AOL and Time Warner announced they will merge into one huge multimedia company, to be called AOL Time Warner. ZDNet says that Steve Case will be chairman of AOL Time Warner with Time Warner chief Gerald Levin taking the reins as CEO. Ted Turner, vice chairman of Time Warner will remain vice chairman of the merged company.

Forbes has this article on the recently announced PocketPC. The article says that despite the changes in the Windows CE operating system, there won’t be any changes in market share.

Puma Technology has announced a new version of its Intellisync Software Development Kit (Intellisync SDK) providing users with the ability to synchronize their email. Version 2.5 of the Intellisync SDK is expected to be released by the end of January 2000.

Microsoft previewed new devices from Visteon Corp. and Clarion Corporation of America built on the second version of the Microsoft Windows CE for Automotive operating system that was released to manufacturers this summer. The next generation of in-car computing devices built on the Microsoft automotive operating system feature larger screen support, backseat entertainment and improved speech-recognition software.

Divio and software developer 3Di Inc. announced Windows CE driver support to enable next-generation video applications for emerging Windows CE-based products and appliances. Divio’s NW80X single-chip solution delivers video over USB to Windows CE, PC and Mac systems. The 3Di driver bridges the high-resolution video from Divio NW80X-driven eyeball cameras directly to USB-enabled Windows CE devices.

BSQUARE Corporation announced that it acquired BlueWater Systems, Inc., a provider of software development toolkits and system integration services for the creation of Windows powered intelligent computing devices (ICDs), for approximately 260,000 shares of BSQUARE common stock. BlueWater Systems will become a wholly owned subsidiary of BSQUARE Corporation.

InfoGation Corp. announced that Clarion has selected InfoGation to build the new advanced navigation and cell phone applications for their next generation Clarion AutoPC product. The new AutoPC will contain InfoGation-developed navigation applications and hands-free cell phone drivers.

Micorsoft and Barnes and Noble have signed a deal where both companies will launch a co-branded electronic bookstore using Microsoft Reader software.

3Com CEO Eric Benhamou addressed the crowds at the Consumer Electonics show in Las Vegas. According to News.com, Benhamou showed a new phone that makes calls through the Internet. You could also beam information from a Palm handheld to the phone.

DDH Software, Inc. announced the start of the first HanDBase Applet design contest. The winner will receive a free Palm V connected organizer. All applets submitted to the HanDBase Gallery between January 1st, 2000 and February 28th, 2000 are automatically eligible for the opportunity to win the free Palm V organizer. Submissions will be judged on March 1st-March 3rd, 2000 and a winner will be selected based on the creativity, originality, usefulness, and design quality of the applet.