Cingular will begin offering HP's Windows Mobile-based iPAQ 6900 series PDA/phones in the U.S. beginning Oct. 31. The hw6920 and hw6925 feature a QWERTY keypad with push-email support, built-in GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and IR, and support Cingular's nationwide GSM/GPRS/EDGE wireless data network, according to HP.

The hw6920 and hw6925 are identical except for the inclusion of a 1.3 Mpixel camera in the latter model.

Earlier this week, I attended a press conference by Palm and Microsoft where they rolled out their latest Treo 700wx smartphone running Microsoft's Mobile OS. And yes, you heard correctly, Palm has teamed up with their former rival, Microsoft, and they are going head-to-head with RIM, although Palm will still offer their own OS on some devices.

As sweet looking as this new Treo may be, it wasn't the product announcement which caught my attention, but what was said by Palm's director of product development, Peter Skillman. He suggested that the smartphone will replace the laptop PC.

TransSend is a new free-of-charge client/server application that allows any Internet content to be wirelessly transferred from a Bluetooth enabled PC to another Bluetooth enabled device, such as a phone or PDA.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group hopes this application will help increase customer satisfaction of Bluetooth enabled devices and drive visitors to TransSend enabled web sites. The group sites some examples of the benefits of this application as including when running late for a party, a person could quickly ‘TransSend' the host's address to their mobile phone, or sending a map and phone number of a new...

MotionApps has just release mVoice 5: a program for the Treo that allows you to record conversations to the smartphone's SD card. This application could be a mobile podcaster's dream come true by allowing you to record yourself or interviews by phone using a device you're already carrying around.

For example, a person could do a ton of interviews by phone during a long road trip while out of Internet range (EVDO doesn't really cut it for quality VoIP calls). Assuming they're not doing the driving, they could then sync the interviews from their SD into their computer, do a little editing, then post the podcast from the next WiFi hotspot they encounter (or use EVDO).

Before getting excited, get your checkbook out. Yes, you can purchase the Treo 750v here in America now. No, it’s not subsidized by your carrier, and there is a premium to the importers, CTI Miami. Yes, it’s unlocked, so you can insert your GSM SIM and you’re ready to go. No, you can’t get it in those fruity colors the 680 comes in.

What’s very good is that these unlocked Treos claim to keep support for UMTS intact, which means if your SIM says Cingular on it, it’s FAST. We couldn’t find anyone who’s actually tried one of these, so before plunking down your $765, you might want to call your provider and see what it has to say.

Mobile device manufacturer Palm has teamed up with Google to bring Google Maps to Palm's Treo smartphones.

Google Maps is a free downloadable Palm OS application that offers directions, local search, moveable/scalable maps, location satellite imagery and traffic updates while on the go. The service, which is generally available on the web, has been mobile optimized for Palm OS-based Treo qsmartphones.

The new 3G model, titled the 750v runs on Microsoft's latest mobile OS and features a number of exclusive elements, including picture speed dialling and a personised homepage. The picture speed dialling feature allows you to take a picture of a key contact and then call them by pressing the picture rather than having to dial the number and the personalised homepage includes links to Google's search engine - unfortunately you can't change the search engine that is displayed.

VoiceSecureIt™ is an easy-to-use voice biometric authentication application that enables the user to access their smartphone by using a simple and unique voice print phrase. Ideal for enterprise, government and medical use, this extra layer of security will protect a user’s personal and corporate data, while meeting enterprise standards for maximum protection of sensitive data. The enrollment process is simple and easy to accomplish, and once set, provides a convenient and natural way to unlock the device while saving time by eliminating the need to type password codes. Key features include a new Graphic User Interface for robust functionality, backdoor password access and small memory footprint.

Before we get into the "how," let's discuss the "why." Scouring the mytreo.net forums will yield horror stories about catastrophes, unplanned hard resets, and resets that make you lose all your preferences. The simple fact of the matter is that, when you own a device that is largely a means of information storage and access, it's in your best interest to protect that data.

When you first get your Treo, you are prompted to install the accompanying software to your pc or mac, and then perform a hotsync. There are really two purposes to a hotsync: 1) to give your device a unique user name that will not only identify it during future hotsyncs, but allow software to be registered to that unique name, and 2) to create a backup on your computer of all the information stored on your handheld. So your first lesson is: Sync often, and sync regularly. Something will happen to cause you to need that backup. It's just a matter of when.

All this chatter about Apple's admission of stock options backdating and CFO Anderson's resulting resignation is kind of lame coverage for a weekend so I instead wanted to focus on something cooler: bluetooth gadgets.

If your mobile phone has Bluetooth then you owe it to yourself to grab a really nice Bluetooth headset (you are using a headset with your handy, aren't you?). Headsets are important for safety and are required while driving in many states but it's the convenience that really makes them essential. Most Bluetooth headsets cost less than US$100 and once you have one it's hard to go back.

Since we take our mobiles, PDAs or smartphones pretty much everywhere, the idea of having a GPS receiver inbuilt into one is a clever idea. HP has cottoned on to the idea with its new iPAQ rx5965 PDA.

Unfortunately, the new Travel Companion series (rx5000) does not have phone functionality included. But this series of PDAs does feature an integrated GPS antenna, SiRF Star II GPS receiver, inbuilt GPS navigation software and carries pre-installed Tom Tom Navigator 6.0 maps in the flash memory, thus requiring no SD cards or Internet activation.