PRNewswire reports that Bluefish Wireless, Inc. has introduced its Bluetooth-enabled Access Point. The new Access Point is designed to give users the ability to utilize either Infrared (IR) or Bluetooth to transfer data to and from their PDAs and the Internet or backend databases, without a wireless modem. According to Bluefish, Access Point increases the capabilities of the Bluefish Network, by supporting up to eight users at a time on a single access point.

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has advised Microsoft that it will not seek a break-up of the company in remand proceedings before the U.S. District Court. It also informed the company that it does not intend to pursue further proceedings on the tying count of the original complaint. The Department said it is taking these steps in an effort to obtain prompt, effective and certain relief for consumers.

These announcements were made in light of an order by the District Court directing the Antitrust Division and Microsoft to produce a joint status report by September 14, 2001, outlining proposals for further proceedings in the case. The Division advised Microsoft of its position on the tying claim and the issue of structural relief to facilitate consultations on the joint report.

In June, the Court of Appeals upheld the District Court’s ruling that Microsoft had engaged in exclusionary conduct intended to maintain its monopoly in the market for PC operating systems. The District Court initially had found that Microsoft also had unlawfully tied its web browser to the operating system, but the Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the tying count for consideration under a more rigorous legal standard. The Court of Appeals also vacated the remedies imposed by the District Court, directing a new judge to fashion appropriate remedies following evidentiary hearings.

Today marks the third leg of Heather’s Big Adventure. As of the time of publication, we hadn’t gotten a status report from the ride site, but we’re able to give you a view of what should be happening today. Since we’re not going to be publishing news updates over the weekend, we’re also giving you a day-by-day view of the ride route tomorrow and Sunday, when the ride ends in Maine.

Today, the riders will travel from Quechee, Vermont (elevation 515 feet, where, from the camp, they can see Mt. Sunapee and Kearsage Mountain) down to Hopkinton, New Hampshire (elevation 50 feet), near Concord. After two days of “century rides,” each exceeding 100 miles, today’s ride will be a relatively mild 77 mile trek.

Saturday, the riders will leave Hopkinton, cycle through the charming New Hampshire state capital in Concord, and make their way to Wells, Maine, where their afternoon route hugs the Atlantic coast. Saturday’s ride is another 85 miles.

Sunday is the last day of this great adventure. Beginning in Wells, the riders will have an “easy day” 50-mile ride through pleasant seaside towns, finally arriving at their destination, crossing the drawbridge to closing ceremonies overlooking Casco Bay in Portland.

Once in Portland, it’ll be time for packing, goodbyes, and the trip home. We expect Heather to arrive back here at ZATZ on Monday or Tuesday. We’ll bring you further updates on Monday and we hope to have a full report for you shortly after her return.

CNET News.com reports that Palm, Inc. has dropped the price of its Palm m500 to $329, a $70 drop. Palm released the Palm m500 along with its color cousin, the Palm m505, last spring. NPD Intelect estimates the Palm m500 has accounted for 5 percent of Palm’s unit sales in recent weeks.

MobileBriefs has unveiled live wireless Personalized Audio Broadcast (PAB) streaming. MobileBriefs says that this technology allows users to seamlessly receive their own highly personalized news or information directly to their wireless device without connecting to the user’s computer. The technology is commercially available now for major news, publishing, and media companies.

Handheld Media Group, publisher of Handheld Computing Magazine, announced that it will produce a nationwide series of expositions aimed at consumers interested in learning more about Palm OS handheld computing. The intent of SyncFest is to bring developers of software and hardware solutions for Palm OS handheld devices face-to-face with consumers. The first SyncFest event will be held in San Jose, California on October 27, 2001 at the Hyatt San Jose Airport Hotel, the day following the conclusion of PalmSource.

This month’s Houston Palm Users Group meeting will be joined by James Lee, who’ll be talking about the software he’s developed for the Palm OS platform as well as the Handera 330. Seahorse Software is the maker of card games that can be used on Palm OS-based devices. Seahorse Software has also been a strong supporter of the PUGs and was the first company to officially sponsor a HPUG meeting.

James will be bringing along a number of giveaways, so you should make sure to check it out if you’re in the Houston area.

The Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has advised Microsoft that it will not seek a break-up of the company in remand proceedings before the U.S. District Court. It also informed the company that it does not intend to pursue further proceedings on the tying count of the original complaint. The Department said it is taking these steps in an effort to obtain prompt, effective and certain relief for consumers.

These announcements were made in light of an order by the District Court directing the Antitrust Division and Microsoft to produce a joint status report by September 14, 2001, outlining proposals for further proceedings in the case. The Division advised Microsoft of its position on the tying claim and the issue of structural relief to facilitate consultations on the joint report.

In June, the Court of Appeals upheld the District Court’s ruling that Microsoft had engaged in exclusionary conduct intended to maintain its monopoly in the market for PC operating systems. The District Court initially had found that Microsoft also had unlawfully tied its web browser to the operating system, but the Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the tying count for consideration under a more rigorous legal standard. The Court of Appeals also vacated the remedies imposed by the District Court, directing a new judge to fashion appropriate remedies following evidentiary hearings.

AvantGo, Inc. has announced that it’s now shipping AvantGo Mobile Delivery, a packaged supply chain management application for mobile devices. AvantGo designed Mobile Delivery to help fleet operators reduce delivery errors, to cut costs, and to provide access to real-time package tracking.

PRNewswire reports that Palm Inc., has announced that it has awarded mobile medicine technology grants to 17 U.S. universities and teaching hospitals. Palm has provided a 1,000 Palm IIIc handheld computers for students studying medicine, dentistry, pharmacology and veterinary medicine.