Handhelds

News: Native Word and Excel Files on Palms

The latest version of DataViz's Documents To Go offers native support for Microsoft Word and Excel files. In the past, Word and Excel files had to be converted on a Windows PC before they could be viewed or edited on a Palm. With native file support, Palm users can, for instance, send and receive Word and Excel files as e-mail attachments, without the need for a server-based conversion service such as DataViz's own Inbox To Go service. (The company plans to continue offering the Inbox To Go service, however, a spokesperson says.) Documents To Go 6 includes lots of other new features and is available in Premium ($50) and Standard ($30) editions.

News: Palm's Camera and Wireless Keyboard

Palm recently announced a 1.3-megapixel digital camera card that slips into the Palm expansion slot and is compatible with Palm Tungsten devices. The $100 digicam is scheduled to be available in December, Palm says.

Meanwhile, Palm's new wireless keyboard ($70) communicates with most Palm PDAs via infrared wireless connection. The keyboard folds up when not in use to the size of a paperback book and can work up to three feet away, Palm says.

For more details on both devices, read "Wi-Fi Comes to Cameras, Consoles, and More."

News: Track Your Stolen PDA

PC PhoneHome, which makes theft protection software for notebooks, is now offering PC PhoneHome for Pocket PC ($30), a version of its tracking software for PDAs. The software sends a stealth e-mail to the stolen device's owner once the missing PDA is connected to the Internet. The e-mail contains information that can be used to locate and return the missing item to its owner. The initial version works only with devices running the Windows Mobile 2003 operating system; a version for Palm OS devices should be available soon.