HELIOS Software GmbH has released for free download a Mac Intel compatible version of its backup tool HELIOS Xtar.

As a developer of cross-platform networking, PDF, and image server solutions, HELIOS Software is able to ensure reliable transfers of Mac meta data (Finder and resource information) between different platforms. Now HELIOS passes on its accumulated development experience to the Open Source community in the form of the free Xtar tool, which is basically the UNIX “tar” program extended by HELIOS to include full Mac OS X (PPC/Intel) compatibility.

MTC-Vodafone Bahrain, the Kingdom’s telecom service provider, and Research In Motion, announced the introduction of two new BlackBerry smartphones in Bahrain. The BlackBerry Pearl and BlackBerry 8707v will be available from MTC-Vodafone Experience shops and through the MTC-Vodafone corporate sales team.

Research In Motion has launched the new red BlackBerry Pearl, featuring a stylish new color for the smartphone. The BlackBerry Pearl is now available from AT&T with a beautiful, dark red finish for the first time.

The BlackBerry Pearl comes complete with a digital camera, multi-media player and an expandable memory slot. It also boasts an incredibly sleek design while continuing to provide the full BlackBerry functionality and renowned user experience that has made BlackBerry a global success. The BlackBerry Pearl from AT&T features an easy-to-use phone with powerful email, organizer and browser applications, plus Push To Talk capabilities and a GPS-based wireless navigation service.

Radar is a free mobile service for visually sharing experiences as they happen, with close friends, via a cameraphone. Radar can be accessed on your cell phone’s mobile browser, via a mobile Radar application, or from any computer.

Post any cameraphone picture or video by sending it (like a text or picture message) to your personal Radar email address. Your pictures and videos instantly appear on your Radar “channel,” which your friends can view from their own cell phones or from their computer. You and your friends can also leave comments on what is posted, which then leads to a kind of “visual conversation” around pictures, videos and commenting.

Palm and Claro announced the availability of the Treo 680 smartphone in Chile. The Treo 680 GSM/GPRS/EDGE quad-band world phone, running on the Palm OS, boasts Palm’s hallmark ease of use. Slim, compact, and packed with features beyond its stellar phone capability–such as email, Web browsing, messaging, multimedia, calendar, contacts and more.

CommonTime, provider of secure wireless email exclusively for enterprises running Lotus Notes, announced that it’s mSuite software will be compatible with Windows Mobile 6, the latest Microsoft PDA and Smartphone operating system.

mSuite brings advanced Lotus Notes messaging with strongly Lotus-centric functions and operations to the Windows-focused devices. Windows Mobile 6 features enhancements to email, calendaring and improved versions of mobile versions of Office Outlook, Office Word, Office Excel and Office PowerPoint.

SYWARE announced a beta release of Visual CE that supports Windows Mobile devices without touchscreens, such as the Motorola Q and Samsung BlackJack. The database development software now makes it easy to build applications for all types of Windows Mobile devices: Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition and Smartphone.

Douglas Plude, convicted of his wife’s murder, says computer logs provide an alibi. Plude, who lived in Wisconsin, claims his expert had insufficient time before trial to review them.

What makes this case relevant is that the family had two computers. On the night of October 21, shortly before Plude’s wife Genell died, both computers were active around 10 p.m. Genell’s computer shows the user conducted online searches for information on Fioricet–a codeine derivative. Plude’s computer shows Internet activity and use of a photo editing program between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Plude claims that parallel activity indicates that Genell was looking up information about Fioricet, buttressing the conclusion of suicide.

The trial judge ruled that waiting three years to turn over key evidence of the hard drives was reasonable. A jury convicted Plude of first-degree homicide, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. A Wisconsin appeals court has denied his request by a 2-1 vote and affirmed his conviction.

Even if the computer searches had been thoroughly explored, the majority concluded, they wouldn’t be entirely exculpatory: “Whoever performed the search on Genell’s computer only examined the first page of various results–no page with dosing information was ever displayed on the computer.”

Iambic has released Propel version 1.03, the ultimate launcher for your Palm OS powered PDA or smartphone. With Propel, you don’t need to scroll down the page to open applications, take multiple steps to search for contacts, or fumble to find your newest memo. With one tap or one keyword, Propel filters out possibilities for you. Propel can launch anything from applications, meetings, contacts, memos, mp3s, bookmarks and even files directly from your memory card.

Propel is available in both a Standard and Professional edition.

BoxWave has released a variety of Pocket PC and smartphone products for the Moto Q and E6, T-Mobile Dash, HTC Trinity and P3600, and the Acer c510 and c530. New products include replacement batteries, holster clips, and multiple cases, including the FlexiSkin, Active, and Armor cases.