SingTel scores a first with Treo 650 BlackBerry support

Singapore carrier SingTel today secured a coup as the world's first mobile operator to offer BlackBerry Connect for Palm's Treo 650 PDA-phone. According to the press release, the BlackBerry service will be immediately available for new and existing Treo 650 customers. Corporate customers can also purchase the Treo 650 at S$299 (US$212.77) with every subscription of the BlackBerry Enterprise Solution Unlimited Local Data Usage plan at S$61.95 (US$44.08) per month.

Ms Vicki Brady, SingTel's vice president for Consumer Marketing, believes "the compact and feature-rich Treo 650 with Blackberry Connect will appeal to many of our corporate customers". Some of the features supported by BlackBerry Connect for the Treo 650 include push corporate email, wireless calendar synchronization, attachment viewing of Office and PDF documents, and Remote Address Lookup (RAL).

Dopod users to get Chinese language support

Taiwan company Dopod is providing free downloads of the Mobem CE-Star Suite Version 2.8 Chinese Language Kits for owners of its Dopod 900, 838, 818 Pro and P100 handhelds. This can be downloaded at its Web site (www.dopodasia.com). The software will enable users to read and write Chinese characters on their Dopod devices. At the same time, the application can be used to display Japanese text.

Dopod has also announced that users can download free Mozart ringtones and wallpapers from its Web site. According to Dopod CEO Jack Tong: "We want to bring the same high level of innovation, personality and vividness in Mozart's music to Dopod users."

Push email coming to a Dopod near you

Microsoft Singapore execs recently confirmed that Dopod will be offering firmware updates with the Messaging and Security Feature Pack for its Asia-Pacific customers with Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. The new ROM upgrade, which is expected to be available on the Dopod Asia Web site in the next two to three months, will provide users with push email capabilities and other minor enhancements such as storing of contact information on the service for easy access from the phone.

According to Microsoft, HP's upcoming GPS-enabled iPaq hw6900 series and rw6800 Multimedia Messenger will be one of the first Windows Mobile 5.0 devices to have the Messaging and Security Feature Pack preinstalled in the handheld. Other PDA vendors such as O2 are expected to announce similar firmware upgrades in the coming months.

HP updates new iPaq launch dates

Here's some good news for iPaq fans amidst word of the hx4700's impending exit from the Asia-Pac markets. HP has dates to its other handheld launches, with the GPS-enabled iPaq hw6900 series expected to launch in the region around the May time frame, and the rw6800 Multimedia Messenger scheduled for release in mid-May. HP has also given an indicative price for the hw6900 of US$690 (without GPS map solutions). The retail price of the rw6800 has yet to be confirmed.

Both PDA-phones were showcased earlier this year at HP's Magical Mobility Launch in Hong Kong. The rw6800 is marketed as a handheld with strong multimedia features such as dual stereo speakers, integrated FM radio, a 2-megapixel camera and Philips LifeVibes Sound Ex for high-quality audio. It succeeds the GPS-equipped hw6515, and comes with much-awaited onboard Wi-Fi.

HP phases out iPaq hx4700 from AP

After nearly 1.5 years, HP's flagship PDA, the iPaq hx4700, is calling it a day. Much like its digicam counterpart’s departure from the Asia-Pacific markets, the company has announced that it will be phasing out the handheld in the region before the end of Q1, 2006.

Reprieve has been given for owners in Singapore, however. HP Singapore has assured that it will continue to support the hx4700, including the release of Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade kits in Asian languages (Korean, Japanese, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese) within the next few months. It also confirmed that while the company is constantly monitoring market trends and consumer demands for PDA-phones, HP will continue to introduce dedicated handhelds (those without cellular functions) such as the rx1950.

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