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Presents information about several products such as mobile communication systems and digital cameras. Information about features of Sony TR3A ultralight which uses a cellular wireless card to provide Internet connectivity; Comments on the qualities of 6MP Nikon D70 camera and Canon's 5MP S500 camera; Remarks on a new media-player, Pro-Exilim, offered by Casio.

Presents information about Treo 650, a new mobile system. Remarks on the features of the new system which, along with the keyboard, touch screen, and 640 x 480 pixel digital camera, now also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity; Comments on the color display of the system; Information about the process of software installation on Treo 650; Remarks on the manual of the system which provides all the information about it.

The article reports that the Cellular Telephone and Internet Association's fall show isn't nearly as large as its spring one, next to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana. But it's full of buzz and new product releases and in no danger of dying off. In 2004, it was held in San Francisco, California which was a bit of a stretch for me, bounding out from the east coast and the cellular center of regulation in DC. During the air travel, the author came across some interesting products in Southwest's October issue of SPIRIT magazine, which was featuring a list of travel goodies. The author liked Targus's latest Universal ac/dc Notebook Power Adapter that works with PDAs, cellphones, MP3 players, digital cameras and-- laptops, and takes power from wall plugs or car outlets with equal zeal. Even more interesting was the Sidewinder, a Zippo-lighter-sized, hand-cranked generator for putting power back into one's cellphone.

Presents information about Treo 650, a new mobile system. Remarks on the features of the new system which, along with the keyboard and 640 x 480 pixel digital camera, now also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity; Comment on the color display of Treo 650; Information about process of software installation on the new system; Comments on the other features of Treo 650.

Presents the author's experience of his visit to Washington. Claim that they enjoyed all the Wi-Fi and cellular access that came with being in a real metropolitan area; Decision to lose the landline, which was costing about $50 a month;Description of the author's Sprint/Sanyo 5400 cellphone.

Presents information related to wireless technology. Mention of the Wi-Fi and cellular access in a real metropolitan area; Overview of the superior quality speaker phone; Benefits of plug-and-play technology.

Focuses on the "CTIA Wireless 2005," gathering in New Orleans. Consensus that Bluetooth had become "table stakes," and the prominence of smartphones; Mention of low attendance in the convention; Insight of telecom visionaries into the wireless future.

Evaluates several mobile communication systems. Treo 650 from Sprint; Palm OS Wrist personal digital assistant from Fossil; Delphi MyFi handheld satellite radio from Delphi.

Evaluates several mobile communications products. SPC-7300 cell phone from Sanyo; Vaio Z1 laptop from Sony; Zire 72 handheld from PalmOne.

This article presents the author's look at some consumer electronics and bluetooth technologies. It is wet in California, where I spent New Year's Eve before going on to cover the Consumer Electronics Show with Alex Pournelle, David Em, and Dan Spisak. There was more than enough cool stuff to see there without getting to many offerings at the Bluetooth pavilion, so I will be getting to that here. If it is wet in LA, it is cold here in Washington, D.C. fifteen degrees this morning. I like the cold myself, but I am from Yankee stock, so go figure. My current mobile suite still revolves around my Sony TR3A ultralight, which just fits into my camera bag's outside pocket. I have had it since the first SpaceShipOne launch last June, and I am still quite pleased with it. The power supply is light enough so that I do not mind taking it along, even though I can get three or four hours out of the battery. What really makes it work on the go though is the addition of a cellular wireless card, because a computer without Internet is a pitiful thing to see. This month I am running an AirCard 775 for EDGE networks using AT&T's network. Its got good coverage and good throughput, and I will talk specifics in a bit. I am also testing a RIM BlackBerry 7100t for my Cell/PDA combo and I have got to say that if you are going to have a smart phone, getting one with Bluetooth is the way to go.

Evaluates several mobile and electronic products. Features of the 7300 cell phone from Sanyo; Key strength of the Vaio Z1 laptop from Sony Corp.; Audio quality of the Zire 72 handheld from PalmOne Inc.

Evaluates several mobile and electronic products. Target lifestyle of the 7300 cell phone from Sprint; Key features of the Vaio Z1 laptop from Sony; Audio quality of the Zire 72 handheld from Palm.

