HP, already the world's largest technology company, is set to expand further with the acquisition of Palm.

Adelaide-based national ISP, Internode, has launched in Australia MiFi, a portable device the size of a pack of cards that combines a 3G broadband modem with a wireless access point, and which the company says combines a 3G router and an 802.11 b/g WiFi access point that can fit in your shirt pocket.

Australian provider of business software products and services, ComOps, has secured a renewal of its contract for a second year to supply a hosted mobile sales force automation solution to, the local arm of the US manufacturer of household cleaning supplies and consumer chemicals, SC Johnson & Son.

Western Australia’s Water Corporation, which services customers over a 2.5 million square kilometre area of the state, has selected Sybase to provide management of mobile devices deployed to its field force.

A splurge of product announcements from HP cover the gamut from inexpensive personal printers to high-volume photo printing. One standout is the first DLNA certified printer.

HTC’s iPhone-esque ‘Touch’ has been upgraded to include a slide-out keypad and a 3.5G HSDPA chip running on Telstra’s 850Mhz Next G network. HTC’s first Touch didn’t really touch me at all, especially in the midst of iPhone mania, so just how touching is HTC’s new version?

Watch out iPhone – a mobile phone with a ‘roll up’ 5-inch screen is coming to market in mid 2008, promising high readability, easily pocketable mobility, cellphone capability and wireless connectivity. But without a colour screen, keypad buttons, video playback or access to a full web browser, can Readius truly rock?

Amazon's Kindle eBook has launched to much hype and mixed reviews, the ASUSTek Eee super-small notebook has sold like hot cakes and DataWind's Pocketsurfer2 mobile Internet access device, without the benefit of big name backers, has barely registered a blip on the local radar. But, according to ABI Research, these devices are only the vanguard of a 90 million strong invasion of ultramobile devices that will march into consumers hands over the next five years.

As those poor weather beaten Londoners queued up for a chance to get their very own Apple iPhones a day or two ahead of ordinary consumers last week, I was having a quick play with a 3G HTC TyTN II touch screen phone that a colleague recently picked up from a local 3 shop. Now that I've had a chance to play with both of these devices, I get the feeling that Apple is once again up against Microsoft and history may repeat itself.

A new flash memory card specification has the backing of three major mobile phone companies and other parts of the electronics industry.