BlackBerry 8800 soon to debut in Singapore

The BlackBerry 8800, which was first announced during the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona last month, may roll out in Singapore some time this month. According to a reliable source, the new RIM handheld will be preinstalled with MapKing's mapping software and the Singapore map.

The 8800 is the first BlackBerry device to come equipped with an onboard GPS receiver. It is also one of the sleeker RIM handhelds launched so far. Other noteworthy features include a microSD card slot, trackball navigation control, QWERTY keypad, QVGA display, speakerphone, and onboard music and video player. Read the full review here.

Palm to offer WM6 on its Treos

Palm Singapore has confirmed it will be introducing Windows Mobile 6-enabled Treos later this year. While the handheld maker did not specify which models in its current lineup would be upgradeable to the new mobile operating system, Microsoft's recent announcement of 21 new handhelds seems to indicate that the Treo 750v will be one of them.

Palm is currently working with carrier partners to determine when and how the transition to Windows Mobile 6 will take place. Stay tuned for more details.

The Treo 750v is currently the first and only Palm handheld with Windows Mobile OS in Asia. It was launched in October 2006, more than half a year after the company released its first Windows-based PDA-phone (Treo 700w) in the US.

Dopod D810 gets GPS and BlackBerry upgrade

The Taiwan handheld maker has just announced that its upcoming ROM update for its HSDPA-enabled D810 PDA-phone will add GPS (Global Positioning System) as well as BlackBerry Connect functionalities to the device.

According to Dopod's product manager, the D810 was already shipping with an onboard GPS receiver during its launch in November last year. However, due to software complications, the GPS application was not ready for commercial use then. Thus the company decided to go ahead with the product launch without announcing the GPS functionality.

The D810 joins the 838 Pro and C720W as the third cellular handheld to offer the popular push-email client, in addition to the Microsoft Direct Push solution. Current owners of the D810 can download the new firmware from February 10, while new users can expect March shipments of the handheld to come with the updated GPS ROM. The ROM update will, however, only activate the GPS receiver. Users will have to purchase the GPS software and map content separately in order to utilize the GPS features.

Dopod's U1000 to debut end-February

What do you get when you combine a PDA-phone and an Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC)? Quite possibly, you'll be looking at something along the lines of Dopod's latest all-in-one handheld, the U1000, previously codenamed Athena.

More "mini computer" than PDA-phone, the U1000 is possibly one of the most feature-packed handhelds we've seen so far. It combines the functions of a Windows Mobile 5.0 PDA with a 3G/HSDPA mobile phone and GPS receiver. In addition, it comes with a detachable magnetic QWERTY keypad which also doubles as a protective cover for the screen.

Feature set not impressive enough? Well, the Dopod sports dual cameras (3-megapixel VGA sensor), TV-out, 5-inch VGA display, Intel's 624MHz XScale processor, and get this, an 8GB hard drive. Of note is the unique onboard VueFLO function which uses motion-sensing technology to navigate Web pages.

All those goodies don't come cheap. At a retail of S$1,998 (US$1,469.12), it is even more expensive than some of the notebooks in the market today. But if you already have you mind set on getting the U1000, you had better start saving soon. It is expected on shelves before the end of February.

Beta version of Windows Mobile 6.0 leaked?

The new mobile OS from Microsoft, codenamed "Crossbow", has not been officially announced yet. But a link to a supposedly beta version of the new Windows Mobile platform is already being posted on MobileWhack. According to our sister site CNET.com, the software is "said to build out compatibility with Office 2007 and Exchange 12".

The Windows Mobile 6.0 platform is expected to be introduced in handhelds and smart phones later this year, replacing the current Windows Mobile 5.0. Check out more screenshots of the new operating system here. To see more of the user interface, you can also view a short video clip here.

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