This article highlights the 2004 Cellular Telephone and Internet Association's exhibition held at the Moscone West Convention center in San Francisco, California. A number of new Bluetooth headsets were presented, but Jabra's BT110 and A-210 adapter were well deserved winners of the show's wireless widgets award. The BT110 is a very basic headset that runs off an AAA battery, and has a volume/call answering control, but above all, it sells for a suggested retail price of $69. On the high end is the BT800, selling for $119, and including digital signal processing for noisy environments and the ability to charge its AAA batteries in the case. To round out their line, they are also introducing the SP100, a Bluetooth speaker/hands free telephone that also runs off AAA batteries. It also includes modes for noisy environments, like offices. Three AAA batteries offers 12 hours of talk time. Blackberry's first business telephone is for people who want the utility of a Blackberry in the shape of a telephone. Using its Suretype technology, it managed to combine a QWERTY keyboard and normal sized cellular telephone number pad to make a messaging device with dialing and messaging experiences that people do not have to re-learn in order to use. It includes a list of 30,000 words for predictive typing and spelling, Bluetooth and Universal Serial Bus access, and a 240x260 pixel display, and it is compatible with AOL, Yahoo, and ICQ messaging services. PalmOne announced the release of its upgraded Treo 650, available at first through Sprint in a CDMA/1xRTT version, but soon through other carriers in GSM/GPRS/EDGE. Though it shares the basic layout of the previous model, it comes with a host of improvements, including Bluetooth; non-volatile file memory; a removable battery; a much improved 320x320 display with 65,000 colors; bigger and flatter backlit keys; a VGA camera; and the ability to play MP3 files.

This article presents the views of the author on the latest gadgets. Although Nextel pioneered Push-To-Talk (PTT) on cell phones, they no longer have a monopoly on it, as Verizon and Sprint have added PTT service on their handsets as well. Even though you can only talk within your own carrier's network today, interoperability between carriers should be only a matter of time. Sprint has a whole line of Sanyo phones which are basically the same unit with different feature levels. The most expensive of them is the SPC-5500. With its built in 310k still/video camera, the 7300 is designed for an active lifestyle. It is drop tested to the standard of 4 ft. on concrete. The unit is rugged, but comfortable and easy to flip open Kirk-communicator-style. The display isn't transflective, which would have been a nice touch considering its take me anywhere style, but it's bright enough to get by. The speakerphone works nicely, and quickly becomes indispensable, especially to someone who spends a lot of time with tech support getting other things to work. Sprint requires all their phone manufacturers to use a standard 2.5 mm earpiece jack, which annoys the manufacturers but makes things a lot easier for users.

This article presents information on mobile devices. Sprint has a whole line of Sanyo phones which are basically the same unit with different feature levels. Though the most expensive of them is the SPC-5500, with its built in 310k still/video camera, the 7300 is designed for an active lifestyle. The unit is rugged, but comfortable and easy to flip open Kirk-communicator-style. The display is not transflective, which would have been a nice touch considering its take me anywhere style, but it's bright enough to get by. The speakerphone works nicely, and quickly becomes indispensable, especially to someone who spends a lot of time with tech support getting other things to work. The Sony Vaio Z1 packs a lot into a lightweight laptop. Thin and sleek, with a signature curve along the sides that looks like it is just there for coolness but also protect the ports and strengthens the magnesium case. Z1 features a 1.7 gigahertz Centrino processor, 512 megabytes of memory, and a 60 gigabytes hard drive. The real strengths of this laptop are its ergonomics. Ironically, desktop systems keyboards are slowed down by the long travel people expect from them. While the Z1 has a full sized key layout, the key travel is only 2 millimeters: short, crisp and responsive.

This article presents information on mobile devices. Although Nextel pioneered Push-To-Talk (PTT) on cell phones, they no longer have a monopoly on it, as Verizon and Sprint have added PTT service on their handsets as well. Sprint has a whole line of Sanyo phones which are basically the same unit with different feature levels. The Sanyo SPC-7300 phone is rugged, but comfortable and easy to flip open Kirk-communicator-style. The display is not transflective and the speakerphone works nicely, and quickly becomes indispensable, especially to someone who spends a lot of time with tech support getting other things to work. The Sony Vaio Z1 packs a lot into a lightweight laptop. Thin and sleek, with a signature curve along the sides that looks like it is just there for coolness but also protect the ports and strengthens the magnesium case. The full featured Z1 features a 1.7 gigahertz Centrino processor, 512 megabytes of memory, and a 60 gigabytes hard drive. Zire 72 is a handheld device with a 1.2 Megapixel camera and MP3 player. Though the Zire 72 does not have Wireless-Fidelity, it does have bluetooth. If someone got a bluetooth enabled cellphone, he can configure his email and web surfing wherever he goes.

