrical of Electrical Engineering. Many historians acknowledge that other computers came earlier–the Z3 in Germany, England’s Colossus, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC) at Iowa State. But ENIAC arguably accomplished something more important: It sparked the imagination of scientists and industrialists.

Access announced some definitive plans for the Palm operating system–and the future is Linux. It was the first such announcement since Access bought the struggling Palm OS maker Palmsource last September, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. The next version of the Palm OS is code-named ALP, which is short for the Access Linux Platform. PalmSource expects to make the ALP SDK available to its licensees by the end of 2006, meaning it would likely appear in devices by mid-2007 if anyone licenses it.