ExtraLabs Software announced the release of RSS Wizard 3. RSS Wizard is an HTML to RSS converter than can generate the RSS feed out of virtually any Web page without having to edit it first. RSS Wizard generates RSS 2.0 feeds and allows you to create, edit and publish an unlimited number of RSS channels. The program has a great collection of features such as the built-in scheduler, autodetecting of RSS tags, command line support, XML editor and built-in FTP client.

Market researcher IDC expects growth in the global market for mobile phones to slow to single digits from this year onwards after unit sales rose 11.6 percent last quarter, it said in a statement on Friday.

Despite slowing growth, more than 300 million handsets were sold in the fourth quarter–which includes the Christmas holiday season, when sales are traditionally strong–a record for any single three-month period, IDC said.

Like most countries worldwide, Jamaica has a digital divide. Jamaica’s digital divide has to do Internet access, access to technology, and knowing how to use it. This limits the economic progress of those affected. So why are the poor those mostly affected by the digital divide?

Read this Computing Unplugged article.

Zumobi announced a partnership deal with Microsoft. Under terms of the business agreement, Microsoft will distribute the Zooming User Interface and mobile widget platform with Windows Mobile. This distribution agreement builds on the content partnerships Zumobi announced in December. Zumobi is compatible with Windows Mobile versions 5.0 and newer.

Palm has quietly hired a new Senior Vice President of Product Development, taking over for the departed Mike Farese who left last September. The new SVP Mike Bell comes to Palm after a 16 year tenure at Apple, where he was vice president, CPU Software, in the Macintosh Hardware Division. According to Palm’s executive bio, Bell led a host of efforts in a variety of roles, including overall product development leadership for the Airport line of products and low-level software for all Macintosh hardware products.

Palm plans to close all but one of its nearly three-dozen retail stores, the company announced yesterday. It has also settled a class-action lawsuit filed by owners of the Treo 600 and 650 smartphones.

The store closings and settlement are the latest in a string of bad news for the struggling smartphone-maker. Last year, Palm laid off 10 percent of its workforce and took a huge financial hit with the withdrawal of the Folio smartphone companion on the eve of its planned release.

99bytes recently released version 1.6 of DVD to PSP/iPod Video Converter. The software allows users to convert any video DVD, from any format, to MP4 format, ready to transfer on iPod or PSP. This release, featuring better support for Vista and improved compatibility with various DVD formats, can be downloaded as a trial version with 5 free conversions.

Verizon Wireless and Research In Motion announced the availability of the BlackBerry Pearl 8130 smartphone in pink. Coming to Verizon Wireless Communications Stores and online, the pink BlackBerry Pearl is packed with the same powerful communications features and wireless broadband connectivity as the original, but it comes encased in a new pink finish that’s chic and sophisticated.

Research In Motion previewed BlackBerry Client for IBM Lotus Connections–a new software application that runs natively on BlackBerry smartphones to provide mobile users with access to Lotus Connections social software for business. The BlackBerry client application leverages the push-based architecture, security and administration features of BlackBerry Enterprise Server, which provides IT groups with the necessary controls for enabling mobile access to Lotus Connections in the enterprise.

iPod-Computer.com has recently released its new iPod copying software, which enables iPod users to copy music from iPod to computer or import back into iTunes.

Before, the transfer between iPod and iTunes (syncing music to iPod) had been a one-way street. iPod users could only copy music from iTunes to their iPods, but they were unable to copy the iPod content out.