This article features several cellular phone functions. Although Nextel pioneered Push-To-Talk (PTT) on cell phones, they allegedly no longer have a monopoly on it, as Verizon and Sprint have added PTT service on their handsets as well. Even though one can only talk within one's own carrier's network, interoperability between carriers should be only a matter of time. Normally thought of as a business feature, one would be surprised how handy it can be to keep track of family members or friends out together, or as usually winds up happening, nearly together. Sprint has a whole line of Sanyo phones which are basically the same unit with different feature levels. Though the most expensive of them is the SPC-5500 (VM4500) model, with its built in 310k still/video camera, the 7300 unit is outstanding, which is designed for an active lifestyle. The unit is rugged, but comfortable and easy to flip open its Kirk-communicator-style. The display is not transflective, which would have been a satisfying feature considering its take-me-anywhere style, but it is bright enough to get by. The speakerphone allegedly works fine, and quickly becomes indispensable, especially to someone who spends a lot of time with technical support getting other things to work. Sprint requires all their phone manufacturers to use a standard 2.5 millimeter ear piece jack, which makes it easier for users.

This article presents the experience of the author with ringtones and MP3 players. I have gone over to the dark side of the cellular force. It happened at CTIA in May 2004, when I started playing Asteroids, the classic arcade game, on a Blackberry. Long ago, in a bar far, far away, I promised myself that if I ever made it, I would buy my own Asteroids machine. It is a fairly mindless game, but I still like it, and I have installed it on most every computer I have owned. Now I have played it on a cell phone I realize that I am as much a mobile gamer as my nephew, something I had been denying. Then over at Sprint's booth, where they were demonstrating their $9.99-per-month MobiTV, I got hooked on video content. Though the image is jerky, the screen small and its battery appetite considerable, I can get channels on it I can not even get on my cable. Like many technically oriented people, especially those over forty, I am fiscally conservative. I have been accused of being cheap, but they never made it stick. I prefer to think of myself as value oriented. I like to buy a thing and use it up. Unfortunately, current business models are about sustainable cash streams, not durable goods.

The articles describes telecommunication systems. Sprint has a whole line of Sanyo phones which are basically the same unit with different feature levels. Though the most expensive of them is the SPC-5500, with its built in 310k still and video camera, the 7300, designed for an active lifestyle. The unit is rugged, but comfortable and easy to flip open Kirk-communicator-style. The suggested retail price is $129 with new line of service and 2 year contract. It's dual-band/tri-mode--digital: 1.9 GHz, 800 MHz; analog: 800 MHz. Talk time with standard battery is three hours. Two-way SMS, e-mail, notifications, and voicemail messaging is supported. You get 300 contact entries. PCS Ready Link can join up to 5 people simultaneously. The internal display is a 2.1 inch, 65,536 color TFT liquid crystal display (LCD), and the external display is a one inch, 65,536 color TFT LCD. The Sony Vaio Z1 packs a lot into a lightweight laptop. The full featured Z1 features a 1.7 GHz Centrino processor, 512 megabytes of memory, and a 60 gigabytes hard drive. The real strengths of this laptop are its ergonomics. The new Zire 72 personal digital assistant has a 1.2 Megapixel camera and MP3 player. Though the Zire 72 does not have Wi-Fi, the Tungsten C being the only Palm to come so equipped, it does have Bluetooth.

The article provides information on a new wave of personal digital assistants and smart cellphones as of April 2004. At the top of the list of popular add-ons is Bluetooth, the wireless Personal Area Network connection. Bluetooth can get rid of wire tangles to headsets, cell phones and other gadgets, and wireless fidelity can do the heavy data handling. Sharp is still developing clamshell designs like the Zaurus SL-C750 and Zaurus SL-C760, two new Linux-powered handhelds it announced this May, but so far only for distribution in Japan. However, all is not lost for those who want the micro-laptop feel. Sony, the Palm OS alternative, recently announced just such a device, the UX50 CLIÉ. As promised, Microsoft released Pocket PC 2003 on June 23, after previewing it this April at Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association's exhibition. This is more of a technology refresh than a new operating system (OS), with most of its features aimed at working with the Microsoft .NET strategy. There's an improved Connection Manager to make setting up devices and getting on networks easier and more flexible, and a new image viewing/editing application as well. The upgraded OS lets programmers take advantage of features in Intel's X-Scale processors, and adds Pocket MSN and a new application for viewing and editing images, called Pictures. Handspring's updated Treo 600 has just come out, and it's smaller, sleeker, and generally more cellphone-like than its predecessor.

