Handspring released preliminary software development tools to help developers optimize solutions for the Treo 600. Handspring also introduced Treo Optimized guidelines through which developers can ensure the highest level of compatibility and ease of use for solutions running on Treo 600 or any other wireless member of the Treo family. Treo Optimized solutions receive additional sales support prioritization through Handspring’s and its carrier partners’ online and retail channels.

Palm unveiled an update to its Tungsten T device, T2. Forbes reports that T2 has the latest Palm operating system, version 5.2.1. Among other things, the software supports MP3 music playback, digital photos and video clips. And like the original Tungsten, it has integrated Bluetooth support, which means that it can sync wirelessly with a Bluetooth-enabled PC or Apple computer, and can also connect to many Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and printers.

It’s been an interesting maintenance day here at ZATZ. After the Verizon folks left, we found that we were unable to correctly access the online store. At first, we were convinced mySQL didn’t like us (since that’s the error we got). However, once logging onto the server machine, we tried to ping outside sites like Google, and then our own internal router, and consistently got this message: “PING: transmit failed, error code 65.” After visiting Microsoft’s knowledgebase, we were even more confused. According to Microsoft, the error occurs if ZoneAlarm is running and blocking a port. OK, that makes sense — except we weren’t running ZoneAlarm. Uh, except we were. Apparently, we must have left it running back during our intrusion fighting days a month or so ago, and something between Verizon’s visit and the network maintenance set it off. That something was a reboot (which we haven’t done in a month or so). Moral of the story: if Microsoft’s knowledgebase suggests something, no matter how unprobably, at least spend a moment or two to check it out.

Learn2Hand and the AvantGo service is now offering a crash course in the French language with the new French2Hand channel. The channel provides AvantGo users work through a scenario, designed as a twenty-minute bite-sized course that teaches and tests their French knowledge. Users can then purchase additional courses to cover other popular scenarios such as eating out, business travel or looking for real estate property.

We’ll be down from about 3am to around 6am EST so Verizon can do a line test. We had some very serious weather here, and Verizon’s asked us (and apparently others) to allow a short shutdown so they can do integrity tests. Hey, any time we can encourage integrity of any kind from a phone company, we’re going to encourage it!

We’re back online. Kudos to the Verizon tech who actually showed up when promised. Apparently a twisted pair running underground got shorted due to the heavy storms. It’s fixed and we be jammin’.

Looking for a mobile email client? Entrepreneur takes a look at five products that combine cell phone service, wireless email, instant messaging and Web access. The products are Danger Hiptop, Handspring Treo 300, Palm Tungsten W, Research in Motion (RIM) BlackBerry 5810 and the T-Mobile PocketPC.

MacCentral reports that Apple co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak’s new venture, Wheels of Zeus (wOz) is working on the wOz Platform. Reports describe the first batch of wOz products as location-monitoring technology designed to help users track children, animals and property using a combination of radio signals and global positioning satellite (GPS) technology, to keep track of things within a one or two-mile radius of a home base station.

Samsung Electronics unveiled a new system-on-chip (SOC) processor for handheld devices. The chip boasts a processor clock rate of 533MHz, and is aimed at enabling new services, functions, and multimedia capabilities for mobile handheld devices such as PDAs and smartphones. The S3C2440 supports Linux, as well as the Windows CE, Palm OS, and Symbian embedded operating systems. The chip is based on an ARM920T 16/32-bit RISC microprocessor core.

Sprint announced plans to begin offering high-speed wireless Internet access at more than 800 locations around the country within the next few months. The new service, called PCS Wi-Fi Access, will let customers access the Internet through a network of wireless hot spots either built and managed by Sprint or available to its customers through roaming agreements with other providers.