PalmSource, Inc., the Palm OS( subsidiary of Palm, Inc. announced that it has shipped the PalmSource Web Browser to Palm OS licensees. According to PalmSource, the the PalmSource Web Browser gives users “unprecedented security, speed and graphics capability and further establishes Palm OS 5 as the platform of choice for delivering mobile Internet solutions to both enterprise and consumer markets.”

“We have seen a rapid growth in the number of mobile Internet users and believe that with improved Web browsing capability, we will attract an even larger audience for wireless handhelds and smart phones,” said Steve Sakoman, chief product officer of PalmSource Inc. “Our new proxy-less browser takes advantage of the performance of the ARM processor and leverages market-proven technology from ACCESS to bring a new level of browsing functionality to Palm OS 5 users.”

Based on ACCESS’ Netfront v3.0 browser, the company claims the PalmSource Web Browser offers a “rich, powerful mobile Internet end-user experience.” Further, the company claims:

“Enterprises and consumers alike will benefit from increased security as transactions are conducted via SSL (Secure Socket Layer). Because the Browser is proxy-less the user’s information does not reside on a server and instead the connection is made directly from the wireless device to the Internet. The browser also supports Internet standards, including the latest W3C specifications, HTML 4.01 and XHTML 1.0, Dynamic HTML, cHTML (Compact HTML), DOM Level 1 and Level 2, CSS, and ECMA Script (JavaScript 1.5).”

Handspring today announced the availability of a software upgrade for the Treo 90 handheld organizer that provides compatibility with Secure Digital Input/Output (SD I/O) expansion cards. SD I/O is a standard that enables the addition of new functionality such as Bluetooth, 802.11, GPS, presentation display or digital imaging to a host device like the Treo 90. Treo 90, a lightweight organizer with a built-in QWERTY keyboard, features a full-color display and 16 MB of memory. The upgrade is available free of charge.

There are currently two expansion cards that can take advantage of Treo 90’s SD I/O capabilities. One is MARGI System’s Presenter-to-Go, which connects the Treo 90 directly to digital LCD projectors or other VGA devices to show business presentations stored on Treo in full color. This solution includes software that allows for slide presentation from any printable Windows application including PowerPoint, Word and HTML.

The other expansion card currently available is the Palm Bluetooth Card. This card lets people wirelessly link a Treo 90 to any other Bluetooth-enabled device within a 30-foot radius. For example, a customer could use the Treo 90 with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone to access the Internet, email and messages wirelessly.=20

AvantGo, Inc. and ArcStream Solutions, a consulting and systems integration firm, announced that the University of Cincinnati Medical Center has deployed the AvantGo M-Business Server to effectively close the communications loop between students, faculty, and administration. As advanced students in Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Allied Health move beyond the school’s campus to gain valuable patient experience, The University of Cincinnati is using mobile solutions from AvantGo and ArcStream to enhance patient encounters, reduce paper and costs, and improve the learning process on its way to becoming the premier wireless university of the 21st century.

The AvantGo M-Business Sever, combined with ArcStream’s custom development, should allow The University to deliver a mobile application that helps students more accurately track patient encounters by electronically capturing that data directly on their mobile devices. This real-time data capture enables staff to monitor students’ progress during each patient encounter, providing a more comprehensive portfolio of individual patient encounters for both the students and staff, and improving the University’s ability to submit accurate data for accreditation purposes.

Avaion, Inc. has introduced FatFinger 1.0, a new program that lets you enter text with your finger using finger-sized keyboards that pop up in place of the Palm OS on-screen keyboards. It’s compatible with Palm OS Version 3.1 or higher and requires X-Master 1.4 or HackMaster to run (X-Master included with FatFinger).

Greenlight Wireless Corporation announced the release of its Dcipher service, which reformats Web content for handheld mobile devices. Dcipher works by automatically detecting handheld devices and reformatting Web pages so that side-to-side scrolling is either reduced or eliminated. The service is invisible to desktop browsers, so altering the look and feel of the Web site is unnecessary. Handheld users can choose to view a PDA-optimized or text-only version of the Web page, or to disable Dcipher, by using a small toolbar that appears with the reformatted content. Setting up Dcipher service involves pasting a unique code key into the site

Infotriever has recently launched Infotriever Express, a self-serve version of Infotriever’s event and contact delivery service for Outlook, Lotus Notes, Palm, ACT!, Outlook Express, and Netscape Address Book. The free software is currently used to access more than 50% of the world’s travel itineraries through Sabre Virtually There and Amadeus CheckMyTrip, and is also used by toronto.com, Thomson First Call, CCBN, and others. Infotriever Express is designed to enable users to Infotriever-enable their events and contacts on Web sites and in emails to increase event registration and attendance and improve corporate lead generation.

Astraware announced that Punchbutton has reviewed several of the top handheld versions of the classic Mahjongg tile game and found Astraware’s version to be the best-in-class. Astraware has just released Mahjongg 2.0, with enhanced support for high-resolution devices, expansion card support, improved memory management, faster graphics, and an option to highlight the tiles that are available for removing. Among the three games reviewed, Punchbutton rated Astraware’s Mahjongg the highest with a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

CNET News.com reports AvantGo said Tuesday that Chief Executive Richard Owen will resign at the end of the month. As of September 30, Chief Financial Officer David Cooper will assume the added title of chief operating officer and be responsible for day-to-day management of the company, board member James Richardson will become chairman, and the company will begin a search for a new CEO. The article also reports AvantGo expects its stock to move from Nasdaq’s National Market to the exchange’s SmallCap market, also by month’s end.

Handspring, Inc. announced the availability of its GPRS software upgrade for Rogers AT&T Wireless Treo 180 customers in Canada. The Handspring Treo GPRS upgrade is a no-charge, downloadable software upgrade that enables Handspring Treo 180 customers from Rogers AT&T Wireless to access the wireless Internet and corporate applications such as email. New and existing Rogers AT&T Wireless customers can access the software upgrade at no additional charge via the Rogers AT&T Wireless Web site.

Pico Communications, Palm, Inc., and Stanford University School of Medicine announced the successful trial of a new wireless interactive learning system for medical students. This summer, students used Palm m125 handhelds equipped with the Palm Bluetooth Card, a Secure Digital Input/Output card that slips into an SD/Multimedia expansion slot on many Palm handhelds, and Stanford’s custom-designed software to communicate wirelessly with instructors via Pico’s PicoBlue Internet Access Points. Pico designs and markets access points based on Bluetooth wireless technology, allowing users of Bluetooth-enabled handhelds to quickly and securely connect to the LAN and Internet while preserving battery life.