The article comments on the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association Wireless 2004. It was clear that for the population of journalists, analysts and media people Blackberry ruled the messaging space. One popular customer for Blackberry is the U.S. government, largely due to its extensive security certifications and the persistence of its connectivity. BlackBerry supports such critical government initiatives as Continuity of Operations Planning allowing users to keep emergency preparedness, procedures, call lists and other continuity of operations documents on their BlackBerry handhelds and to allow administrators to push updates to them. Research in Motion Ltd. (RIM) introduced the 7750 and 7730 units at the show, with a new larger color display and a lot of tweaks that RIM and others have been making for these devices. Pocket PC based devices have been slow to adopt keyboards, but Motorola's MPX, slated to come out late in 2004, has the best of all worlds built in, with a cover that opens either as a flip phone or a clamshell organizer. Pocket Surfer is a cool little gadget from CellStar. Only .37 inches thick, and weighing 3.4 ounces, it's nothing but a Web browser with a keyboard, but since it gets its Internet access through the cell phone (wirelessly) it doesn't know it's not a Web based organizer. There are even a few cell phones that manage to squeeze a keyboard onto their faces, like the very popular Handspring TREO 600 and the upcoming VOQ from Sierra Wireless, which uses a horizontal flip-over keyboard to overcome the small footprint.

The article focuses on the new wave of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and smart cell phones as of March 2004. Pocketable Palmtop PDAs has a long legacy, starting with the HP95LX and fizzling out after Psion gave up making the Revo and Hewlett Packard migrated their platform to something the size of a small laptop. Sharp is still developing clamshell designs like the Zaurus SL-C750 and Zaurus SL-C760, two new Linux-powered handhelds it announced in May 2003, but so far only for distribution in Japan. Sony, the Palm operating system alternative, recently announced the UX50 CLIÉ, a device with micro-laptop feel. Sony plans to release tools for developers to let their applications work with the wide format. The screen has the same resolution (480 x 320) as the Sony NX series, but it's actually only 70 percent of the size. Handspring's updated Treo 600 has just come out, and it's smaller, sleeker, and generally more cellphone-like than its predecessor. It retains the keyboard which made such a buzz when the 300 came out, but the device is courting the high end cellular market rather than folks who think PDA first and cell second. Among the features being worked on for the bantam batphone are: a new proxyless version of the Handspring Blazer web browser to enable full web browsing and secure access to corporate intranets, a VGA camera which allows for caller ID with images as well as picture taking, and "dual speaker architecture" for high-quality audio.

This article features several models of personal digital assistants (PDA) and smart cell phones. At the top of the list of such devices is Bluetooth, the wireless Personal Area Network connection. Allegedly, Bluetooth can manage wire tangles to headsets, cell phones and other gadgets, and that Wi-Fi can manage, on the other hand, heavy data handling. Though Palm users may think that PDA devices were created when the first Palm rolled off its assembly line, and that its notepad form factor is the only way to use, many are allegedly aware of the legacy of the Pocketable Palmtop PDA.

Focuses on personal digital assistants (PDA) and smart cellphones. Benefits of Bluetooth, a wireless personal area network connection to PDA and cellphones; Companies which offer Pocketable Palmtop PDA; Features of the UX50 CLIÉ device from Sony.

Evaluates several personal digital assistants (PDA) and smart cellphones. UX50 CLIÉ palmtop from Sony; Pocket PC 2003 from Microsoft; IPAQ h2210 PDA from Hewlett-Packard; Treo 600 cellular phone from Handspring; Hitachi-Sprint G1000 Communicator from Sprint.

Evaluates several personal digital assistants and smart cellphones. Features of the UX50 CLIÉ palmtop from Sony; Connectivities available in the T2 personal digital assistant from Palm; Functions of the Treo 600 from Handspring.

Focuses on the new wave of portable computers and smart cellphones, as of October 2003. Evaluation of the Panasonic Toughbook Tablet/Laptop; Price for the UX50 CLIÉ micro-laptop from Sony; Features of the updated version of the Handsrping Treo 600.

Comments on the new wave of personal digital assistants and smart cellphones. Information on an alternative for the Palm OS alternative from Sony Corp., UX50 CLIÉ; Key features of the Pocket PC 2003 released by Microsoft on June 23, 2003; Description of the iPAQ h2210 from Hewlett-Packard.

Features several additions to the product line of personal digital assistants and smart cell phones. Issue concerning the security of Wi-Fi installations; Idea behind the Wireless Encryption Protocol; Features of Bluetooth, a wireless Personal Area Network connection.

Discusses the improvements in personal digital assistants (PDA) and smart cellphones. Keyboard for PDA from Sony; Update to the Tungsten line of handheld computers of Palm; Features of the Pocket personal computer for Phone 2002 version from Hitachi-Sprint.

Comments on issues concerning portable computing products as of June 2003. Information on the 802.11g router; Description of the Talking Head video telephones; Introduction of Itronix's GoBook MAX notebook computer.