Today we bring you news of three PDA-related applications that crossed the desk recently: the latest version of Bitstream's wireless Web browser and the bundling of MobiMate's WorldMate travel utility software within Palm Tungsten W, plus weather animation on mobile devices.
* Bitstream hawks latest ThunderHawk
Bitstream has announced a new version of its ThunderHawk wireless Web browser, which aims to help bring the desktop browsing experience to wireless devices.
New features of the ThunderHawk browser (Version 1.05) include:
* Three zoom modes, including support for high-resolution SVGA (800 by 600 pixels) virtual screen size.
* Support for Web-based e-mail and corporate Web-based applications
* Support for more services and devices, including Vodafone GPRS (U.K.), the Fujitsu/Siemens Loox Pocket PC and all O2 XDA devices.
* RealOne Player support (previously only supported Windows Media Player).
* Performance and Web page rendering improvements.
* Automatic connection to the Internet when starting the browser application. Also, automatic import of proxy settings. Automatic disconnection from the 'Net when exiting the browser.
* Programmable "power keys" for easier entry of user names, passwords, etc.
* Auto-repeat feature for keystrokes when entering URLs.
ThunderHawk for the Pocket PC comes with a free 30-day trial. To download, test drive or purchase the browser from Bitstream, go to www.bitstream.com/wireless . Existing customers can also upgrade their current subscription, Bitstream said.
* WorldMate in your Palm
MobiMate recently announced that its WorldMate software would be bundled with the new Palm Tungsten W handheld, which becomes the first Palm handheld to ship with the WorldMate software. The software is a full-featured travel utility that includes world clocks, world weather, currency conversion and other tools.
The software lets users with carrier activation get weather and currency conversion data in real time, and provides business travelers with conversion and time-zone tools when traveling outside carrier service areas, MobiMate said.
The key features include world clocks with automatic daylight savings time calculations, a world map, five-day worldwide weather forecasts from the Weather Channel updated online, a currency converter with daily exchange rate updates, and an international weights and measures converter. The software is available for Palm OS and Pocket PC platforms.
For a free trial download of the software or more information, go to the MobiMate Web site (www.mobimate.com/worldmate).
* Sharp weather
Sharp Electronics and AccuWeather.com have begun a graphical weather service pilot program for users of Palm OS and Pocket PC devices. The service will offer graphical weather presentations for handhelds that support Sharp's SharpMotion ART vector graphics animation technology.
AccuWeather is offering the animated weather service free for download at its Web site (www.accuweather.com/sharpbin/index.asp). Sharp says it will receive and translate an hourly XML data feed from AccuWeather, 24-7. The Sharp servers then combine animated vector graphics with the XML data provided by AccuWeather to animate the weather service.
The mobile service will be available for 160 major cities in the U.S. and can be delivered to Palm OS and Pocket PC devices. Customers can register and choose the location for which they want to receive the current weather forecast. The report will include:
* Current weather conditions for the user-chosen city.
* A three- or four-day forecast (depending on the time of day the forecast is generated).
* Weather almanac data (historic highs, lows, sunrise, sunset).
* Travel map of the U.S. that shows regional weather conditions.
Sharp said its SharpMotion ART technology allows the creation, publishing and distribution of content to multiple handheld devices. The core of the software is frame interpolation technology that allows for very small file size animations, Sharp said. "The files are small enough to be delivered over existing wireless networks and played back on some current models of handheld devices," the company says.
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Keith Shaw is Reviews Editor at Network World. In addition, he writes the "Cool Tools" column, which looks at gizmos, gadgets and other mobile computing devices.
You can reach Keith at kshaw@nww.com.
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