Thanks to Clove for the loan of the Bold which is now available for £445.32. Expect a two part review early next week.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Asia will continue to deliver strong growth in the mobile phone market due to sustained demand from China and India, the world's two biggest markets of such services, industry officials said.

But, even if Asia is the world's largest broadband market in terms of absolute numbers, it lags the United States and Europe in overall penetration, with just 3.6 out of every 100 inhabitants connected to the high-speed Internet, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said in a report.

The ITU, which groups companies and official bodies from 191 countries, held an industry conference in Bangkok this week.

The Asia Pacific region has about 1.4 billion mobile phone subscribers, representing 42 percent of the global market, and it is expected to exceed 50 percent within the next two years, Hamadoun Toure, secretary-general of the ITU, said.

India and China combined have total cellphone subscribers of about 900 million, accounting for a quarter of the world total... More at Reuters.

Toysoft has released mySchedule NFL 2008 and also discounted it to $9.95 until 19th September- "mySchedule NFL is the ultimate scheduler for the National Football League 2008 season. mySchedule includes all 32 team's regular schedules, AFC and NFC standings, all 32 team rosters. In addition mySchedule includes DirecTV listing and export schedule to Datebook/Calendar. Weekly NFL scoring and score summaries. Weekly updated scores.

Support high resolution. AFC and NFC team break down. AFC and NFC team standings. Team Roster for all 32 teams. TV listings of all games. Support 4 time zones for the schedule. Selectable weeks for the schedule. Weekly scoring and scoring summaries. Weekly game match up summaries. Colorful icons. Registered users get Standing, Roster and scoring updates for the entire season."

Also recently updated and discounted is RescoNeeews! for Palm OS which reaches v2.40 and is down to $14.95 until September 11th- "Say you are waiting for a doctor. Would you rather read today's news or browse an ancient magazine.

Resco Neeews! can create your personal mobile newspapers:
- By selecting among renowned periodicals or blogs
- By searching the web for feeds on a given topic (e.g. for "PDA news")
- By using news aggregators (e.g. all "PDA news" offered by Google News)
- By using your own RSS feeds

Ready newspaper can be regularly updated (fresh news every morning) and added to the Palm Launcher as a new application. You can even get notification about incoming news.

Listening to audio news (podcasts):
Resco Neeews! can stream podcasts (listening during the download - saves both time and money) and is able to resume interrupted podcasts.

The arrival of the Sony Reader to the UK represents a big shift in the eBook market, and one which may cause a Kindle style rush, albeit on a much smaller scale. For people like me, and maybe many of you, the Sony Reader seems like a huge device that does not do a lot. It can carry 160 eBooks at a time, can manage 6800 page turns on one battery charge and... well, that’s about it. It is not a device you would necessarily carry around, and not exactly ideal for a quick read when in a Doctor’s surgery or waiting for a bus.

One of the main advantages of eBooks on a PDA or smartphone is portability and the fact that the device is already with you the majority of the time. It does take getting used to and many work colleagues and friends still cannot work out how I read books on such a small screen, but for me it has become the most natural experience in the world. The iPhone is a classic example of a small device which reproduces text in a perfectly readable way that will not harm the reader’s eyes, yet I suspect the Sony Reader will grab much more attention and spur the eBook market in greater ways than any smartphone ever could. On a side note, I am surprised that Apple has not made a bigger jump into the eBook market via the iPhone and iPod Touch and tried to create (and own) a whole new branch of eReadering for itself.

So, what will happen when someone buys the Sony Reader? I suspect it will be love at first sight for many and the first few days will be joyful as the proud new owner enters the world of eBooks, but then the practicalities may start to creep in-

• Whereas before they would throw a book in a bag for reading at lunchtime, they now have to make sure it is properly protected and charged. These are minor issues, but to someone who is used to normal paper books they may seem larger.
• The price of eBooks may also become an annoyance, especially to new eBook readers, because they are impossible to justify. Of course there should be a charge, but many new releases retail for close to the cost of a hardback release.
• Will they feel stupid using such a device in the coffee area at work? You may disagree with this, but some people will find this an alien experience. It was reported last year that over a third of books bought in London were for ‘show’. People liked to display them on their desks at work and under their arm on the Tube as a way of showing how interesting they are- of course that cannot happen with an eBook reader.

From the moment I purchased my first PDA, eBook reading has become a part of my life and I believe it to be advantageous in so many ways. I haven’t read a paper book in many years, and can only see myself reading eBooks for the foreseeable future. It is not easy to gain accurate sales figures for the standalone eBook devices, but I do hope that others will grow to love the Kindle and Sony Reader in the same way we do out smartphones for eBook reading. The Sony Reader could do with a backlight though to make it a truly flexible device.

Palm is now offering the Treo Pro for pre-order for UK readers.The retail price is set at £399, but Clove has it listed for £386.58.

"Your office can be anywhere with the Palm Treo Pro!

Whether you’re rehearsing a presentation over breakfast, making changes to a spreadsheet at the stadium, or checking email1 after a leisurely lunch, getting work done on the go is easy.

With on board phone functionality and contact database, you can look up a contact directly from the Treo Pro's today screen by entering just a few letters of their name. Then call, email, or text them right from the same screen.

The Treo Pro makes mobile messaging, so simple.  Windows mobile messaging features and the ability to conencto to messaging services aided by a front facing QWERTY keyboard makes text and data input is effortless and comfortable, typing messages of any length.

Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition provides the familiar look and feel of Windows, plus mobile versions of applications you use every day. Download, view, and edit Word and Excel compatible files. Even review PDF and open ZIP files. And do it all with the ease of a touchscreen and a keyboard.

The large colour touchscreen on the Palm Treo Pro gives you one more way to access the applications you use most - great for checking email or opening your calendar. Just tap the screen to navigate without scrolling through menus.

The Palm Treo Pro allows you to carry your calendar, contacts, tasks and notes, so you’re prepared and organised wherever you go.
With GPS and Wi-Fi, you can even find where you’re going - and then have wireless connectivity options when you get there.

Search for the nearest café or venue using GPS and arrive easily thanks to turn-by-turn directions all from your mobile device(Navigation software required).  No more getting lost!"

3G phone network standards vary by carrier is new at msnbc- "If you’re among the growing number of Americans using the Web or e-mail on your phone, the quality of that experience depends on your cell phone company's data network. Wireless carriers all make similar promises of blazingly fast mobile Internet, even more so now with 3G, or third-generation, wireless.

A speedy network with a strong signal brings faster-loading Web pages, quick e-mail delivery and smoother video streams on the go. Of course, sluggish data speeds and lousy network coverage means you'll likely wait until you get to work or home before jumping online via computer.

So what are the differences between the mobile Internet technologies and networks of AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile, the four major carriers in the United States?"