The “>Financial Times has a story on Palm’s launching of its own mobile portal called Palm.Net in Europe. Unlike in the United States, it will be offered subscription-free. This is being viewed as an attack on WAP (wireless application protocol), the software for adapting Internet text from computers to small phone screens, used by all the UK mobile phone companies. Palm will continue to use its own web clipping technology.

In a press release, Compaq announced its iPAQ Pocket PC was awarded ZDNet’s first-ever “Tech Trendsetter Award.” The award honors new and innovative technology products and is given by the ZDNet editorial and product review teams at PC Expo. Recipients are recognized for their innovation, usability, and functionality.

A company called Portable Internet was recently formed as a Mobile Application Service Provider. The company provides location-sensitive portable Web applications, primarily to Fortune 1000 companies. According to their press release, the company developes and operates customized, location-sensitive Web applications for a variety of platforms. These include wireless Internet phones, advanced Smartphones and communicators, and handheld devices. The product is currently available on Pocket PC and Windows CE platforms at $9.95 per city and $49.95 annual memberships.

ZDNet News reports that eMachines, Inc. and Microsoft are teaming up to develop a Web companion based on the Microsoft Network (MSN) Internet service. The book-sized device that will operate on Windows CE. It will come with eMachines

The Register reports, Handspring has acknowledged that the DRAM bug affecting both Palm and TRG handhelds is also affecting the Visor. Handspring’s tech support site has added a test application that checks whether a Visor contains one of the problematic 8MB DRAM chips. The bug causes potential data loss when the DRAM chip becomes full. Palm, meanwhile, has issued a series of patches for its affected machines.

According to allNetDevices, Verizon Wireless will provide wireless Internet access for the Palm III and Palm V handhelds. The flat-rate plan should cost $24.95 a month.

VisorCentral has an article on all the new wireless solutions now available for Handspring’s Visor. At PC Expo, they counted four companies–Novatel, Omnisky, GoAmerica, and ActiveLink–that have wireless products in development. Most of the solutions are based on Novatel Wireless’ Minstrel S Springboard module.

Jason D. O’Grady provides a special report to ZDNet from PC Expo saying, “The buzz from the major handheld vendors, Palm Inc., Handspring, and Sony was deafening.” Noting how such trade shows are typically good indicators of the direction of the industry, he believes there’s a possibility “we’ll be ditching our desktop PCs and laptops in favor of wireless handheld computers and by this time next year there won’t be a need for any other type of computer.”

A company called Portable Internet was recently formed as a Mobile Application Service Provider. The company provides location-sensitive portable Web applications, primarily to Fortune 1000 companies. According to their press release, the company developes and operates customized, location-sensitive Web applications for a variety of platforms. These include wireless Internet phones, advanced Smartphones and communicators, and handheld devices. The product is currently available on Pocket PC and Windows CE platforms at $9.95 per city and $49.95 annual memberships. A product for the Palm OS will be available at a similar price.

Novatel Wireless announced it will be shipping a new version later this year of its Merlin wireless modem for Windows CE HPCs. The new Merlin PCMCIA card will run on the Ricochet network at speeds of up to 128 kpbs.