A microscopic swimming robot unveiled by Chinese scientists could eventually be used for drug delivery or to clear arteries in humans, say researchers. The 3 millimeter-long triangular machine was constructed by Tao Mei of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, and colleagues from the University of Science and Technology of China.

A Polytechnical university in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province has developed a robot that can help set bones, conduct surgeries and conduct medical research. According to researchers with Harbin University, they have developed two types of the robot: a mainframe built on a wholly-digital platform to carry out medical research and track state-of-the-art technologies of the world, and a smaller system for clinical use.

PalmOne settled a consumer class action lawsuit Thursday that alleged its older model handheld computers could damage desktop computers when users “HotSync” the devices to their PCs. PalmOne denied any wrongdoing or liability in the settlement, but agreed to pay affected consumers either $200 in cash, or an $80- or $20-credit toward a palmOne product, depending on the level of proof of damage the consumer provided.

PalmSource, provider of Palm OS introduced Palm OS Cobalt 6.1, an enhanced version of Palm OS Cobalt. Designed to accelerate the development of next-generation Palm Powered smartphones and wireless devices, Palm OS Cobalt 6.1 builds on the foundation of Palm OS Cobalt and provides integrated telephony features, support for WiFi and Bluetooth and enhancements to the user interface.

PalmSource, provider of Palm OS, introduced PalmSource Installer, a new Palm OS application installation technology designed to streamline the online and over-the-air (OTA) download and install process of Palm OS applications onto Palm Powered smartphones and other wireless devices. As part of PalmSource’s effort to make software titles more easily accessible for end users, PalmSource Installer can minimize the complexities commonly associated with loading software by providing one-touch software download and install functionality for Palm Powered smart mobile devices.

RemoteAmp is a Pocket PC remote control for Apple’s iTunes and Nullsoft’s Winamp media players. It operates over any network connection and acts as a supercharged remote interface for your entire music library.

Nextair announced it has dropped the software fees previously required for its flagship AIRIX Wireless Environment in an effort to encourage widespread adoption of wireless technology. The AIRIX Wireless Environment is a family of products that includes the AIRIX Design Studio, AIRIX Smart Client and the AIRIX Transaction Server. Together, these products provide the most innovative and advanced mobile data solution on the market today. Customers can typically have their wireless applications up and running in a couple of weeks.

RoboForm for Pocket PC and Palm lets people carry a 3DES-encrypted copy of their passwords, contacts and notes on PDAs, then use that copy to synchronize their passwords, contacts and notes with other computers that have RoboForm installed. RoboForm for Palm and RoboForm for Pocket PC are small device “siblings” of RoboForm, a Windows desktop-based password manager and form filler that automates logging in to online accounts and filling of online registration and shopping checkout forms.

Textware Solutions, publisher of the Fitaly alternative keyboard for the Palm and Pocket PC, announced the Dom Perignon IV Speed Contest, starting October 1, 2004 and ending November 6, 2004. The contest seeks those who can enter data the fastest on a Palm or Pocket PC, using a stylus. The Grand Prize winner in each category, Palm devices and Pocket PCs, will be awarded a prestigious bottle of Dom Perignon.

fun communications announced the new text messages manager for Palm Powered handhelds and smartphones: funSMS 5 PDA. funSMS 5 PDA supports the 5-way navigation button for comfortable navigation, an attractive layout, and optimized graphics for high and low resolution.