Planet IT reports Broadbeam Corp. has reached an agreement with Palm, Inc. to provide tools to develop secure bridges for accessing enterprise applications via the Palm VII device. Broadbeam is embedding its client software into the Palm device to control its radio transmission, allowing access to company applications and data directly.

Mercury News has a report on Intel’s new architecture called XScale. According to the article, Intel’s new chips designed around the XScale design will be used in cell phones that can access the Internet, handheld devices, and networking equipment.

The New York Times has an article that says Palm handhelds will soon function as check-in desks and even room keys for travelers who stay at some hotels. According to the article, the system will beam room numbers and door lock codes from the computer network at the hotel’s registration desk to a guest’s Palm device through the infrared ports. The guest would then use the device to transmit another infrared signal to a chip in the door lock to open the room. Free registration is required to read this article.

CNET News.com reports retail sales of handheld computers are set to double this year. According to a survey by NPD Intelect, sales of PDAs from Palm and Microsoft are surging, and the holiday season will likely boost the numbers more.

Veriprise Wireless Corporation announced a strategic relationship with Glenayre Technologies Inc. which will allow Visor users access to a suite of business enterprise applications.

ZDNet has an article on how 3Com Corp. is unveiling a steno pad-sized Web pad that can access the Web, but only in 3Com Park stadium, formerly known as Candlestick Park. According to the article, the Web pads will be handed out for free, starting with the opening season game on September 10. The devices will allow fans to email, check sports statistics, and order stadium food.

The Gadgeteer has a review with a side-by-side comparison of the Casio E-115, the Compaq iPAQ 3650, and the Hewlett Packard Jornada 548. There’s a lot of great pictures showing how the three Pocket PC devices literally stack up against each other.

Casio announced four new Pocket PC models for business use, the IT-70, IT-700, EG-80, and EG-800. According to the press release, Casio plans to aggressively expand its mobile network solutions business for corporations. The IT-70, IT-700, EG-80, and EG-800 are designed for the heavy-duty corporate environment and feature splash-proof and shock-resistant cases.

The Gadgeteer has a review of the Extreme Limits Palm IIIc case. The reviewer describes the pebbly black leather, wallet style case as meeting his need for aesthetics coupled with function.

CNET News.com reports Intel introduced XScale, a revamped version of its StrongARM architecture. According to the aritcle, Palm plans to use the low-power Intel architecture in a forthcoming version of its handheld.