News

Report: HTC prepping 4 GB PPC phone

According to MSMobiles.com, HTC is building a new PocketPC phone, called the Muse, that will include 4 GB of built-in flash memory. The device reportedly runs on a 416 MHz XScale processor, 240 x 240 square screen, 64 MB RAM, 64 MB ROM, tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS & possible HSDPA. Last but not least, it contains a full 4 GB of solid-state flash memory. If this turns out to be real, it will be only the third handheld to ship with multi-gig storage, and the first one to use flash memory rather than a microdrive. Judging from the device design, it appears to be designed as a music phone and possible reply to the new iPods.

When is it supposed to be out? According to MSMobiles, not until mid-2006, around June. Furthermore, if it really is tri-band, it means that it will likely never make it to North America.

Rumor: RIM considering Palm buyout

From the unconfirmed rumors department: according to word on the street, Research In Motion is considering a buyout of Palm Inc. The reasoning behind the supposed move is murky, but it may be related to RIM's current patent litigation. If the case were to be decided against them, their entire business would effectively be shut down, killing the Blackberry technology. Owning the Treo line would allow them to survive and rebuild.

In any event, RIM could probably pull off such a deal. They're valued at $2.6 billion dollars, compared to about $950 million for Palm. Whether they want to is an entirely different question. It is worth noting, however, that the last time we heard buyout rumors was shortly before PalmSource was acquired by Access.

Gartner predicts record year for PDA sales

According to a report by analysis firm Gartner, handheld shipments will reach a record high this year, with a total of 15 million devices sold worldwide. This would surpass the last record of 13.2 million devices shipped back in 2001. Much of the rise is based on increased sales in Europe, where mobile email and GPS navigation are the current killer features, but manufacturers are seeing growth all around the globe. Moreover, these numbers apparently don't include such devices as the Treo, making 2005 even more of a banner year for mobile computing.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/article/CA6280902.html